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Gram was too busy grumbling and Celia was too busy trying to calm her down to notice I was being led to the slaughter. “Sure.”

We walked across the big room in silence. He opened the door and stepped outside, leaving me standing there staring at him.

“I came today specifically to speak with you. I like you, Kasey.”

So smarmy. “Obviously.”

“I need you to understand the lengths I’ll go to in order to secure Jackson’s future and ensure he doesn’t overlook the tremendous opportunities in front of him.”

A future Harlan didn’t want me to be a part of. Got it. “I’m not sure why you’re so worried about me. I’m in town to visit my family.”

“That’s not what my informal poking around suggested.You’ll be happy to know your boss was very receptive to my offer of assistance. He seems to think the deal has stalled. I promised I would step in, use my contacts, and be very persuasive on his behalf.” Harlan smiled. “He’s a smart man and appreciated how beneficial it would be to have an open line through me to the power brokers in the state.”

This jackass was every bad TV politician rolled into one. “All of this effort because you think I’ll corrupt Jackson.”

“I’m trying to help you. Mags and Celia never need to know you’re the one who put their business in the spotlight. Ripe for the picking.” His smile faded a bit. “It would be best if you removed yourself from suspicion and went back to DC. If you’re not here I can provide cover. Otherwise, my hands will be tied.”

There was nothing subtle about that threat.

Harlan glanced at his watch, as if to make sure I knew how little this conversation meant to him. “I took Jackson out of the middle of this. Because I didn’t want you to get in trouble with Mags, I took you out. Everything will now go through me.”

Was I supposed to thank him? “What do you get out of all this interference?”

“That’s not your concern.” He winked. “Have a safe trip home.”

Blowhard. Annoying. Controlling. I tried to imagine Jackson as a kid, looking for love and validation from this empty suit of a guy. Expecting Harlan to cheer him on at sporting events and when he got into Princeton then learning that Harlan couldn’t step away from the mirror long enough to put anyone else first.

“Next time call before you come over. It’s rude to show up where you’re not wanted.” I shut the door in his face before he could offer a snide reply.

His backroom maneuvering wouldn’t win this time. No matter what it cost me.

Chapter Thirty-Four

The satisfaction of dismissing Harlan didn’t last long. Not when I turned around and saw Celia and Gram standing there, waiting for me to rejoin them.

“What was that little side conversation about?” The pissiness hadn’t left Gram’s voice. Harlan’s game playing had set her off. It would be hours before her grumbling and whispered swearing disappeared.

In her volatile mood, I didn’t want to challenge her. Not in any mood, actually, but especially now. I turned to my go-to move. Babbling.

“Nothing important. The usual.” I shrugged because it fit with my futile attempt to pull off no-big-deal energy. “Not really... You know.”

Gram’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t. Explain.”

Pivot. Pivot. Pivot.

“To be fair, no onewantsto talk with Harlan. Doing so makes us all a bit testy,” Celia said as she moved around the table, picking up Harlan’s used cup and eliminating any evidence he once sat there.

Thank you, Celia.

She dumped the uneaten pie in the sink. “We deal with him, on as limited a basis as we can make it, because he doesn’t give us any choice.”

I waited, hoping Celia’s comments would shift Gram’s focus. And... they did.

“I should have known when he came by for tea that he had an ulterior motive.” Gram sat down and poured herself a fresh cup of Earl Grey. “He doesn’t drink tea. He doesn’t even recognize a good dessert when it’s sitting in front of him. Did you see the pie? He didn’t touch it.” She snorted. “Outrageous.”

Never change, Gram.“Yes, the most annoying thing about Harlan is his lack of pie appreciation.”

Celia sighed at both of us before returning to her seat at the table. “Maybe you two can lower the sarcasm level for a few minutes.”