Now & Grim: A Grimlock Family Short Read online

  Now & Grim

  A Grimlock Family Short Book Three

  Amanda M. Lee

  WinchesterShaw Publications

  Copyright © 2018 by Amanda M. Lee

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  1. One

  2. Two

  3. Three

  4. Four

  5. Five

  6. Six

  7. Seven

  8. Eight

  9. Nine

  10. Ten

  Mailing List

  About the Author

  Books by Amanda M. Lee

  1

  One

  Ten months ago

  “Knock it off!”

  “You knock it off!”

  “All of you knock it off!” Dad, his eyes flaring, looked up from the newspaper he was reading in the parlor and glared at my brothers and me. He was never known for his patience in what should’ve been a relaxed time – his “it’s time we had a serious talk” skills needed a little work, too – but he was clearly spoiling for a fight this evening. He shared his rather large roof (he lives in a mansion that my sister Aisling insists looks like a castle) with three of his children, so odds were he would choose to fight with us.

  That’s right. My name is Cillian Grimlock and I still live with my father. I just turned thirty and I live down the hallway from my brothers Redmond and Braden. Everyone says I’m the calmest of my siblings – which isn’t saying much – but I honestly have no problem living with my father. Wait … did that make me sound like a loser?

  “What is he babbling about?” Braden strolled into the foyer where we were enjoying the newly-waxed floor with nothing but sock-clad feet and mixed drinks. He tilted his head so he could stare into the parlor where Dad enjoyed his newspaper and bourbon. All the Grimlock siblings look alike. We all have the same black hair and purple eyes. Even my sister Aisling, who streaked her hair with white to stand out, couldn’t be mistaken for anything other than a Grimlock. When I was a kid I used to think it was freaky that our resemblance was so strong. Now I kind of like it.

  “He wants us to knock it off,” I supplied, sipping my drink before returning it to the ornate staircase that led upstairs. The large foyer had two entrance points to the second floor – one on each side – and we were using them as safe zones for our muddled mess of a game. It was something we’d thought up as kids. It didn’t have static rules and there was no ball for scoring. In essence, it involved us having a reason to slide across the floor, potentially fall in the process, and slam into one another. I would be a walking bruise by morning … yet I didn’t care. The game was fun and we were bored.

  “He always wants us to knock it off,” Braden grumbled, flicking his eyes to Dad. “I’m starting to think that’s because he’s getting old and embracing the ‘Hey, you kids, get off my lawn’ mentality a bit too much. He wasn’t this annoyed when we were kids and he actually had something to be irritated about.”

  “That’s probably because back then he thought there was a chance you guys might eventually move out at some point,” Aisling announced, breezing through the room. She looked to be in the mood for mayhem – which is her way – but she rarely pointed her evil efforts in my direction. She always aimed herself at Braden first because they were like Kardashians and classy behavior – refusing to mix. I wasn’t worried she’d turn her anger on me. Once she had a few drinks in her was another story, of course.

  “He probably pictured himself being able to relax with all of his adult children out of the house,” Aisling added. “That’s probably not going to ever happen, though, so he’s merely coming to terms with his fate.”

  Braden offered an exaggerated eye roll. Aisling irritated him beyond belief. The rest of us doted on her, even spoiled her a bit, because she was the only girl. Braden refused to participate in that activity and instead tried to pick fights with her whenever the mood struck. He claimed she was irritating – which she was, there’s no getting around that – but what he failed to see is how very alike they were. If he ever recognized that simple truth, I feared he would take to a bottle and lose a weekend or two. Being compared to Aisling was pretty much the worst thing in the world where Braden was concerned. It would definitely be the source of a bender.

  Wait … what were we talking about again? I totally lost my train of thought. That happens often when I’m mentally dissecting my siblings.

  “That shows what you know, Aisling,” Braden fired back, his eyes glittery. “Dad loves having us here. He would be lonely without us. Isn’t that right, Dad?”

  Dad didn’t as much as glance up from his newspaper. “I’m not getting involved in an argument with you boys.”

  Aisling was enraged. “I’m not a boy!”

  Dad finally dragged his eyes from the newspaper, as if confirming for himself that Aisling was not only a girl but also present. “Oh. I didn’t know you were still here. I thought you were going home.”

  “I am going home. Griffin is taking me out for a romantic dinner. And I get to put on a slutty skirt and top so he feels rewarded for the effort.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. Aisling was a master at driving our father insane. With us, he often wiped his hands of our shenanigans. He gave up long ago caring what time we came in from a night at the bar.

  Aisling was the only girl, though, and that meant Dad at least attempted to watch her when she was a teenager. He scared off any potential boyfriends, threw a fit if her skirts were too short and disapproved of anything and everything in her wardrobe that didn’t make her look Amish.

  “I’ll lock you in the basement if you ever say anything like that again,” Dad warned, extending a finger. “I’m not kidding. That was completely uncalled for.”

  Aisling balked. “Twenty minutes ago Redmond was telling a story about the time he picked up three strippers from the same bar and took them to a hotel for a good time.”

  Dad’s face was blank. “So?”

  “So, how can what I said be uncalled for but what Redmond said be okay?”

  “He’s a boy.” Dad said the words without flinching, even when Aisling screwed up her face in what appeared to be the opening volley of a tense war of words. “Don’t bother screeching at me and doing that stomping thing you do when I treat you differently because you’re a girl.

  “The simple fact of the matter is you’re a girl,” he continued. “You have a different set of rules. Life is different for you and I can’t change that. I didn’t make the rules – at least not all of them and definitely not the really big ones – but you must follow them.”

  The house’s front door opened at that moment to allow my girlfriend Maya Taylor entrance. She had her own key because she often spent the night – something Dad didn’t care about in the least because he was genuinely fond of Maya. She looked surprised to see so many of us grouped together.

  “What’s going … ?”

  I pressed my finger to my lips to quiet her, slipped my arm around her shoulders and drew her close. She smelled good, like lilacs on a spring day. She still wore her nurse’s scrubs from the hospital. I was used to them at this point and thought she looked adorable no matter what she wore.

  “I can’t believe you just said that!” Aisling bellowed, hands on hips.

  “Oh.” Realization dawned on Maya’s face. “I see your sister is fighting with … someone.”

&nbs
p; I nodded. “Things are about to get interesting.”

  “Well, good. I’d hate to think that I missed a Grimlock family meltdown. Those are so rare … and special.”

  I smirked. “I love it when you get sarcastic.” I gave her a quick kiss. “How was your day?”

  “Long. I’m kind of tired.”

  “We can just hang out tonight if you want,” I offered, hoping I sounded magnanimous. Compared to my brothers (other than Aidan, who is gay and somehow understands things better than the rest of us when it comes to the female mind) I’m what could pass for a feminist warrior in this house. Maya likes it when I’m sympathetic and often rewards me for my selfless behavior. That’s what I was going for tonight. “We can take a bath and hunker down with a movie or something. I’ll even let you pick a chick flick.”

  Braden slid me a sidelong look. “That was absolutely pathetic, man.”

  My cheeks burned under his scrutiny. “Mind your own business.”

  “Let’s take a bath and watch a chick movie,” Braden muttered. “I can’t believe you’re actually my brother.”

  Maya sympathetically patted my arm before I could come up with a retort. “Don’t listen to him. He likes to mess with you. It’s simply the way he’s built. He and Aisling have that in common.”

  Braden was affronted. “Excuse me, but I am nothing like Aisling. In fact … don’t ever say that again.”

  “Puh-leez.” Aisling rolled her eyes until they landed on Braden. “You would be so lucky for people to confuse you with me. That could only make you more popular.”

  “Whatever.” Braden made a hilarious face. “Everyone knows you’re the family embarrassment.”

  “I’m going to embarrass you with a foot in your behind,” Aisling warned, her temper firing. “In fact … .” She didn’t finish what she was about to say, instead swiveling toward the parlor when she sensed Dad getting to his feet. It was obvious he was going to make a break for it before she regained her senses and turned on him. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  Dad is calm under pressure so he basically shrugged off the question, adopting an innocent look as he shuffled toward the drink cart. “I’m refreshing my bourbon. If you’re going to turn into a screeching mess, something tells me I’ll need it.”

  Mollified, Aisling grinned. “I think that’s a great idea. You’re going to need ten drinks before I’m done with you.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me.” Dad lobbed a fond smile in her direction. Even when she irritated him he found her funny. That sentiment didn’t always last – Aisling found more trouble than the rest of us put together – but Dad couldn’t hide the fact that she was his favorite. “Would you like a drink? You’ll want to keep your vocal cords lubricated if you’re going to scream for a long time. You don’t want to risk damaging them.”

  “Yes, it would be a tragedy if we had to go for an extended period of time without hearing Aisling’s dulcet tones,” Braden drawled. “An absolute tragedy.”

  “I’m going to fill your mouth full of dirt and worms if you don’t shut it,” Aisling threatened.

  Sensing potential wrestling and fisticuffs, Dad waved his hand to regain Aisling’s attention. “There’s no reason to kill your brother. You’re angry with me. Try to remember that.”

  “Oh, I remember.” Aisling returned to the topic at hand. “You just said that it was okay for Redmond to be a pig because he’s a boy, but I’m not allowed to say anything remotely sexual because I’m a girl. Do you want to rephrase that?”

  Dad blinked three times in rapid succession as he regarded my sister. “No.”

  Aisling scowled. “You have to rephrase that,” she insisted. “It’s not fair for me to have different rules. Mom always said … .” Aisling trailed off. Mention of our mother – a woman who recently returned from the dead and could very well be eating people to stay alive – was forbidden because no one could agree on her motivations and Dad hated the tense conversations.

  “I’m well aware of what your mother said.” Dad licked his lips. “I was never allowed to treat you differently from the boys because you’d develop a complex. I was fine with that when it came to things like football … and basketball … and toilet papering the neighbors’ houses on Devil’s Night. I truly believe there’s no difference between you and your brothers when it comes to such activity.”

  Aisling was mollified, but only slightly. “So why did you say I was different when it comes to the other stuff?”

  “Because you are different.”

  I had to hand it to Dad. When he took a position he did it with bravado and refused to back down. He could’ve acquiesced to my sister’s demands simply to shut up Aisling – something we all would’ve appreciated – but that wasn’t his way.

  “Before you start screeching again, you should know I’ll never change my mind on this.” Dad was firm. “You’re a girl. You’re my daughter. On top of that, you’re my baby. I have five children and you’re the youngest. The deck is stacked against you, kid.”

  Maya slid me a sly look, clearly enjoying my father explaining the difference between female and male children to his youngest offspring.

  “That doesn’t mean it’s fair,” Aisling protested.

  “No, it probably doesn’t,” Dad agreed. “I can’t change that. You’re my baby and the boys are … um … .”

  “Rabid dogs who hump your leg whenever you try to sit down and rest?” Aisling suggested.

  “I’m not a fan of your tone, but you’re not far off,” Dad conceded. “I hold you to a higher standard. You should be flattered that I think you’re above your brothers.”

  I flashed Dad an enthusiastic thumbs-up. “Good save.”

  Dad grinned. “Thank you.”

  “That wasn’t a good save,” Aisling complained, wrinkling her nose. “He just used alpha male speak to explain why boys get away with more than girls. It’s unfair and ridiculous.”

  “And I stand by it.” Dad carried his drink back to his chair. “Now, if you’re done whining, I believe you’re going out for a proper date with your beau, one in which you will wear an ankle-length skirt and a chastity belt, if I’m not mistaken.” Dad looked a little too amused with his wit, which I knew was going to drive Aisling over the edge.

  “Who says ‘beau’ in this day and age?” Braden asked, genuinely curious.

  That was a good question. “I don’t know.” Aisling seemed to be taking a moment to regroup and consider her options – retreat or double down and attack – so I turned my full attention to Maya. “So, where did we land on the chick movie and bath?”

  “You’re turning into a woman, man,” Braden complained. “I can’t believe you’re willing to stay home on a Friday night and take a bath with your girlfriend.”

  Clearly he hadn’t put together the notion that Maya and I would be naked in that equation. Of course, I couldn’t point that out if I expected to actually get Maya naked later, so I was kind of stuck. “I’m fine being a woman.” I beamed at Maya. “As long as I get to spend time with my pretty girlfriend, I’m happy.”

  Maya returned the smile. She looked blissed out. Then she opened her mouth and I realized she wasn’t falling for any of it. “That’s so sweet. But we’re going out.”

  “We are?” That was news to me. “Where?”

  “We have plans with Griffin and Aisling.”

  Aisling, who looked as if she was about to launch a second verbal offensive against Dad, snapped her head in our direction. “What?” Maya’s announcement was clearly news to her, too.

  “We’re going on a double date.” Maya’s eyes sparkled as she flicked them toward my sister. “I just got off the phone with Griffin, in fact. He said it sounded like a great idea; you guys just had a simple dinner planned and it was easy to put off. I guess he hasn’t had a chance to call you yet.”

  “I guess not.” Aisling grumbled under her breath as she dug in her pocket until she came up with her cell phone. From the looks of her screen she
had about fifty text messages she’d ignored. That couldn’t be good.

  “Are all those about tonight’s date?” I was understandably worried. A double date with my sister and her boyfriend – who also happened to be Maya’s brother – seemed torturous. Our little four-person group didn’t often peel off and spend time together because it was uncomfortable for everyone. I didn’t want to think about the things Griffin did with my sister. On the flip side, he wanted to kill me for the things he imagined I did with his sister.

  “No. A lot of them are from Jerry,” Aisling replied, making a face. “He’s up in arms about our spa day next week. He thinks we should get mud baths in those big tubs. I draw the line at that because I’m sure bugs live in them.”

  “Why would bugs live in them?”

  “Because mud is simply wet dirt and bugs live in dirt.”

  “Good point.”

  Aisling pushed out her lips into an exaggerated pout. I had a feeling she was reading Griffin’s message now, and if she was annoyed that meant I would be, too. We shared more than looks, after all.

  “What is it?” I was almost afraid to ask.

  “Um … well … it seems we’re going to Royal Oak for the night.” Aisling forced a smile for Maya’s benefit that looked more deranged than sincere. “There’s a Shakespeare in the Park event.”

  My heart sank. That sounded awful.

  Maya clapped her hands, excited. “Doesn’t that sound fun?”

  I locked gazes with Aisling, something unsaid passing between us. “It sounds great,” I lied, visions of the bath and lazy chick flick nookie evaporating. “I can’t wait.”

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