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“This is not part of the plan, Shelby.”
“Maybe it’s not part of your plan, but it is part of mine, Daddy.”
She gave him a mutinous glare, and he frowned. The youngest Diamond was usually pretty easy going, but when she set her mind to something, look out.
“I don’t like that location,” Dad said. “The neighborhood is terrible. It’s not safe.”
“Just because it isn’t in a rich neighborhood doesn’t mean it’s not safe. It’ll be perfect for my clinic, and it has a full apartment upstairs, too.”
“You have enough in your trust fund that you won’t need to bother yourself with tenants.”
“The apartment would be for me,” she clarified. “I’m not living here after college.”
“You don’t want to mooch off Mom and Dad like Merit does?” Loyal asked with a smirk.
“Shut up, Loyal.” Merit scowled at him across the table. “Celia only moved out a month ago.”
“Celia had a full-time job the whole time,” their dad snapped.
Asher held back a sigh for the direction the conversation had taken. At this rate, brunch was liable to drag on longer into the afternoon than he’d planned to stay. He hoped to talk Honor into having dinner with him before he had to leave for Pike’s Peak later.
Thankfully, his mom held up a hand, her diamond rings flashing in the sunlight. “Let’s not get into all that right now.” She glanced at Shelby while refilling her coffee cup and their dad’s. “You have another full year before you graduate. Now isn’t the time to be distracted with moving anywhere. You need to concentrate on your studies, and we need to focus on your father’s campaign.”
“All she does is study,” Merit interjected. “Geezus. Let her get a life and have some fun.”
“Purchasing real estate isn’t something you do for fun,” Grandpa Ira admonished. “It’s an investment to be taken seriously.” As he would know—he’d doubled his own father’s fortune in the real estate market forty years ago, and taught his son to do the same before he moved into politics.
Shelby sat up straighter in her chair. “I am taking it seriously, Grandpa. That’s why I asked Dad to come look at the place with me. I’m planning ahead just like he preaches.”
Their father shook his head and her face fell. “My
entire week is booked solid between work and the campaign. Maybe you could go with her, Dad?”
“Sure,” Grandpa agreed.
“I’ll go,” Merit offered at the same time.
“You should get yourself a job,” their dad snapped.
Merit fisted the napkin in his lap and Asher bumped his knee against his brother’s. It wasn’t a bad idea for him to finally put his engineering degree to some use. He’d certainly be able to do a thorough inspection of the building. “You should both go. I’m sure Shelby wouldn’t mind the extra opinion, right, Bells?”
“Forget it.” Jaw set, their youngest brother tossed his napkin on his plate and shoved his chair back.
“Merit…” Shelby called after him as he strode from the room.
“Let him go,” their father grumbled in a low voice. “It’s what he does best. He needs to grow the hell up.”
Asher agreed, and yet a split-second glimpse of Merit’s expression had him wondering if there wasn’t more bothering his brother than Dad getting on his case.
He couldn’t find him after brunch, but he did catch Celia in the kitchen. Without mincing words, he asked, “Are you still going to use Honor Hartman for your wedding cake?”
His older sister grimaced as she loaded plates in the dishwasher since Elena had Sundays off these days. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not? Just because of what happened last night?”
“Well, yeah. Didn’t you see the Denver Today blog?”
“No. You know I don’t pay attention to that crap.”
