Page 9 of The Grump I Loathe (The Lockhart Brothers #3)

EDDIE

“ S houldn’t you have finished reading that before you signed the contract?

” Cassie asked, walking into my room holding a white dress shirt and a pair of black slacks from her closet.

I’d usually never wear something so blah , blah boring, but thankfully Cassie’s Studio Wren clients appreciated classic neutrals. “Here. These should work.”

“Thanks.” I dropped the page of the contract I’d been reading onto my bed. “I’m just reviewing it again properly. It’s like eighty-nine pages with size eight font!” Good thing there was vision care in there, because I was gonna need it.

“Checking to make sure Connor kept his Alterbot promise?” Cassie asked.

I barked a laugh. “Oh, that was the first thing I did. Lord LockMill’s not pulling a fast one on me.”

If I was going to have to work with his highness, I was going to hold him to his end of the distribution deal. Seeing Alterbot on a shelf in an actual store was all the motivation I needed to slap a smile on my face and squeeze my ass into Cassie’s slacks .

“From everything you’ve told me, I’m not sure he’s gonna be a fan of this Lord LockMill nickname,” Cassie said.

“Because he has zero sense of humor.” I wriggled out of my pajama shorts and into the pants. They itched.

“They’re a little long.” Cassie hummed. “Let me roll the cuffs.”

“If he did have a sense of humor,” I said, slipping the white shirt on and working the fiddly buttons over my chest, “he’d be honored to receive such a great nickname.”

Cassie glanced up at me from the ground. “Kind of like Edith ?”

“That’s not a nickname. It’s just my name, which I’ll rock when and if I ever choose to. Until then, I absolutely hate that he’s using it. Makes me sound stuffy and pretentious.”

“Can you blame him after the hot sauce incident?” Cassie climbed to her feet.

I winced, shrugging into the oversized jacket I’d tossed over my bed post. “Okay, maybe I feel a little bad for ruining what was meant to be Grace’s lunch, because she’s actually really great.

” Which she clearly didn’t inherit from her dad.

“But I didn’t know it was hers at the time.

And Connor was just so—gah! You would have been locked and loaded with the hot sauce bottle too. ”

“Well, that guy is your new boss,” Cassie said unhelpfully. “So maybe take it easy with the condiments.”

“More like my boss’s boss,” I muttered. She gave me a look that silently said exactly , which I chose to ignore. I was also choosing to ignore how the man’s good looks actually made my heart flutter. It was a pity it came with his personality. “How do I look?”

Cassie took a step back, assessing all the angles as I twirled in front of my mirror .

“Pretty hot, actually.” She handed me the black clip-on tie.

I grinned. “Going for Lord LockMill chic, but I’ll take it.”

“You’re sure this isn’t going to blow up in your face?”

“They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Right?” I definitely wasn’t going for flattery and Cassie knew it.

“I’ve literally never heard anyone say that.” Cassie tucked a piece of clear quartz into my pocket. “For luck.”

You’re gonna need it went unsaid.

Seven minutes after nine, I waltzed into the fancy-schmancy lobby of the SoMa neighborhood skyscraper that was home to LockMill Games. Leigh met me by the elevators as part of my orientation. She took me in, eyes widening as they traveled from my head to my toes. “Bold for your first day.”

“The bossman said business attire.” I did a little spin before smoothing my hand down the front of the suit jacket I’d thrifted over the weekend. I’d gone out of my way to put together a near-perfect replica of Connor’s black suit.

Or at least a decent parody of it. Lord knows I could never afford the real deal. If I’d had the time, I would have dyed my hair, too, but I figured there was a point where a joke went too far. Plus, I really liked the blue streaks I was currently rocking.

Leigh caught her lip between her teeth, trying not to smile. “I’d maybe avoid Connor.”

I rolled my eyes. “Let me guess, he hates tardiness? I did get here on time, but I got caught up trying to figure out the parking situation. It’s not my fault everything has to be an app now. ”

“We get parking covered as part of our contract,” Leigh said, hitting the elevator button. “HR will sort out your parking space starting tomorrow. I actually meant he’s not going to be a fan of the suit joke.”

“Is he a fan of any jokes? Does the man ever smile?” Judging by Leigh’s pursed lips, I was pretty sure I knew the answer. I didn’t let that deter me though, straightening my tie like I was readying my armor for battle.

When we reached the main LockMill production floor, my enthusiasm drained.

Everywhere I looked, I was hit with gray.

Gray walls, gray cubicles, gray artwork, gray flooring.

And quiet. Eerily quiet. The only noise was the click of keyboards and the occasional murmur.

As Leigh led me to my cubicle, I felt like Rapunzel, locked away in a stone tower, only my thoughts for company.

“This is you here,” Leigh said, introducing me to my very own collection of gray. “Put your things down, then I’ll pass you off to Darius to get your HR stuff out of the way.”

I dropped my bag on my desk next to my fancy new computer. At least the tech looked shiny and new. That was a plus, I supposed. I turned and followed Leigh back across the floor, peeking into cubicles as I passed. More gray walls. Heads down. Barely a family photo in sight.

I inched closer to Leigh. “It’s a little robot-y in here, huh? Is that Connor’s influence or is there some rule about color I should know?”

“Connor’s very…work focused,” Leigh said diplomatically.

I hummed. So no one was allowed to have a personality?

“At least the environment will help me channel my inner Connor. What’s that called, method acting?

” I adjusted the lapels of my jacket and furrowed my brow as I pointed at a passing intern.

“Where’s your business attire, young man?

” He jumped, looking up from his phone, clearly startled. “Just a joke, dude. ”

I turned to Leigh. “How’s my scowl? Deep enough? Feels like I need more eyebrow action.”

Leigh laughed briefly, then her face morphed into a wince.

I pursed my lips, feeling like I’d just stumbled into a booby-trapped room. Shit. “He’s right there, isn’t he?”

Leigh looked awkwardly at the floor as I twisted, giving Connor a salute. “Morning, boss!”

He was closer than I’d expected, and I stumbled back as all six-foot-something of him loomed over me like a storm cloud. He was flanked by two other suits I didn’t recognize. Enforcers, maybe? “I see you’ve upgraded from scowl to glower,” I commented. “I’ll have to practice that later.”

“Edith,” Connor said through his teeth. “What a fortunate morning for you to start.”

I tugged on my tie careful not to pull the clips loose and ruin the effect. Heads awkwardly popped up over cubicle walls to listen in. “I was just complimenting the epic decor in here. I didn’t know there were so many shades of gray. But I think me and my new business attire blend in perfectly.”

Connor’s gaze drifted over me, taking in every inch of my suit. A spiraling heat started at the top of my head, rushing down to my toes, as a strange flicker of surprise surged through me. I didn’t hate the way his eyes lingered. Like what you see? was on the tip of my tongue.

“Edith,” he said, voice clipped as he gestured behind him.

“This is Mr. Holland and Mr. Lyle, distributors from GamezCycle.” He shot me a strange smile.

“I’m giving them a tour of our production floor, showing off our professional and hardworking employees.

They’re interested in possibly working with LockMill after our last distributor shuttered. ”

More heads popped up over cubicle walls.

Ah, crap. How was I supposed to know the suits were distributors?

Or that LockMill’s usual distributor had shut down?

Without a good distributor, all the hard work poured into a game could mean a whole lot of nothing.

Stellar visuals and lifelike mechanics didn’t mean much if the game never left our production floor.

If Connor was trying to charm these guys, especially after all the industry drama with his divorce, I should have been handed a memo at the door. I’d have parked the joke until later. But even Leigh hadn’t said anything. Judging by the lines between her brows, she hadn’t known.

Connor’s eyebrow arched. “We were just discussing Alterbot .”

“That’s wonderful,” I said, feeling about two inches tall as the men stared at me.

Embarrassment prickled at my skin. This wasn’t exactly the impression I wanted to make on these guys while they were discussing a game I’d worked incredibly hard on.

I’d hate to ruin an opportunity for Alterbot . “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

They eyeballed my outfit.

I picked at my tie, feeling the need to explain. “They say you should try to emulate the kind of person you want to be. And I’ve always been so inspired by everything Mr. Lockhart does.”

The men said nothing. Heads started to sink down behind cubicle walls, probably mortified for me.

“Through here, gentlemen,” Connor said, thankfully ending the awkwardness. I let out a stale breath.

Connor hung back for a beat, words hissed between his teeth. “You look ridiculous! ”

“You can’t say that,” I said. “I look exactly like you.”

He turned his nose up at me. “Not even close. Now stop drawing attention to yourself. If you’re so inspired by me, follow my lead by getting to work. Quietly .”

Seriously? What was this, church? A funeral service? Some kind of convent where we’d all taken a vow of silence? I opened my mouth to tell him that I would, in fact, not be quiet, but Leigh snagged my arm, dragging me away.

“For your own safety,” she muttered. “Before you say something you regret.”