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“Yes, it really does,” she replied. I’d never heard her sound so confident and self-assured, and I liked it. Damn, she had my admiration. She hadn’t raised her voice, but even so, her delivery was strong and cutting. “Because I never would’ve approved of what they did. But that’s beside the point. You don’t get to come here when I’m enjoying brunch and belittle me because you did a bad business deal with my brothers. If you have a bone to pick, I suggest you pick it with them.”

“We would if we could, but we don’t know where they are.”

“Well, neither do I,” Grace said. “And now I suggest you stop interrupting my lunch.”

“You listen to me—”

I couldn’t believe they were pursuing this with her, so I stepped in with a very warning tone. “No.” They both looked at me, clearly surprised, so I added, “You heard her. Fuck off.”

“And who are you?” the second man asked.

“Zachary LeBlanc.”

Both their faces changed. Clearly they recognized the name. “A LeBlanc and a Deveraux,” the first one said. “That’s unexpected.”

“You’re welcome to fuck off and be shocked by it somewhere else. You’re done here,” I said.

“That is no way to treat anyone—”

“Fucking go!” I raised my voice but not loudly enough to cause attention.

The second guy looked at Grace but had the good sense not to say anything else. She was holding her chin high, arms still crossed over her chest. She maintained her composure even after the two of them turned their backs and left our table.

Then she took a deep breath and whispered, “Wow, I didn’t see that coming.”

“Are you okay?” I asked, putting a hand on her upper back. “Want me to have them thrown out?”

She laughed, glancing at me. “No, Zachary. I think I dealt with it quite well.”

“You did. You were fucking amazing.” I brought my mouth to her ear. “So amazing, in fact, that it’s a turn-on.”

She gasped. “How can you do that?”

“What?” I asked.

“Switch between having a normal conversation and being all flirty.” She said the wordflirtyas if she meantdirty.

“I just live in the moment, Grace. But seriously, how are you feeling?”

“Kind of took the wind out of my sails. That was a first, to be honest.” She shrugged as we sat back down. “Someone just walking up to me and insulting me because of my brothers.” She grabbed the fork, turning it around on her empty plate. “I’ve only encountered antagonism when I was talking to investors, but even they weren’t so in-your-face.”

“They were way out of line. Everyone knows that neither you nor your father were part of the company when they ran their Ponzi scheme.”

Grace shook her head. “Dad assured me he actually reimbursed everyone once he took over. That’s why the company’s cash reserves are low. So I don’t understand why those guys even felt the need to come up to me.”

“Because some people just get off on conflicts and fighting. You handled that brilliantly.”

She smiled. “It felt good to stand up for myself. When the news first broke, I felt responsible. Then I realized it wasn’t my fault at all. I even tried to tell Dad not to empty the company’s coffers because of my brothers, but he said it wasn’t fair to everyone else, and I guess he was right.”

“Your father is a good man. I didn’t know about the reimbursement.”

“He didn’t want to make a big deal of it.”

“Want me to bring you another cocktail? Surprise you?”

She sighed. “Honestly, I’ve lost my appetite.”

“That encounter definitely soured the mood. Want us to leave?”