Page 61 of Safe Place

"Go and sit. I'll be right back," I tell her as I gently guide her toward the sofa, then give her butt a nice slap, just to see her face redden. “Oh, and you can just ignore him completely if you want.” I smirk as I say it, loud enough for Grant to hear.

“Love you too!” He yells back.

I don’t bother knocking more than once before letting myself in. Luke never locks his door when he’s home, and if he doesn’t want me barging in, he should probably fix that habit.

Luke lives on the fourth floor of The Haven. He wanted to be near campus, but complained his cheap ass couldn’t afford an apartment here, so he asked me to swing him a deal. And of course, I did. He’s a Vale, my brother. But he insists on living this so-called frugal life. Still, even he can’t completely give up the luxury that comes with our last name, no matter how much he claims he does not agree with the values of The Vale Group.

He’s sprawled on the sofa with his laptop balanced on his knees. His dark brown curls are getting too long, starting to fall into his face. Knowing Luke, he’s probably too cheap to get a haircut until it grows into a damn mop. His brown eyes—just like our mom’s—lift to me the second I step inside.

“Well, look who decided to visit,” he says, grinning like he already knows he’s about to enjoy this. “Don’t tell me you’re here to talk about my rent again. I told you, I’m not late this month.”

I drop into the chair across from him. “I’m not here about rent. I need a favor.”

That grin of his only widens. “You need a favor from me? Oh, this is going to be good. What’s up?”

“I need you to give the Evergreen Horizon Scholarship to someone I know. Now through law school when she starts going. She’s an undergrad sophomore right now.”

Luke raises an eyebrow, sitting up a little straighter. “What? I can’t just—who is this?”

I meet his gaze, steady. “Sophie Lennox. She just submitted her application.”

“We’ve already got two candidates we are strongly considering. If she filled out an application, I’ll take a look, but it’d be wrong to just give it to her. Maybe she can wait until next year?”

“No. She’s a perfect fit. Trust me.” I reply. “But if it’s too much, I’ll pay it myself. Funnel it through Evergreen instead of directly to her so Dad doesn’t get suspicious.”

At that, Luke’s brows lift. “Wow. Well now I’m curious. But fine.” He leans back, grinning again, and there it is—that Vale charm. The one that makes my hard-ass dad adore him even though he refused to take the company. “I think I can swing some Evergreen funds for her. I’ll have to make up a new name for the scholarship she gets, though. And throw in some conditions like a minimum GPA or whatever—to make it real.”

“That’s fine. Whatever bullshit conditions that make it sound legit.” I add.

“So why am I doing this big favor for you, again? What’s her deal?” He asks.

“Please. Just do it, no questions asked. You owe me.”

That makes him pause. His grin falters for a second, his expression softening before he exhales through his nose. “You’re actually serious.”

I don't say that to Luke often, if ever. I never wanted The Vale Group. That was always going to be his thing, his future, his name on the door. But when he walked away from it, it landed on me by default, and he's always felt bad about it. Honestly, I never really cared—not until recently—until Sophie. I didn't have much else I was working toward anyway. But try telling him that. He still carries it around like he personally derailed my life—his words, not mine.

“I am.”

Luke studies me for a long beat, then runs a hand through his curls, shaking his head with a low laugh. “Christ, Micah. She must be something. All right, I’ll do it. But I’ve got three conditions for you.”

“Name them.”

“First,” Luke holds up a finger, “cut my rent to zero. Or pay it for me yourself. Your call. I know you already gave me a good price, but I’d love to live here without watching my bank account cry every month.”

“Done.”

Luke smirks, clearly enjoying this way too much. “Second—attend every Evergreen event as long as she’s receiving the scholarship. No excuses. Smile for the cameras, give a speech if I need you to.”

“Fine.”

“And third,” Luke leans forward, his grin widening like a cat who’s caught a mouse. “You’re going to donate a shit ton of quality items to the Evergreen Spring Auction. Luxury watches, round-trip plane tickets to Vale resorts, dinners at Vale Group’s fancy restaurants—make it extravagant. I want people fighting over your shit. A bid war.”

“Done.”

Luke laughs under his breath, shaking his head like he can’t believe it. “Wow. No fight at all? Now I’m really curious.”

I ignore the bait, standing and extending a hand. “Do we have a deal?”