Mandy didn’t look thrilled with the suggestion, but she was in far too good of a mood to argue. “Okay, but I want an omelet with mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, ham, and cheese. I also want hash browns, patty sausage, and some of those French toast sticks.”
Grady arched a challenging eyebrow. “Why don’t you just kill your own pig and chow down?”
Mandy ignored him. “Get some shrimp cocktail, too.”
James nodded as he watched her shuffle off. She was walking a bit stiffly. Hopefully he would be the only one to notice.
“How much sex did you have?” Grady asked. “She’s walking as if she’s got something shoved up her … you know what.”
James scowled. “Don’t be a dick,” he warned. “That’s my wife.”
“And you apparently forgot you weren’t on your honeymoon last night,” Grady shot back.
“We’re going to be on our honeymoon forever,” James countered. “What do you have by way of information?”
“Maverick put together some files, but he thinks we should look through them because he says he’s not sure what constitutes a red flag when it comes to real estate,” Grady replied. “I figured we could pick a room and go through the files together to get through them quicker after breakfast.”
An idea occurred to James. “Or Finn, Jake, and you can continue the walkthrough and make notes and I’ll handle all of the files.”
Grady was instantly suspicious. “Why would you want to handle all of the files? You usually hate busywork.”
James shrugged and averted his gaze. “I … want to make things easier on you,” he lied. “I know I’ve been bad about coming into the office and everything – and I want you to know that I’ll be better when we get home – and I figure I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” Grady countered. “The fact that you and Mandy seem to be back to your normal selves is thanks enough. I’ve been a little worried. I’m not going to lie.”
“I know you’ve been worried,” James said, choosing his words carefully. “It was something we had to work through on our own, though. We’re … better.”
“Are you completely better?”
“Close,” James replied. “Last night was … amazing.”
“You sick bastard.”
James made a disgusted face. “Not just that, you tool,” he said, flicking the spot between his brother’s eyebrows. “We connected better than we have in weeks. It was beautiful.”
“Connecting isn’t your problem,” Grady said. “Disappearing into your own little world is the problem. That still doesn’t explain why you’re willing to do all of the grunt work on your own.”
James shrugged, noncommittal. “I figure I owe you for giving me the time to get through this on my own.”
Grady wasn’t convinced, but he wasn’t about to look a gift manual labor break in the mouth. “Okay. Thanks.”
“You’re more than welcome.”
GRADY MADE a big show of being happy and comfortable with Sophie over breakfast – although he did earn a few odd looks from Mandy and Ally – and then he joined Finn and Jake for the walkthrough.
In truth, the cruise liner’s security was fairly well thought out for the small things, which was what Davenport was mostly worried about. Pickpockets and jewelry thieves wouldn’t be completely eradicated, but they could be easily contained given the protocols in place. It was the big crimes Grady was worried about.
After an hour of work, Grady left Jake and Finn to finish up. They didn’t seem to mind and yet he couldn’t focus on anything but what Sophie almost did the night before. How could she think proposing would be a good idea? Had he really missed all the signs regarding what she wanted that badly? Grady begged off – citing an upset stomach – but he was pretty sure Finn and Jake didn’t believe him. He didn’t really care. As much as he loved Finn and liked Jake, when he was struggling with relationship drama, there was only one person he wanted to talk to.
James.
The women were on deck enjoying the sun, drinks, and fun close to the pool. Grady knew that because Sophie texted him. She texted him! She’d been uncomfortable since his meltdown, too. He raved long into the night. Finally she passed out from exhaustion and Grady followed suit minutes later. He felt guilty for ruining their night but he couldn’t seem to focus on anything other than the fact that she almost stole his thunder.
How did it come to this?
Grady knew James was alone in his suite since Mandy was with the other hens and he rapped on the door before pushing it open. His eyes widened when he caught sight of James and Mandy. They weren’t naked – which was the biggest relief ever – but James reclined on the floor, numerous pillows propping up his back, and Mandy rested on top of him. Her chin was on his shoulder so she could stare into the marine window and James studied files on his iPad behind her back.
“You have got to be kidding me!”
“Shh.” James pressed his finger to his lips and inclined his chin in Mandy’s direction. “She’s sleeping.”
“No, she’s not,” Grady argued, shifting so she could study Mandy’s face. It was only then that he realized her eyes were closed. “How can she sleep in that position?”
James shrugged. “She’s multifaceted weird,” he replied. “Don’t talk too loudly. She needs her rest.”
Grady sighed as he sat in the lone recliner at the edge of the room and shook his head. “You two are sick. You know that, right?”
“No, I don’t know that,” James replied. “Right now, I’ve never felt better. Leave her alone.”
“I’m not messing with her. I’m messing with you.”
“Leave her alone,” James repeated. “I don’t care if you want to make fun of me. She doesn’t deserve it, though. She’s been through enough.”
Grady’s expression softened. “She’s been through enough for ten lifetimes,” he said. “That doesn’t mean she’s immune from the tease machine.”
James snorted as he readjusted one of the pillows behind his shoulder. “She doesn’t want to be treated differently, so I don’t know why I’m telling you to leave her alone. I just … can’t stop myself from protecting her.”
“That’s what a good husband does.”
“I don’t want to be a good husband,” James said. “I want to be the best husband.”
“That’s the Hardy pride coming out to play,” Grady said. “I have that problem, too.”
“Is it the Hardy pride that has you twisted in knots this morning?” James asked, resting his iPad on the floor and giving Grady his full attention as he softly rubbed Mandy’s back. “What did you do last night to get Sophie so worked up?”
“How do you know I did anything?” Grady asked, annoyed. “Did she say something to Mandy?”
“As far as I know, she hasn’t said a word to anyone,” James replied. He was calm, which set Grady’s teeth on edge for some reason. “What did you do?”
“If she hasn’t said anything, how do you know something is going on?”
“Because you were a nervous wreck at breakfast and Sophie wouldn’t make eye contact,” Mandy answered, shifting her head so she was looking at Grady instead of over James’ shoulder. “That means you did something.”
“I thought you were asleep,” James said, cupping the back of her head. “I didn’t mean to wake you up. You need some rest. You barely got any sleep last night.”
“Neither did you.”
“Yes, but I have a plan,” James said. “I’m going to read a file and then take a nap with you. Then I’m going to wake you up with my tongue before reading another file and starting the process all over again. I figured we could order room service for lunch.”
Mandy giggled. “Well, as long as you have a plan … .”
“I knew it!” Grady hissed, extending a finger. “I knew you didn’t really want to look at the files out of the goodness of your heart. This was all a scam so you could play lusty pirates all afternoon.”
“That sho
ws what you know,” Mandy said. “We’ve moved on to lusty mermaids. I bought a seashell bra while we were shopping yesterday.”
James’ eyes lit up. “I forgot all about that bra,” he admitted. “I was so excited to see it and then … well … other things came up.”
“They did,” Mandy said, grinding her hips against his groin area. “They definitely came up.”
Grady opened the bottle of water on the table next to him and tossed a dollop of it on Mandy and James to get their attention. “No!”
“Don’t ever do that again,” James warned, wiping the water from his face. “This is our room. You’re invading our private time together. Stop being a baby.”
“You just told me this morning that things were mostly back to normal between you two,” Grady pointed out. “To me, that meant you were going to stop hiding yourselves away from everyone. This is not stopping. This is the opposite of stopping.”
“Yes, but now we’re doing it for different reasons,” Mandy said. “Don’t worry about us, Grady. I promise we’re okay.”
“We’re better than okay,” James said, kissing her forehead. “We’re going to be downright perfect in exactly fifteen minutes, so I would start telling us what’s wrong now if you want us to help you in the limited amount of time you have left.”
“You’re a cold man,” Grady complained. “I’m your favorite brother and I’m having a crisis. I can’t believe you’re putting me on a timetable.”
“Yes, well, she’s my favorite person and she’s having a crisis of her own,” James said. “Her crisis is simply more fun than your crisis. Talk.”
“Fine.” Grady blew out a sigh as he ran his hand through his hair. “You’re not going to like it, though. I totally screwed up.”
“We’re used to that,” Mandy said, giggling when James scorched her with a stern look. “What? We both know I’m going to be the one who fixes this situation … like always. I have to make fun of him before I swoop in and save the day. Those are the rules.”
“Whatever, wife,” James said. “You have fifteen minutes to fix him before I start fixing you. Talk, Grady.”
“Yes, Grady. Talk.” Mandy’s smile was genuine when she locked gazes with him. “Tell me why you’re here.”
“I’m ready to propose and yet Sophie almost did it last night and I’m terrified because now I’m worried she’ll think I only proposed to shut her up,” Grady blurted out. “This is a huge mess. My stomach is on fire and my heart hurts.”
“Wow,” James intoned, making a face. “I can’t believe you screwed up a proposal twice.”
Mandy smacked his arm. “Don’t make fun of him.”
“I’m not making fun of him,” James said. “I was just pointing out that I got my proposal right on the first try.”
“Yes, you’re the mightiest Hardy of us all,” Grady complained. “Are you going to help me or not?”
“Absolutely,” Mandy said, beaming. “I can fix this. You have to do everything I want you to do, though.”
“I’m so desperate I’m going to agree to that,” Grady said. “If it leads to some weird shark porn area, though, I respectfully reserve the right to run away screaming.”
“Deal.”
17
Seventeen
“Have you ever considered that Mandy is a bossy pain in the butt?”
Despite his promise to spend the entire day in the room with his wife, James took a short break to help Grady with the first part of Mandy’s plan. He left her slumbering on the floor, a blanket tucked around her as her fingertips rested on the marine window. She looked beautiful … and peaceful … and altogether lovable. James hated leaving her, but he also wanted to help Grady. He would return as soon as possible to pick up on the loving portion of their day.
Out of all of James’ brothers, Grady struggled most when it came to his emotions. After hooking up with Mandy, Grady teased James mercilessly about being whipped and devoting himself to one woman. It wasn’t that Grady didn’t like Mandy. He loved her, in fact. He simply could not wrap his brain around the notion that James seemed more than ready to settle down forever. That was a foreign concept to him.
Then Sophie came along and everything changed. Grady fought the urge to be with her – and lost. He didn’t want to hurt her. He wasn’t that sort of guy. That didn’t mean he believed he was ready to pledge forever to one woman. Sophie managed to poke through all of his layers, though, and James was convinced the man who emerged on the other side was better because of her steady influence.
That didn’t mean Grady wasn’t a royal putz most days.
“I don’t think Mandy would ever argue that she’s a pain in the butt,” James said, tamping down his irritation. He hated it when anyone attacked his wife, even if it was done in jest. “She doesn’t see herself as bossy.”
Grady glanced at the jewelry items in the case. They were in one of the fancy boutiques on shoppers row. Mandy insisted that Grady needed to get Sophie a small token of his love while they put together a plan to make all of her wildest dreams come true. Sophie needed to be placated a bit, and Grady was in no position to argue the point with Mandy when she seemed to hold all of the cards when it came to pleasing his ladylove.
“How can she not see that she’s bossy?” Grady challenged. “She’s the queen of bossy. Er, well, Ally is actually the queen of bossy. Mandy is her top handmaiden, though.”
“My wife is the queen of the world,” James corrected. “As for the bossy thing, she honestly doesn’t see it. I thought she was messing with me at first, but that’s just talking to her. She doesn’t see it as bossy and demanding.”
“How do you put up with it?” Grady was serious when he focused on James. “Don’t you ever want to throttle her?”
James shrugged. “I’m bossy, too,” he said. “I’m bossier than she is a lot of the time. I figure if she wants to get bossy, she’s earned the right. And, for the record, I don’t put up with her. I love her.”
“Yeah, I know,” Grady said dryly. “No one could ever miss the signs. Only a man truly in love would do what you were doing when I walked into that room.”
“Without knocking,” James reminded him.
“I thought Mandy was with the other hens,” Grady protested. “I had no reason to believe she was in there with you. I was under the impression you were working.”
“I was working,” James said. “I was just doing it in a unique way.”
“You can say that again,” Grady muttered under his breath as he studied the jewelry. “What should I buy Sophie?”
“I have no idea,” James answered, moving to his brother’s side. “What kind of jewelry does she like?”
“She doesn’t wear a lot of jewelry,” Grady answered. “She doesn’t like collecting things. I think it comes from losing everything she had when she was a kid and got put in the foster care system. In Sophie’s world, things are expendable.”
“Well, you’re building a new world with her,” James said. “You need to show her that things can be nice. Besides, if you don’t train her to like things, you’re going to be in a world of hurt every Christmas for the rest of your life.”
“That’s a very good point,” Grady said, plastering a smile on his face as a young clerk exited the back room and moved toward the case. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” the girl said, smiling indulgently. She had on a nametag that read “Jill” and appeared young and flirty as she looked over the two men. “Can I help you find something specific?”
“I’m looking for a gift for my girlfriend,” Grady replied. “I need something classy but not too flashy. She doesn’t go in for flashy things.”
James snorted. “And yet somehow she ended up with you.”
Jill’s smile remained in place, but James didn’t miss the momentary disappointment that flashed across her features at mention of a girlfriend. “Okay, well, does she like marine animals? We have a lot of fine pieces with turtles. The shipment just came in.”
“She does kind of like turtles,” Grady said.
“What about sharks?” James questioned. “Do you have anything with sharks?”
“We’re looking for Sophie,” Grady reminded him. “We’re not looking for Mandy.”
“That shows what you know,” James shot back. “I’m always looking for gifts for my baby.”
“You’ve got a girlfriend, too?” Jill made a face. “Why are all of the good ones already taken?”
“I have a wife,” James corrected. “She happens to love sharks. If you have anything cool with sharks on it, I would love to surprise her.”
“Actually, we did just get in a new line of shark merchandise,” Jill said. “I haven’t even put tags on it yet.”
“Let me see it.”
“Well … .” Jill broke off, biting her lip.
“What’s wrong?”
“Some of it is kind of risqué.”
James brightened at the words. “Then definitely bring it on.”
“You’re so sick,” Grady muttered, shaking his head.
Jill disappeared into the storage room and returned a few moments later with a big box. She put it on the floor behind the counter as she dug through it. “Well, for starters, we have these cute shark panties. I’m not sure your wife would like something like this, though.”
James’ eyes lit up. “Let me see.”
Jill held up the rhinestone shark panties and James couldn’t stop smiling when he saw the pair that read “Jawesome.”
“Oh, geez,” Grady whined, his eyes latching onto the pair in question. “You’re going to buy those, aren’t you?”
“I’m going to buy them all,” James answered. “I want a pair of every design. What else have you got?”
“We have a shark pajama set, a sleep mask, a special water bottle, and a pair of earrings,” Jill replied.
“I’ll take them all.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you sure? They’re expensive.”
“Price means nothing,” James said. “A happy wife means everything.”
Deadly Waves (Hardy Brothers Security Book 23) Page 14
