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“What business do you have with my sister?” Joshua asked.
What business was it of his? Clayton wanted to ask that, and under other circumstances, he might have. But this time, he held his tongue.
“That’s between me and your sister,” Clayton settled on saying.
He held his hat in front of him—a move he considered humbling. Why did it feel like a scene straight out of a black-and-white movie? Him, cowboy hat in hand, calling on some guy’s sister like he was asking to date her or something.
He wasn’t, of course. But he certainly wouldn’t object to dating Georgia Ludington if circumstances were different.
“If you could just go get your sister.” Clayton paused, then added one word, “Please.”
Joshua hesitated a second, then stepped back, gesturing toward the door. “Go ahead. She’s in the dining room with family.”
Clayton paused only a second before climbing the steps and walking straight through the door. He had a bad feeling about this. If Georgia was seated at the table with her family, that meant he couldn’t sneak by them and track her down in the kitchen. He’d have to face Brendon and Sawyer if he wanted to talk to her.
Without looking back to see if Joshua followed, Clayton rushed through the door, only then realizing he had no idea where to go. Luckily, there were sounds coming from the back of the building. That would be the direction of the dining room.
“May I help you?”
He heard the voice just as he’d decided to start moving toward the back. He’d been so intent on his destination, he hadn’t even looked around him. He glanced to his left, and there, behind a desk, sat Bobbie Ludington, matriarch of the family and widow to Jack Ludington.
“Clayton Mills,” he said. “I just needed to speak to your daughter about something.”
Bobbie’s eyes got really big. She pushed away from the desk and stood. Her smile widened, but he noticed it didn’t reach her eyes. She looked tired, like someone who had worked hard all day and still had work to do. But her weariness came from grief.
“I’ve heard a lot of great things about you,” she said. “I and all the women in my friend group are really proud of what you’ve made of yourself. Your situation…”
After several long seconds, Clayton realized he was just staring at this nice woman. He hadn’t expected a warm welcome, and he certainly hadn’t imagined she’d know who he was, let alone have kind words for him.
But it was no surprise word had spread about his family situation. His parents weren’t really parents at all. His dad spent most of his time at the bar the next town over until one night, he fatally slammed his car into a tree coming home drunk.
After his dad died, his mom shifted to someone he didn’t recognize. Not that either of his parents had been even close to attentive to start with. But instead of focusing on paying bills, she seemed more interested in dating various men.
Clayton had taken the job with the Knotts to help out, and they’d become the family he’d never had. A family he’d always dreamed of having. That was why, to this day, he did whatever he could to help them.
“How’s your mom?” Mrs. Ludington asked.
That was a question he wasn’t prepared to answer. Nobody ever asked about her.
“Good, I guess.” He shrugged. “I get together with her at Christmas. She married a guy she met in Vegas and moved there to be with him.”
“Vegas.” She nodded slowly. “It certainly sounds like an interesting place to live, doesn’t it?”
He laughed. “That’s one way to look at it.”
“So…” She glanced over toward the area he assumed was the dining room. He heard voices and the unmistakable sound of silverware coming into contact with dishes. “You’re here to see my daughter.”
He’d prepared for that question. “I wanted her help with something, and she needed some information before she could give that help.”
Mrs. Ludington tilted her head to the right. “You want Georgia’s help with something?”
There was still a slight smile on her face. She seemed amused by this whole thing.
But she wasn’t angry he was here, nor was she demanding any explanations. He figured he’d go with it while he could.
“I could just run in there and get her attention?—”
He didn’t finish that sentence. The message was clear. If he set foot in that room, things could turn ugly, especially if any of the Ludington brothers had caught wind that he was representing the Knott family as their attorney.
