"I can go if you—"
His eyes cut to me. "Do not leave." When he saw the expression on my face, he added, "Please."
"Okay," I agreed, still not thrilled with the way he just spoke to me. But now wasn't the time to take him to task. Once he'd handled everything, we'd talk about it. Doing it now would only escalate the situation.
Hmmm. Maybe I was finally learning how to be a mature human being.
Brody used his thumb to scroll through his phone before he tapped something and lifted it to his ear.
"Lynn, it's Brody Murphy. I apologize for calling so late, but I need you." He paused, listening to the person on the other end of the line as he paced back and forth from the den to the kitchen and back again. "Yeah, it's something to do with Monica." He laughed, a bitter, harsh sound that made me wince.
This time, when he paced, he headed back toward the master bedroom, which was down a short hallway from the kitchen, just on the other side of his office and the half bath.
His voice faded as he vanished into the bedroom. I could hear the muffled sound of his words but not the exact conversation.
I picked up the remote and browsed through the offerings on Netflix. There was one movie in particular that caught my eye. It was a thriller that promised to be both frightening and action-packed. Exactly what I needed as an outlet for my sudden bloodthirsty urges when it came to Brody's ex-wife.
I clicked on it and turned the TV down a bit so the louder parts wouldn't wake Jacks or interrupt Brody's phone calls. I settled in to watch for a while, but soon lost interest.
Instead of turning the movie off, I watched it with half an eye as I picked up my phone and opened the Kindle app. Maybe a book would be a better choice of distraction.
I sorted through my TBR shelf, surprised at how empty it was. I'd been so busy at Crave that I hadn't had time to read as much as I usually did. In the past, I would have close to a hundred books or more on my TBR shelf at any given time. Now, it was more like twenty, and half of those were about running a business, marketing, or budgeting.
Jeez, when had I let all my hobbies fall by the wayside? Reading books, experimenting with new recipes, hiking at the local state park. I couldn't remember the last time I'd done any of those things. Except for when they were work-related.
"Jesus, what are you watching?" Brody asked from behind me.
Startled, I whirled around to find him standing a few feet from me, staring at the television.
I did a double take, then twisted my head to the side and squinted. It was the obligatory horror movie sex scene but this one was somewhat...creative.
"What is that?" I asked.
"I think it's a dildo."
"Oh, my God, is he putting that where I think he is?" I cringed in discomfort. "Why in the hell would they put what is essentially a soft porn scene in a horror movie?"
Brody laughed as I fumbled for the remote and stopped the movie.
"Aw, c'mon. It was just getting interesting," Brody complained.
"Then you can watch it later by yourself." I sounded prim and miffed.
Brody walked around the couch and flopped down next to me. He leaned his head back against the back of the couch. With a sigh, he closed his eyes.
"Come here often?" I asked him.
The corner of his mouth tilted up but he didn't answer.
I reached out and nudged his shoulder. "What's going on, Brody?"
"Well, I just called and woke up my attorney to let him know I'll likely be paying another enormous retainer. Also, I had to call the private investigation firm I used before my divorce and hire them again to keep an eye on my ex so she doesn't abscond with my daughter to the South of fucking France."
I placed my hand on his arm. "I'm sorry."
Brody scrubbed his hands over his face. "Fuck. I have a gut feeling that if Monica takes Jacks out of the country it's the last time I'll ever see her."
"It won't be," I said. "If she does that, I promise that Sierra and I will help you."
"Sierra and you?" he asked, opening his eyes and looking at me in surprise. "Do you have some sort of training I was unaware of? Am I dating a secret badass?"
"Nope. Just someone with a smart friend and a lot of righteous anger."
"And what can Sierra do that this incredibly expensive private investigator can't?"
"More like won't," I mumbled. "Let's just say she could make Monica very uncomfortable if she disappears with Jacks." I cleared my throat because the way he was looking at me made it feel tight all of a sudden. "Um, Sierra can do things that most companies can't."
"Can't?" Brody asked.
"Um...more like won't."
He closed his eyes again and shook his head. "Maybe it's better if I don't know."
"Probably."
"Well, since the mood is nice and ruined now, there's something I have to tell you."
Wow, that sounded ominous.
"Jacks told Mom and Dad that 'my friend Cam' was eating dinner and watching movies with us a lot. Mom wants to have a family dinner at their place next week."
That would definitely have ruined the mood if Monica hadn't called when she did.
"Uh, I'm not sure I can," I said. "I may have...a lobotomy scheduled for next week."
Brody lifted his head and looked at me, grinning. "A lobotomy?"
"Yeah," I answered with a nod. "I've been feeling pretty off lately and I think it will help."
"You're coming to my parents' for dinner next week," he commanded. There was no other way to describe the tone he used.
"Brody, you know your mother hates me, right?"
"She doesn't hate you, Cam. That would require too much energy. She disapproves of you. But then again, she disapproves of everyone since we Murphy's are so superior to everyone else."
"Disapproves of me?" I asked. "At your wedding, she asked me if I bought my dress from a lady of the night."
Brody choked on a laugh. "Did you? I mean, it was a sexy dress."
I smacked his shoulder. "Brody! Will you please take this seriously?"
"I am," he said, chuckling.
I tried to smack him again, but he caught my hand and pulled me across his lap.
"Okay, so Mom disapproves of you more than she does most people. Mostly because you refuse to comply with her expectations. If it makes you feel any better, she treats Ben the same way."
I pulled a face, much like Jacks had a tendency to do. "It doesn't."
"Cam."
"Brody."
"Cam."
"Ugh. Fine. I'll go to dinner with you. And I'll behave in front of Jacks. But if your mom says anything nasty to me, I'm sneaking into the living room and moving all her pillows and knick knacks around and I expect you to serve as a distraction."
His mother was adamant that nothing in the formal rooms of her house was out of place. If a single pillow wasn't properly angled on the couch, she would spend a good five minutes fluffing and adjusting them. The pretty vases and figurines set about the house were in exact positions on each piece of furniture and any cleaning staff were required to replace them precisely where they'd been before.