Page 23 of The Dis-Graced

“Yes. I admire Miss Anders very much. I like her plenty. I just need to make sure things remain…professional.”

“What does that mean? Does it have something to do with sex?”

I sit back in my chair and stare at the downward dog statue, wondering if I’m going to have to explain the birds and the bees to my new high-tech software system, but that’s just silly. He’s embedded with more knowledge than an encyclopedia, but I understand that the psychological factors may evade him.

“Yes. Sometimes when two adults work together, they can become…too close. It can get distracting.”

“Does this have anything to do with the headlines regarding Miss Anders?”

“Headlines?”

“The ones you were looking at at your desk.”

Dammit!

“Yes, it does.”

For once, ALAN shuts the hell up, giving me a moment to collect my thoughts.

The double doors to my office swing open without so much as a knock, and I look up to see my mother.

“Hello, mother,” I say with a tightlipped smile.

“Where is he?” she snaps without so much as a hello.

I blink, feigning ignorance.

“Oh, don’t give me that—you’ve always tried to cover for him.”

“You must mean Devon, your beloved youngest child, and I’m not sure if you’ve realized this yet, but I’ve stopped covering for him since his first DUI.”

“That ungrateful jackass better not do anything to draw attention to himself or next time I won’t be putting him up at a resort in the Caribbean.”

Normally, Devon’s presence annoys me to no end, but with how she’s talking bout him, I can’t help but jump to his defense.

“God, can’t you just cut him some slack? Maybe he’s trying to turn his life around.”

“Fat chance at that. I’m going to completely cut him off if he doesn’t—”

“Mom, he’s staying in my building—”

“Good. Call him, tell him to pack his things, he’s going back to the resort.”

“No!” I shout as I pound a fist onto my desk. “The last thing he needs is to get taken back to that—”

“Paradise,” my mother says in a condescending tone. “He gets to stay on a tropical island with zero responsibilities and a goddamn harem—”

At this point, there’s no stopping my words as pure adrenaline courses through my veins. “So he doesn’t embarrass you and sully the good ole’ Dallanger name. Have you ever stopped to think about Devon and what he wants? Or are you just too worried about the precious stock market and how much a Dallanger share is worth?”

“Devon is an addict!”

“Devon is my brother!”

She looks at me, without a heart, without a soul. “You’ve always had something for broken things. It’s your greatest weakness.”

“Broken things? You think Devon is broken? Or is it Luke you’re referring to?”

“Believe it or not, I’ve come to like Luke. He’s respectful, responsible, and a good man, though what he’s doing at the top of our corporate pyramid is quite troubling. At least we have Elliot.”