Page 63

The front door opened, and I heard Wolfe’s deep chuckle echo down the hallway. “Hey guys—come meet Esme and Belle,” he called out. Swallowing my anxiety, I stood up and brushed off my jeans, mentally preparing myself for the encounter.
Grayson walked into the room, his piercing gaze sweeping over the scene before settling on me. His eyes were like ice, sending shivers down my spine. Rhett followed closely behind, his easy smile a stark contrast to Grayson’s stoic demeanor.
“Esme, you remember Grayson. This other ass...guy is my other brother, Rhett,” Wolfe introduced us, gesturing to each man in turn.
“Nice to see you again. And it’s nice to meet you, Rhett.” I did my best to sound confident, despite the butterflies in my stomach. Yeah, I failed miserably, but what can you do? I extended my hand toward Grayson, feeling a flutter in my chest when his cool fingers closed around mine. He offered a curt nod before releasing my hand, leaving me feeling even more uncertain. I had no idea what Wolfe had told them about me and the kids living with him, but he seemed pretty relaxed, so I forced myself to take a deep, calming breath.
“Nice to meet you too,” Rhett said. He was around the same height as Wolfe, with the same dark hair, but his eyes were a rich, dark brown. There might have been a hint of boredom there, but he shook my hand and gave Belle a friendly wave all the same. She grinned back at him, her earlier enthusiasm undimmed.
“Can we get this meeting happening?” Wolfe asked, motioning toward the dining table, which was already set out with iced water, glasses and a snack platter, which Wolfe had ordered in, even though I told him I was quite capable of throwing a plate of nibbles together.
“Come on, Belle,” I murmured, guiding her back to our spot on the floor. We settled back down at the coffee table and continued drawing. I found it difficult to concentrate, though, straining to catch snippets of the conversation filtering over from the dining area.
“…Dad’s getting impatient,” I heard Grayson say, his voice low and authoritative. “The land deal needs to be completed before he loses his mind.”
“Well, maybe he can explain what the fuck is going on, then? I’m working in the dark here, Gray. The seller has been evading me for weeks and I don’t know why. All I’ve been able to get out of him is that he doesn’t want to upset Ballantyne.”
“You took on this deal because of your connection to Theo Harrington. It was meant to be easy. If you are too distracted to complete the task, we can always swap you out with Rhett.”
“Esme, what should I draw next?” Belle asked, unknowingly dragging my attention away from the meeting, so I couldn’t hear Rhett’s murmured reply.
“Um, how about a butterfly?” I suggested, attempting to mask my preoccupation. She nodded eagerly, selecting a bright purple pencil from the pile and beginning her new masterpiece.
As I sketched half-heartedly, my thoughts kept drifting back to the meeting taking place only a few feet away. It was only this land deal keeping Wolfe in Esperance. What did Grayson mean about him being too distracted to get the job done? Surely he didn’t mean me? And the kids? What the fuck?
“All finished!” Belle exclaimed, snapping me out of my reverie once again. I looked down at her creation, a beautifully detailed butterfly that seemed to dance across the page. “Do you like it?”
“I love it, baby! You’re so clever.”
And then, without warning, she scrambled to her feet and darted across the room, towards the dining table where Grayson, Rhett, and Wolfe were engrossed in their conversation. My heart leaped into my throat, panic clawing at my insides as I realized what she was about to do.
“Here,” she said, thrusting the drawing at Grayson with the fearlessness only a child could possess.
Grayson stared at her, his cold blue eyes narrowing as if he’d never encountered such a creature before. He glanced briefly at the drawing, his expression unreadable. I held my breath, praying he wouldn’t crush Belle’s fragile spirit with a harsh word or dismissive gesture.
“I made it for you.” Uncertainty tinged Belle’s tone, and I swallowed heavily, wondering if I should intervene.
But then, a hint of surprise flickered on Grayson’s face, followed by the faintest ghost of a smile. “Thank you,” he said quietly, accepting the drawing with a careful nod, as if it were the most precious treasure. Belle beamed up at him, her eyes shining with delight, before scampering back to the living room where I sat, my heart still pounding in my chest.
“Did you see that, Esme?” she whispered excitedly as she sank down beside me. “He liked it!”
I nodded, unable to find my voice, my mind reeling from the unexpected turn of events. My sweet, fearless little sister had momentarily disarmed the very intimidating Grayson Rivers. I glanced across at Wolfe, giving him a half smile when he winked at me.
“Let’s draw another one,” Belle declared, already rummaging through the pile of pencils and paper. I winced at the noise she was making and glanced across at the three men at the table.
“Hey, Belle,” I said gently, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. “You wanna go to the trailer park with me? We can pick up the mail and see if Mrs. Thompson is home.”
“Okay!”
“Great, well, you pack up and I’ll see if the others want to come too.” Judging by the low, throbbing bass coming from the home theater, my guess was the kids were too engrossed in their movie to want to leave now. And I was right. They barely turned their heads to look at me, before Florian said a brief, “no thanks,” and that was that.
I finished packing up the art supplies and made Belle go upstairs to wash before we left. Then I accepted I was stalling because I was chickenshit. All I needed to do now was interrupt the meeting to ask Wolfe if I could borrow his car. I cleared my throat nervously and stepped closer to the table. Relief shot through me when Wolfe turned in my direction and flashed a smile. “Hey.”
But then Grayson turned to look at me too, and I felt my mouth go dry.
“Hi, um…” God, why was I so lame? He was only a man. “Um, I thought it might be good to get Belle out of the house for a bit, so you can have your meeting in peace.”
“She’s no trouble, but if you want to head out, go for it. My keys are on the kitchen counter.”