Angelina rolled her eyes. “Are you telling me you’re collecting porn for your brothers?”
I shrugged. “Cillian mostly.”
My brother Cillian dated Angelina briefly until he found out she was cheating on him. She still carried a torch for him, even though he’d moved on with someone else, Griffin’s sister Maya, to be exact. It made for a convoluted family dynamic, but as long as Cillian was free of Angelina I was happy.
“Cillian would never look at … filth … like that,” Angelina seethed, narrowing her eyes.
“Oh, don’t worry, Angelina, he’ll still keep your photograph up in his room,” I supplied. “He needs something to throw darts at and remind himself how lucky he is that he’s no longer tempted by the Devil.”
“I’m going to rip your hair out,” Angelina said, her claw like fingers reaching out for a hank of hair. I easily sidestepped her and fought to contain my laughter when her heel caught in the sidewalk crack and she almost toppled over. John caught her before she could lose her balance.
“Are you okay?” John asked, concern etched across his handsome features.
“I’m fine,” Angelina said, remembering her manners as she smoothed the front of her boring suit. “This probably seems odd to you, but Aisling and I go way back and we have a … routine … we like to play.”
“Yes,” I agreed, solemnly nodding. “I’m cool and Angelina is a slut.”
John chuckled. “You’ve got a mouth on you.”
“I just wish someone would shut it for her,” Angelina said. “John, the house is right there.” Angelina pointed to a two-story colonial two doors down from Jed’s house. “If you want to look at the yard, I’ll be over there in a few minutes.”
John looked dubious. “You two aren’t going to get into a catfight, are you?”
I was mildly insulted. “Don’t worry,” I said. “If we fight, it’s going to involve punching and kicking as well as hair-pulling. It won’t be a straight-up chick fight.”
John barked out a coarse laugh. “I like you,” he said, causing Angelina to narrow her eyes again. “It was nice meeting you, Aisling Grimlock. Try not to take too long, Angelina. I have to be back to work in an hour.”
“This will just take two minutes.” Angelina kept her frozen smile in place until she was certain John was out of earshot and then turned on me. “Don’t even think of moving in on him. He’s mine!”
I was dumbfounded. “Move in on him?” I made a face. “First, he’s not even my type. Expensive suits and job boasting are sure signs of boring. Second, I already have a boyfriend. That dude is nice to look at it, but my boyfriend is way hotter.”
Angelina snorted. “Your boyfriend is clearly slow because there’s no other possible explanation for him hanging around this long. Plus … he’s a cop.”
“So what?”
“So cops make very little money,” Angelina answered.
“I don’t care about money,” I shot back. “I care about a person’s heart and soul.”
“Of course you do,” Angelina said, pressing her hand to her heart in a mocking gesture. “You have to care about those things because you’re too fat to get a guy with a thick wallet. I get it.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t have time for this,” I said, shoving the dirty magazine in the bag and slamming my car door shut. “I have another pickup across town and I’m already running late. I don’t have time to deal with you.”
“More porn?”
“Maybe,” I said. “Hey, could you do me one favor before I go, though?”
Angeline’s eyes were dangerous slits. “No.”
I ignored her answer. “Go lay down in the street in front of my car,” I suggested. “I’m sure what I leave behind will be a vast improvement. You might even be able to bag that guy … even though he was clearly more interested in me.”
I had no idea why I said it. I had no interest in John Anderson or his thick wallet. I had Griffin … and I loved him. Wow! That was hard to think. That must be why I couldn’t say it. I could barely admit it to myself, yet I’d almost blurted it out numerous times over the past few months because I was desperate to find out whether he felt the same way. I only wanted him to say it first. What? I’m not weak. I’m … practical.
“He is not interested in you,” Angelina spat. “You’re low class.”
“And you’re a big phony who couldn’t catch a real man if you had a net and duct tape,” I said. “It doesn’t matter, though. I don’t care about your client … and I don’t care about you.”
“Then you should probably be going.”
“I was just thinking the same thing.”
I was in my car with the key in the ignition before I let my pent-up breath escape. Oddly enough, I felt better after seeing Angelina. There’s nothing like sparring with your worst enemy when you’re worried a real threat is about to swallow your family whole.
Now, if I could only trick her into crawling in front of my car. That would really improve my day.
6
Six
My good mood didn’t last long – right until my second case of the day, actually. By the time I pulled up to Grimlock Manor and parked for dinner I was back in my previous doldrums.
I sat in the driver’s seat and stared at the house for what felt like forever. I knew I had to have a serious talk with my father – mostly because I knew my mother was unlikely to follow through on her promise to discuss things with him herself – and I didn’t look forward to it.
I was so lost in thought I didn’t notice a shadow move past my window, and I jumped when someone knocked on the glass. I turned to find Griffin watching me, a worried expression on his face. I forced a smile for his benefit and climbed out of the car. I planned to play it cool instead of dropping a day’s worth of misery on him.
“How was your day?” Griffin asked. I opened my mouth to answer and instead took a step forward and buried my face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around my back and rocked me. “That good, huh?”
“I had three jobs,” I said. “The first guy was a porn freak, and he made me collect all of his magazines so his wife wouldn’t find them before I could absorb him. I have a full bag of porn in the back seat of my car.”
Griffin shifted his head to get a look at the bag. “What kind of porn are we talking about here? Anything good?”
I scowled. “Nothing but Playboys.”
“Hey, the articles in those are really good.”
I rolled my eyes. “Then I had a teenage girl who died of cancer in the hospital, and it was just so … sad. She was brave and she didn’t put up an argument. She was excited to move on.”
“I would think that would make your job easier,” Griffin said, running his hand down the back of my head.
“She was too young,” I argued.
“I want to be sympathetic, but this is the job you took on,” Griffin offered. “I see some rough stuff, too. It’s part of the job, though. You either have to deal with it or find another job. I vote for finding another job.”
I ignored that. “Then my last client was an old guy in a senior home, and he didn’t want to leave until he saw someone naked,” I said. “I told him his options were limited because of where he lived, and he suggested I get naked.”
Griffin barked out a laugh. “I hope you didn’t take him up on that.”
“Of course not,” I snarled. “I want only one man to see me naked.”
Griffin’s smile was broad.
“That hot guy that plays Captain Kirk now,” I added.
Griffin’s smile slipped. “You are a pain,” he said, grabbing both sides of my face and planting a kiss on me. His eyes were sober when we separated. “What happened with your mother?”
Now it was my turn to frown. “Well, Aidan and Jerry invited her into my home and gossiped as if no time had passed and it’s not entirely possible Mom is snacking on people when no one is looking.”
“You could’ve put your foot down and not let her into
the townhouse,” Griffin pointed out.
I arched a challenging eyebrow. “Really? How was I supposed to put my foot down when Aidan had that look on his face?”
Griffin’s expression softened. “I know this is hard on you,” he said, rubbing his thumb over my cheek. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re handling things extremely well. Well, other than asking your mom who she’s been eating every five minutes, that is. You’re doing the best that you can, and I’m proud of you.”
“Did I mention I have a big bag of porn in the back seat of my car?”
Griffin snorted. “Why don’t you take that in to your brothers? I’m sure they’ll find a use for it.”
“You don’t want it?”
“I have you,” Griffin replied. “I don’t need porn.”
“Oh, that could be the sweetest thing anyone has said to me all day,” I cooed, laughing as he helped me retrieve the bag. We let ourselves into the house, and I decided to play Santa Claus for my brothers, boldly striding into the sitting room where everyone gathered for pre-dinner drinks and dropping the bag in the middle of the floor. “Santa is here, and she brought you oodles of porn. I hope you’re not on my naughty list!”
Dad cleared his throat at my announcement, and it was only then that I realized we weren’t alone. Maya, Griffin’s sister and Cillian’s girlfriend, was with the family. She laughed for my benefit, though, so she wasn’t a big concern. Dad’s girlfriend Barbara, though, was another story.
“Oh, hey, Barbara,” I offered lamely.
“Hello, Aisling,” Barbara said, shooting me a small smile. “Did you say you brought porn?”
“No, she didn’t,” Dad said, shaking his head.
Since he began dating Barbara a few months earlier he’d been easier to deal with – well, kind of. He seemed happy with her, relaxed even. Don’t get me wrong, when we did something stupid – which happened almost daily – he still erupted. He let a lot of our little transgressions go these days, though. I like Barbara, but she still makes me uncomfortable.
“No, this looks like porn,” my oldest brother Redmond said, digging through the bag. “Who needs this many Playboys?”
“He probably likes the articles,” my brother Braden said as he joined him on the floor. “They have really good articles.”
“Is that like a mantra all of you guys get together in high school and agree to spout?” I asked, shooting a questioning look in Griffin’s direction. “This one said it, too.”
Dad frowned. “Is that really a bag of porn?”
I shrugged. “What answer will keep me out of trouble?”
“None of them,” Dad replied, shaking his head. “How is it that I sent you out on three jobs and you came back with a bag of porn?”
“Yes, enquiring minds want to know, Ais,” Cillian said, looking over Braden’s shoulder as he flipped through pages.
“Are you reading the articles, Cillian?” Maya challenged.
Cillian’s smile was sheepish. “I was only looking out of professional curiosity,” he said. “Aisling brought back a bag of porn as a gift. It would be wrong not to thank her, even if I don’t need the gift because I have you. We both know you’re better than any bag of porn.”
Maya preened under the compliment.
“Good answer,” Griffin said. “Don’t forget that’s my sister you’re talking to.”
Cillian locked gazes with Griffin. “And that’s my sister you’re crawling into bed with every night,” he shot back. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing either. Aidan tells me all about Aisling’s utterances. I believe there was a ‘giddyap’ one evening not too long ago.”
“That will be enough of that,” Dad snapped. “I don’t want to hear another word about … whatever it is you two are talking about.”
Griffin used to fear my father. He was still leery on certain days. Today he completely ignored him. “I’m going to pound the crap out of Aidan if he doesn’t keep his mouth shut.”
“Just call us before you do it,” Braden interjected. “We’ll want to place bets.”
Redmond nodded. “And watch.”
“Oh, criminy,” Dad muttered. “Why is it I have the world’s most obnoxious children?”
“I think some would call it karma,” I replied.
“You raised us,” Cillian reminded him. “Besides, we’re not doing anything wrong. Aisling brought a bag of porn home. We should all reap the rewards.”
“Speaking of Aidan, where is he?” I asked, glancing around.
“He’s picking up Jerry after his shift because Jerry’s car is in the shop,” Braden supplied. “They should be here in a few minutes.”
Well, I had my opening, but Barbara’s presence threw me for a loop. She’d taken to joining us for family dinner once a week, which made talking openly difficult. Of course, the porn conversation proved she probably could handle just about anything. That was a bonus.
“What’s wrong with Jerry’s car?” Griffin asked. “I could’ve looked at it.”
“Jerry wants spinning pink hubcaps put on it.”
“Oh, well, I’m not doing that,” Griffin said, plopping onto one of the couches. “What’s for dinner tonight? I’m starving.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing when my father shot Griffin an incredulous look.
“Do you remember when you were terrified of me and just sat in this room and stared at the wall?” Dad asked.
“Vaguely.” Griffin was unperturbed.
“What happened to that?”
“You called me a member of your family and stopped putting up a fuss when Aisling and I shared a bed under your roof,” Griffin answered, unruffled. “You’re no longer terrifying.”
“Yeah, Dad,” Redmond chuckled. “It’s your fault.”
“I will thump each and every one of you,” Dad warned.
After a few more minutes of porn perusing and easy chatter, I sat next to Griffin and instinctively placed my hand on his. He shot me a questioning look as he laced his fingers with mine but otherwise remained quiet.
“Other than your porn guy, Aisling, did you have anything fun today?” Cillian asked, breaking the silence.
“I ran into Angelina outside of the porn guy’s house and asked her to get on the ground in front of my car so I could run her over,” I said, brightening at the memory.
“What was Angelina doing there?” Dad asked. He was well aware of my hatred for Angelina. He often encouraged it.
“She was showing a house to some stockbroker douche she’s trying to hop in bed with.”
“That sounds about right,” Cillian said. “You don’t look like you’re missing any hair, so I guess you two didn’t come to blows, huh?”
“She tried and got her heel caught in the sidewalk,” I said, laughing when the picture flashed in my head. “It was pretty funny.”
“Ah, good times,” Redmond said, chuckling. “Did she see your porn stash?”
“As a matter of fact, she did,” I confirmed. “For the record, if she ever asks, I told her I was bringing it home to you because there’s money in old Playboys.”
“I don’t think that’s technically a lie,” Braden said. He sat on the floor and happily flipped through the magazines. “We should look through these to see if they’re worth anything. I volunteer for the job.”
“You need a girlfriend, son,” Dad said, shaking his head and causing Barbara to laugh.
“Cillian has a girlfriend and he’s still looking,” Braden protested.
“Yes, but he’s looking over your shoulder so it doesn’t really count,” Dad said. “Put the porn away. We’re supposed to be having pleasant conversation before dinner. Porn is not appropriate dinner conversation, for the record.”
“Well, there goes Braden’s dating future,” I deadpanned, earning a hard slap on the knee from Braden. “Ow!”
“Don’t hurt her,” Griffin said. “She’s fragile.”
“Oh, good grief,” Dad muttered. “Have yo
u seen that girl wrestle with her brothers? She’s not fragile.”
“She is to me,” Griffin said. “Her hip still hurts when it rains, and she refuses to go to the doctor.”
“You should have that checked, Aisling,” Maya prodded. “They might be able to help you.”
Of course she would say that. She’s a nurse. “I’m good,” I said. “It’s not unbearable unless someone is lying on top of me. Then it becomes bearable for other reasons.”
Griffin smirked and Dad frowned.
“Seriously, I liked it better when you were afraid of me,” Dad said. “At least then you had the grace to hide your wandering hands. Now you don’t even bother.”
“My hands can’t help themselves when they’re around Aisling,” Griffin said. “You’re her father and responsible for the way she looks.”
“See, that’s your fault, too, Dad,” Braden said, opening a centerfold and letting loose with a long whistle. “Hello! I want to date this woman.”
I frowned as I studied the photograph. It was the woman on the motorcycle. “Don’t you think the leather seat would get really hot in the sun like that and burn her … you know?”
My brothers burst into gales of hysterical laughter while my father slapped a hand to his forehead.
“Sometimes I wish I was childless,” Dad muttered.
“You could always give us to Mom and let her eat us,” Cillian suggested.
“Stop saying things like that,” Braden snapped, all mirth fleeing his handsome features. “We don’t know what’s going on, and until we do … .”
“Calm down, Braden,” Dad chided. Of all my brothers, Braden missed Mom the most. Dad was used to dealing with his outbursts. “Cillian was only joking.”
“Not really,” Cillian said, locking gazes with me.
Here was my opening, and I had no choice but to take it. I licked my lips. “Speaking of that … .”
Jerry and Aidan picked that moment to enter, cutting me off, and Jerry was all aflutter. “I am not being ridiculous!”
Aidan headed straight for the drink cart, not bothering to greet anyone. “You are being ridiculous,” he said. “Those spinning rims cost three thousand bucks. You’re practically begging for someone to steal them.”
Grim Reunion (Aisling Grimlock Book 4) Page 5
