Griffin blew out an exasperated sigh. “Fine. I’m not going to put up with nonsense, though. I’m going to lay everything out for him, and he’s going to have to deal.”
Aidan and I exchanged a dubious look in the mirror. We both knew that’s now how it would go down.
“THIS SMELLS great, Jerry,” Griffin said twenty minutes later, helping me into a chair before settling next to me. “You’re the best cook ever. I tell that to everyone I know.”
Griffin was going out of his way to stroke Jerry’s ego. Aidan and I locked gazes, and despite the pain I wanted to laugh. This was going to be awful and hilarious.
“You should be one of those television chefs,” Griffin continued as Jerry bustled around the table delivering homemade omelets, hash browns and toast. “You’re handsome and funny, and people would love you a lot. You could be bigger than Emeril.”
“Take it down a notch, suck-up,” I whispered.
“Leave him alone, Bug,” Jerry chided. “Griffin obviously knows quality when he sees it.”
“That’s why he’s dating me,” I said, smiling happily at my omelet. Jerry went all out because I was injured. That’s the type of reaction that makes him the best roommate ever. Wait … he’s still going to cook for me when I’m hurt, right? Griffin wasn’t kidding about me being a human calamity. Once I heal from this injury another is bound to be lurking.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking,” Griffin said, shooting me a dark look and pointing toward my plate. “Eat your breakfast.”
“Do you need me to cut it up for you?” Aidan asked, taking a sympathetic approach. “You look like you’re having trouble with your arm.”
Griffin stilled. “I … I’ll cut it up.”
“I can do it,” Aidan said, reaching for my plate. “She looks like she’s in pain, though. She needs help.”
“I can cut my own omelet,” I said, tugging on my limited patience. “I’m not an invalid. I fell on my left shoulder, and I eat with my right hand. I don’t need two hands to cut it up. All is right in Aisling world.”
“I’ll still cut it up for you,” Aidan said. “I don’t like it when you’re hurt.”
Griffin grabbed my plate before Aidan could remove it from in front of me. “She’s my girlfriend. I’ll cut it up for her.” “You’re busy doing that other thing,” Aidan reminded him, refusing to let go of the plate. “I’ll do this … you do that.”
Jerry narrowed his eyes as he watched this display, his gaze bouncing between my boyfriend and his before settling on me. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
I pasted on my best “I’m pathetic and you can’t yell at me because I almost died yesterday” smile. “I’m hurt.”
“I know that,” Jerry said. “What’s with these two, though?”
“They’re just … dying to take care of me,” I replied. “They’re in a contest to see who can dote on me most today. I’m going to make Griffin wear a nurse’s uniform.”
“Don’t push your luck,” Griffin warned. “Aidan, let go of her plate. I will cut her omelet. It’s my job.”
“I’m her brother,” Aidan shot back. “Cutting her food has been my job long before you two decided to move in together.”
Whoops. There went that cat shooting out of the proverbial bag. I shot a worried look in Jerry’s direction and didn’t like what I saw reflected there. “Jerry … .”
Jerry ignored me and focused on Aidan. “What did you just say?”
“I said that … um … .” Aidan was caught in a Jerry-sized mousetrap. He couldn’t get out. “Aisling and Griffin are moving in together,” he blurted out. “Griffin bought the townhouse next door. I’m moving in here with you.”
“Smooth,” I said, reaching up with my good arm and grabbing the plate Aidan and Griffin still held but had completely lost interest in. “You put tomatoes, onions and mushrooms in my omelet. That’s my favorite.”
“What does he mean you’re moving in with Griffin, Bug?” Jerry asked, his tone flat.
Crap! I knew I’d get stuck having to explain. “He means Griffin bought the townhouse next door because he thinks we should have our own space, and Aidan really wants to live with you,” I explained. “It’ll be fine, Jerry. I’ll be right next door.”
“You’ll be able to hang out whenever you want,” Griffin said, his eyes desperate as they searched Jerry’s face for hint of a meltdown. Surprisingly, my histrionic best friend looked remarkably calm. “She wants to come over here for breakfast every day … just like we normally do. We can still have game nights and Golden Girls marathons. Very little will change.”
“Of course you’d want to come over here for breakfast,” Aidan scoffed. “You two will starve if someone doesn’t cook for you.”
“Shut up, Aidan,” I hissed, my heart thumping loudly. This wasn’t right. Jerry was supposed to scream, holler and stamp his foot. Then he was supposed to say something snarky and storm out. When that was done we’d be able to talk to him in a rational manner. Well … maybe.
“I see,” Jerry said, his tone clipped. “You want to move in with Griffin and leave me. Is that it, Bug?”
He appeared calm, which frightened me. “I want to live with Griffin,” I said. “I don’t want to leave you. We’re adults, though, Jerry. I’ll be right next door. We’ll still spend the same amount of time together. I promise.”
“Uh-huh. Well, that sounds peachy.” Jerry sat in the chair between Aidan and Griffin and grabbed his fork. I worried he would jab it into Griffin’s throat.
“Jerry, it’s really going to be okay,” I prodded. “There’s no reason to … freak out.”
“Do I look like I’m freaking out?” Jerry’s voice was low and deadly.
“I’m not sure how to answer that,” I said. “You look … different.”
“Well, I’m not,” Jerry said. “In fact, I think it’s a great idea. I’m thrilled you’re moving out and didn’t have the decency to tell me in private. I love that you didn’t care enough about me to let me be part of the decision-making process regarding my living arrangements. This is just … a load of glitter clumps!”
Jerry slammed his fists on the table.
“Now, see, this is how I thought you’d react,” Griffin said.
“Well, this is fine,” Jerry said, pushing himself up from the table. “I think this is the best thing to ever happen to me. I spent two decades being your best friend and doing everything I could possibly think of to make your life easier. You’ve paid me back by moving out with no notice and picking this … detective come lately … over me. I have never been so wounded in my entire life!”
He turned with a flourish and stalked away from the table. This is the reaction I expected. What I didn’t expect was for him to turn back and grab my plate.
“Hey!”
“If you don’t want me to be your roommate, I’m certainly not going to be your chef,” Jerry hissed. Those were the last words he spoke before he stormed out of the room. His bedroom door slammed seconds later.
“Well, that went well,” Griffin deadpanned, pushing his omelet in front of me. “Eat up. You need the energy.”
“He’s really upset,” I said, my stomach rolling.
“He’ll get over it,” Aidan said. “He always does. He just needs time to calm down.”
“It’s going to be okay, Aisling,” Griffin soothed. “We can talk openly about moving in together now. Jerry will be fine … eventually. The worst is over.”
“Not everything. You’re forgetting something.”
Griffin furrowed his brow. “What did I miss?”
“You still have to tell my father.”
“Ugh,” Griffin muttered, dragging the plate away from me and back in front of him. “Now I guess I’m the one who needs energy.”
“I’ll split my omelet with you,” Aidan offered. “I’m a good brother. I’m better than him and always will be.”
“I will thump you,” Griffin snapped.
How did I end up without breakfast?
12
Twelve
Jerry refused to come out of his room, and even though the last thing I wanted to do was go out for lunch without him, Aidan and Griffin cajoled me into going to a neighborhood diner to escape the oppressive atmosphere in the townhouse.
We needed to strategize, and we couldn’t do it with Jerry close enough to eavesdrop.
Griffin helped me shower – no, really – and dress. I did my best with makeup to hide the bruise on my cheek, but I knew people would see it. Shrugging into a hoodie was painful, but by the time we got to the diner I’d cut my complaining to a dull roar.
“Everyone is looking at me,” I muttered, hiding behind my menu as I slid into the booth next to Griffin. “They think one of you is beating me and I put up with it.”
“I want to beat you a lot of the time,” Aidan said. “I’m only sorry someone else beat me to the punch. Get it? Beat me to the punch?”
Griffin leveled a dark look at my twin brother. “I don’t find domestic abuse funny.”
“I don’t find it funny either,” Aidan shot back, unruffled. “Aisling is my sister, though, and she thought she could fight like a guy, so she wrestled with us until she was fourteen. It would be sexist of me to treat her differently.”
“What happened when she was fourteen?” Griffin asked, curious.
“I got boobs,” I supplied.
“Ah.” Griffin chuckled. “I’ve seen you guys wrestle as adults. It’s very … annoying.”
“That’s not how we used to wrestle,” Aidan supplied. “We used to go at it like we were in the WWE.”
“Yes; once Redmond perched on the top of the staircase and jumped an entire floor to take Cillian out,” I said. “Dad instituted a ‘no jumping off the staircase’ rule thirty seconds after the ambulance arrived.”
“He was hurt?”
“He broke his arm,” Aidan answered. “We’ve all broken something. Aisling broke an arm, a foot and a finger.”
“Was it your favorite finger?” Griffin asked, his eyes twinkling.
I shook my head. “It was my thumb. I jammed it in Braden’s eye when he wouldn’t stop pulling my hair.”
“Your poor parents,” Griffin said, shaking his head. “There were arguments in our house, but nothing like what you’re describing. Grimlock Manor must have been a madhouse when you guys were younger.”
“That’s why Dad instituted the Grimlock House Rules,” I said. “If you didn’t follow them, you were grounded. Of course, everyone tried to find a way around the rules to continue doing what they wanted, which meant we ended up with, like, a hundred and twenty-seven rules before we were done.”
“That’s a very particular number,” Griffin said. “Did you guys actually keep count?”
“Dad hand-delivered the rule book to our doors – printed and bound – every Friday,” I replied. “It seemed like he was updating them every week there for a few months.”
Griffin barked out a delighted laugh. “I would love to see one of these rule books. Do you still have one?”
“I probably have one in my old bedroom,” I said.
“I was thinking about that,” Griffin said. “Do you want to take your bed from the big house and use it as our bed?”
My eyes widened. “We can’t do that!”
“Why not?”
“Rule one hundred and two,” Aidan and I answered in unison.
“Oh, you guys are in stereo today,” Griffin said. “What, pray tell, is rule one hundred and two?”
“No Grimlock Manor furniture can be removed from the house unless it’s outdoor furniture,” Aidan supplied.
“If it is outdoor furniture, it can never leave the yard,” I added.
“He actually wrote that down?” Griffin was tickled. “What if we ask him if we can take the bed?”
“Why would you want that bed?” I asked, wrinkling my nose. “It’s so … big.”
“I know. That’s why I like it. We can both fit in it and spread out. Once Jerry forgives you, I figure he’ll be stopping by some mornings to gossip. It makes it easier to pretend I’m not in a bed with another guy if I have room to go back to sleep.”
“I don’t want to take that bed.” I didn’t want to explain why, but I knew it was inevitable.
“Why not? That bed is gorgeous.” Griffin fixed me with a questioning look. “Is it because you don’t want to upset your father? I told you I will him we’re moving in together. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“It’s not that,” I hedged. “It’s just … .” I didn’t know how to explain it to him. That’s why Aidan did it for me.
“Mom picked out that bed for Aisling,” Aidan volunteered. “Aisling didn’t like it even then. It’s a sleigh bed, and it was so big the only thing we could use it for was playing shark.”
“Yes, and I thought we could play shark at our new place,” Griffin interjected.
“I don’t want to take that bed,” I said. “It’s big and … well … Mom bought it. I don’t want to take it out of my old room. I know you don’t understand, but the bed belongs there. We can get a big bed for the new place if you think mine is too small.”
Griffin rubbed the back of my neck as he considered how to respond. “We can keep your bed,” he said. “I like snuggling close. I just … I thought you would love the idea of bringing that bed to our new place. I guess I was mistaken.”
I swallowed hard and focused on the menu. “Let’s get a new bed so we’re both happy.”
Griffin shot Aidan a questioning look.
“Aisling had nightmares because the bed was so big,” Aidan said. “She was fine when Jerry spent the night and they slept in it together, but it was so big Aisling ended up sneaking into one of our rooms most nights and sleeping on the floor. She’s never liked it. She thought monsters lived underneath it.”
“Okay,” Griffin said. “The bed is huge, and I wasn’t looking forward to moving it. A new bed it is.”
“We should talk about Jerry,” I said, opting to change the subject. “He’s going to be a pain until we get him to see this is best for all of us.”
“I honestly think he’s okay with the living arrangements,” Aidan said. “I think he’s upset that everyone knew before him, and it’s not as though we can take that back.”
“You’re probably right,” I muttered. “You know we’re going to have to bribe him to get him to forgive us, right?”
“Yup.”
“So, what? Should we buy him some chocolates and roses and get on our knees and beg?” Griffin asked.
“Oh, chocolates and roses will never be enough,” I said. “No, we need to go all out.”
“I have no idea what that means, and I’m terrified to find out,” Griffin said.
“Let’s put it this way: You’re going to look really good in that top hat, man,” Aidan said, smirking.
Griffin groaned. “The tea room? You guys want to bribe him with a dressed-up outing to the tea room?”
“It’s the only thing that’ll make him happy now,” I replied. “He’s excited about the tea room, and he feels betrayed because we didn’t tell him what was happening. It’s our only option.”
“Well, great,” Griffin said. “That sounds … delightful.”
“I think you’ll look great in a pastel suit,” I said, patting his hand.
“Pastel suit?” Griffin’s voice hopped. “What pastel suit?”
“Jerry’s going to insist,” I said. “I see you in a powder blue suit.”
Aidan nodded. “I’ll get lavender to match my eyes, as always. Aisling will get a pink dress.”
“And what about Jerry?” Griffin was horrified.
“He’ll wear peach,” I said. “That’s his favorite color right now.”
“We’ll look like a pastel nightmare,” Griffin griped.
“Yes, well, this is the world you took on when you decided you wanted to live with me,” I said. “It’s too late to back
out now.”
“It’s a good thing I don’t want to back out, huh?” Griffin kissed my unmarked cheek, causing Aidan to scowl.
“Don’t get gross in public,” Aidan warned.
Thankfully Griffin and Aidan didn’t get a chance to warm up to an argument because the waitress picked that moment to take our order. She did a double take when she saw me.
“Oh, honey, did one of these Neanderthals do this to you?”
“No. I got mugged in the parking lot of a senior center when I was visiting my grandmother,” I lied. I knew the old “walking into a door” ruse would never work so I concocted a lie during the drive to the diner. “It was a white thug on a skateboard. He talked like a little ghetto monster and everything.”
“At a senior center?” The waitress was flabbergasted. “No place is safe these days.”
“I hear that,” I said. “I’ll have the French Dip with fries and an iced tea.”
“Sure, honey,” the waitress said before turning to Aidan and Griffin. “You two should take better care of her.”
“I agree,” Griffin said. “I’ll have the same thing she’s having.”
“Make that three,” Aidan said.
We watched the waitress go before turning the conversation to something more serious.
“Dad will have a fit when he sees me,” I said. “I’m not sure you should drop the moving in together bomb on him tonight, Griffin.”
“Well, he’ll already be angry and upset,” Griffin pointed out. “I might as well tell him and let him really unload while he’s already angry. Instead of two medium freakouts, we’ll get one massive one. It will be loud, but we’ll survive.”
“I can’t wait to watch that,” Aidan said. “I’m worried he’ll go on a tear when he finds out Aisling was attacked by Mom’s reaper and then she had the audacity to show up at the townhouse. I don’t think he’ll take that well.”
“No,” I agreed. “He’s going to flip.”
“Speaking of flipping, you’re about to do the same, Ais,” Aidan said, pointing to a spot over my sore shoulder. “Trouble just walked in, and she’s got a friend.”
“What?” I knit my eyebrows and turned, grimacing when my shoulder screamed in anguished protest. When my eyes fell on Angelina and John Anderson being led to a table right next to us, I wanted to scream, too. “Crap on crackers! Why is that slutbag here? What are the odds?”
Grim Reunion (Aisling Grimlock Book 4) Page 10
