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Feeling annoyed with myself for finding any type of enjoyment with the guy sitting next to me, I cross my arms and stare out of my window. We have an hour’s drive home, maybe longer. It seems like forever.
“Because it’syou.”
“What does that mean?”
I turn to glare at him. “I’m only here because you’re holding information over my head.”
“That may be true, but you had fun tonight. You were in your element and thrived. And you were with me, doing something thatyoulove. I think that circumvents the other thing.” Grant smiles at me.
I sputter, momentarily speechless. Yes, I had a great time tonight. More than I thought possible, given the company. But he can’t possibly think that because I had fun, I don’t consider this an abuse of power. “No, it doesn’t!”
“Yes, it does. In any case,” he rolls his eyes, “I was right to bring you. I have to run it by Jason and Trip, but thanks to your insight, the third house may be the winner.”
“Glad I could help,” I grumble, glad that the conversation has shifted. The words ‘date’ and ‘Grant’ in the same sentence just don’t belong where I’m involved. No matter how attractive he is or how hot and bothered he makes me.
“You’ve helped us in more ways than you know, dollface.” Grant speaks so softly, that I don’t know if I was supposed to hear that.
I consider his words though. Is he talking about tonight or with Trip’s situation with his dad? It’s not like I’ve donethatmuch. Nothing they couldn’t have figured out on their own. So why, then, does Grant seem so solemn all of a sudden? Maybe, if we were actually friends, I would press him and ask what he’s thinking.
Time ticks by and for a while we’re quiet, lost in our own thoughts. Just as the dark cab and warm air start to lull me to sleep, Grant speaks.
“You should go ahead and get your real estate license. This won’t be the only property we buy. You’d make a good member of the team.”
“Team?”
“Yeah, you know,” Grant shoots me a strangely warm smile. “I’m the business guy, Jason will be the on-call vet, and Trip will be our carpenter to keep up the ranch.”
I shake my head. “I’m not planning on changing careers any time soon.”
“We could change that.” The warm smile falls from Grant’s mouth as he stares ahead. “All it would take would be to forward a little email. If you lose your job, why not fall back onto something you know?”
My heart sinks as I watch the wheels begin to turn in his head.
“Don’t do that, Grant,” I whisper in horror.
“Why shouldn’t we?”
I take a deep breath and try to stay calm. I’ve come to slowly realize that he and the others feed off my fear.
“Because then you’re stuck with me. Forever.” I try to smile, making it into a joke. Grant doesn’t respond so I try another tactic. “And who’s to say I’d work in your favor? Fuck me over, and I’ll just fuckyouover.”
This gets him to smile.
“Ah, there’s the cutthroat bitch we investigated. I wondered if I would ever be on the receiving end of that, or if Jackie would be your only victim.”
“You gave me some pretty damning information this evening that I’m sure your father would be interested in hearing. I’ll be that bitch if you drive me to it,” I tell him matter-of-factly.
Grant laughs. There’s a cold edge to it that I don’t like at all.
“He’d take one look at you and find you lacking. If you’re not wearing designer clothes and reek of money, you wouldn’t be worth his time. Anything you said would be dismissed. Then, when you’re least suspecting it, he’d destroy you just for the hell of it. He’s quick and good at two things: ruining people’s lives and turning everything into a profit. He’s everything I don’t want to be.” He pauses. “Though, that’s just another reason for you to work for us. He’d never suspect you to be a threat.”
I’m not sure how to react to this information. Insulted? Relieved? Rather than settle for one I completely disregard all of it and fall silent.
“What? No more pleading?” Grant asks pleasantly.
I don’t respond. Tucking my feet underneath me, I turn my head and stare out my window. It’s funny to hear how Grant wants nothing to do with his father, yet all I’ve heard from him are similarities.
If he’s not careful, he’ll unknowingly become the person he’s so desperately tryingnotto be.
