Matt smirks, huffing out a laugh. “You don’t know who I am, do you?”
“I don’t care who you are.” My dad’s voice is steady and strong. “What I do care about is that you are interrupting my dinner and upsetting my family.” He tries once more to get Matt to leave voluntarily. “So I’m going to repeat my earlier recommendation, and tell you to go home and sober up.”
Brooke’s hands circle my arm as she inches closer to me, whispering quietly in my ear, “Should he drive like this?”
I tip my head toward her, keeping one eye on my dad and Matt. “He won’t make it off the property.” I jerk my chin toward where Walker has his phone out, talking on it quietly. “Pretty sure the cops have already been called.
“You think you’re so fucking smart.” Matt’s voice gets louder, and I put my full focus on him, discovering he seems to be directing his words at me. “But she’ll use you the same way she used me and then run away the second you expect something from her.”
I take a deep breath, trying to channel my inner Theodore Bradshaw, because right now I’m the only thing standing between Matt and Brooke. “I guess it’s a good thing I don’t expect her to give me anything she doesn’t want to.”
Matt scoffs. “Then you’re just as dumb as she is.” He tilts his head, making a show of pretending like he can see the woman almost completely hidden behind me. “And don’t think I can’t tell you’ve gotten fat.”
“I’m done with this.” Trevor slams down the drink in his hand, going straight for where Matt stands.
Tucker makes a whooping noise, grinning from ear to ear as he begins aiming the same direction.
Matt—reading the room and thinking there’s only one man in here he could best—attempts to turn his drunken rage at my father, pulling back an arm as he aims for my dad’s face.
But before anyone can accomplish anything, there’s the distinct sound of glass breaking. Matt seems weirdly frozen in place, and at first I think it’s because the sound startles him. Then, the dark liquid running from the top of his head down over his face and neck before soaking into his suit registers.
He manages to stay on his feet all of two seconds before collapsing into an unconscious heap on the floor.
My mother stands behind him, the neck of a shattered wine bottle clutched tight in her hand as she looks down at the mess of a man. Her eyes lift, moving around the room. “I was not expecting that to break as easily as it did.” She drops what remains of the bottle of Deidre Bradshaw presents Birch and Berry onto Matt’s unmoving body. “Totally worth the cleanup though.”
31
Brooke
“Ican’t believe that limp dicked snot showed up at Tobias’s parents’ house.” Maren comes into my office, slamming down a stack of files before plopping into the chair across from me. "He's got to be the dumbest man alive."
After the police and ambulance left Deidre's house last night, I was too wound up to fall asleep easily, so I called my night owl friend, unloading the events of the evening in great detail. Not just because I was still sort of in shock it happened, but also because I know my friend would want me to recount every dirty detail. And it’s the least I could do since I was keeping her up.
"I just don't get how he saw that whole thing unfolding." Maren scoffs. "It's not hard to Google the Bradshaw brothers. He had to know he was walking into a house filled with big, buff men who could lay him out in a heartbeat." She tips her head. "Plus Trevor."
I sigh, knowing what I’m about to tell my friend is not going to go over well.
"I'm not saying this to piss you off. Just as more of a warning."I lean forward, hoping she listens. "You are coming dangerously close to ‘the lady doth protest too much.’"
Honestly, I think she blew past that point when she smashed cake in his face at Mariah and Titus’s wedding. But I don't want Maren to be any more wound up than she already is.
Only Maren doesn't seem bothered by my warning. "The lady doth protest so much, because there is so much to protest about."
She's not wrong, but that's because the gentleman protests an equal amount.
"I was just giving you a heads up." I pull out my phone, checking the time because we’re set to go into a meeting in ten minutes. "But you do really love gossip, so maybe being part of it will be your ultimate fantasy."
"There’s nothing to gossip about." Maren goes to work organizing the files we need to bring with us. "I hate Trevor and Trevor hates me. That's it. End of story."
End of story besides all the parts where she and Trevor go out of their way to annoy the crap out of each other. But that’s another thing I’m not pointing out. I’ve had more than my fair share of drama lately, and I’m not interested in helping create any more. I’ve done my friendly duty and given her a warning.
Whatever happens after this, is all her.
Working together, Maren and I manage to get everything organized and ready just in time to head out. With Titus on paternity leave, my new assistant and I have really had to step up our game, putting in extra hours to get everything done. That's why when Tobias suggested I take today off to recover from last night's events, I had to shoot him down. I wouldn't have taken the day off anyway—I love working, and Matt isn't takingthat away from me again— but right now I couldn't even if I wanted to.
Not without suffering for it immensely.
Because it's the first meeting without Titus at my side, everything moves a little slower and takes a little longer. I'm able to answer everyone's questions, but not with the efficiency Titus can. I have to dig through information to be sure I'm giving correct answers.
