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“She loves weddings, of course, and hosting, and all the planning.”
“Can’t imagine that’s much fun for Stef.”
“She doesn’t mind. Quite likes it, actually.”
“No way that’s true. Unless she’s had a complete personality transplant.”
Grayson smiled. “I asked if she wanted to elope, she said no. She wants to stand up in front of as many people as possible and, uh, claim me.”
“Then stick her tongue down your throat.”
“Jesus, were you eavesdropping?”
Wolfe and I both laughed. “You still haven’t explained how she’s dealing with Mom.”
“As long as she’s got total say over what she wears, she’s not bothered. The only real snag was when Mom gently hinted that she might consider dying her hair a more natural look.”
“Can’t imagine that went down well.”
We waited, standing side by side, as Wolfe took his shot and, as expected, his ball landed on the green, very close to the other two. We’d all picked up golf clubs practically before we could walk.
Handing our clubs to the caddie, we elected to walk to the green rather than take the cart.
“So, how exactly did Mom’s suggestion about Stef’s hair go?” Wolfe asked.
“She made the mistake of saying it in front of me. I put paid to the idea immediately.”
“Nice one.” Like I said, brooding brother, sassy rock chick…I would have laughed in your face. “Helps to be the favorite child, I guess.”
“It has its upsides. To be fair, Mom’s limits have sure been tested. One son already married to a woman that lived in a trailer park with four kids. The other engaged to a punk. If you really want to improve your credit, bring home a woman Mom can approve of.”
“Ha! Funny. And very unlikely. I like my life just the way it is, thanks.”
“That’s fair. Now that we’re talking about the wedding, though, it’s a good time to mention that Scarlett will be invited.”
The way my pulse leaped. “And?”
Grayson glanced at Wolfe. It was like they were a united fucking front these days. “And, seeing as how she’s filed the injunction, it would seem that your meeting didn’t go so well.”
“It went fine.”
“She filed the very next morning. Perhaps our definitions of fine differ.” Graysonalwaystalked like he had a stick up his ass.
“When an irresistible force meets an immovable object…you know how it goes.”
“Am I right in assuming that you’re the irresistible force?”
I gotta say, I didn’t like Wolfe’s tone of wry amusement. “Naturally.”
“I feel your grasp of the issue might be lacking, brother. Since it seems that the irresistible force was very easily resisted. And the object is completely unmoved.”
“We’ll see.” We didn’t say anything as we got to the green. Grayson and Wolfe waited while I putted, the silence continuing when my ball dropped neatly into the hole. “There’s the mediation process to get through before it goes to court. That’s my chance to make her see sense.”
“I wouldn’t bank on that.”
I shot Grayson a look. “You don’t trust me to handle it?”
He shrugged. “It’s not that. So much has gone wrong with this dumb fuck land deal that my expectations are extremely low of anything ever working out.”