Grim Expectations (Aisling Grimlock Book 5) Read online

  “I’ll watch her,” Dad said. “I promise she won’t drink while you’re gone. Will that make you happy?”

  Griffin was unruffled by Dad’s tone. “Nothing about this situation makes me happy,” he said. “I’ll be right back, though. If I smell wine on her breath, I’m going to arrest all of you.”

  “Well, at least it won’t be a dull night,” Redmond quipped.

  That was about the only thing we had going for us.

  “HERE.”

  Griffin handed the envelope containing the seal to my father and reclaimed his chair. He slipped his arm around my shoulders as he sat. I thought he was being romantic when he offered me a kiss, but then he held me close and smelled my breath for what felt like forever.

  “I’m not two,” I snapped, jerking away. “I didn’t drink while you were gone.”

  “I know you’re not two,” Griffin said. “That would make this relationship creepy.”

  “It’s still creepy for some of us,” Redmond said. “To me she’s eight with pigtails.”

  Griffin ignored him. “Believe it or not, I’m not trying to upset you,” he said. “I’m trying to take care of you. That’s not always easy because you have a crappy job and your father sends you to abandoned houses where you get attacked by gargoyles. I’m doing the best I can.”

  Dad scorched Griffin with a harsh look as he reached for his wine. “Thanks. I didn’t feel bad enough before that comment.”

  “I’m sorry,” Griffin said, holding up his hands. “I don’t blame you. It’s just … she’s always getting hurt and I don’t like it.”

  “Maybe you should knock her up so she can’t work,” Braden suggested. “That might be fun. She’s slutty enough where you’re concerned that it might work.”

  “Shut your mouth, Braden,” Dad warned, wagging a finger. “Don’t ever say anything like that about your sister again.” Dad was calm as he leveled his gaze on Griffin. “This is a hard life and I’m not proud of what happened today. I made a mistake and you have every right to be angry.”

  I was shocked by his capitulation. “We couldn’t have known what to expect at the house,” I said, resting my hand on Griffin’s knee to calm him. “It’s over and done with. We can’t dwell on it. We’re stuck here tonight while the home office cleans up the vermin, so we should have some fun instead of sniping at one another.”

  “I agree with Bug,” Jerry said. “Let’s have some fun.”

  “What did you have in mind?” Griffin asked, rubbing the back of my neck to let me know there were no hard feelings. “Do you want to have a pool tournament or something? How about some more sock hockey? Aisling can’t play because of her arm, but she can be the referee and boss everyone around. That always puts her in a good mood.”

  “No more sock hockey,” Dad said. “That game drives me nuts. Do you know how many times I’ve had to have the drywall in that room patched? I had a guy on retainer for three years.”

  “Ah, the Dark Ages,” Cillian intoned, earning a giggle from Maya. “I don’t see why you’re so upset. It was much cheaper to replace drywall than pay for us to learn how to play regular hockey.”

  “I thought you guys liked sports,” Griffin said. “Didn’t most of you play football and basketball?”

  “And baseball,” Redmond added. “Dad didn’t want us playing hockey, though. He thought it was too violent, and we already liked to fight. Soccer was a big no-no because we wanted to smash our heads into other players instead of the ball.”

  “I guess that makes sense,” Griffin said, shifting his eyes to me. “What about you? Did you play sports?”

  “Not on any teams,” I answered. “I wasn’t allowed because I was a poor sport and Dad didn’t want to be embarrassed.”

  “That’s not the reason,” Dad argued. “You wouldn’t stop doing that dance, and when people tried to steal bases when you played softball you kicked them. I didn’t want to get sued.”

  “Oh, I do love that dance,” Griffin teased, poking my side to get me to smile. I was still angry about him checking my breath, but I knew that wouldn’t last. “I especially like it when you wear those tight pants.”

  “I told you those pants were a good investment,” Jerry said knowingly. “They’ve practically paid for themselves.”

  “How?” I challenged. “I got to wear them only once.”

  “And yet Griffin still dreams about them,” Jerry said. “Don’t bother denying it. I’ve heard him request dance sessions when he thinks no one is listening. He doesn’t want you to wear pants these days, but the love of the dance will carry on for eternity.”

  Griffin’s cheeks colored as he stared at his plate in an attempt to avoid Dad’s glare. “So, what’s for dinner?”

  “You’re a sick man,” Dad said, shaking his head. “That’s my daughter.”

  “And she’s very cute,” Griffin said. “You didn’t get to see the pants. I can’t be blamed for my loving feelings when it comes to those pants.”

  I couldn’t stop myself from snickering when Dad narrowed his eyes. “Oh, let it go,” I said. “We’re moving in together. Heck, technically we already live together. We’ve spent the last two nights at the new townhouse.”

  “You didn’t get any boxes moved today, did you?” Griffin asked. “You got attacked by gargoyles instead. You’ll do anything to get out of manual labor.”

  “Yes, it was all part of my big plan,” I said. “It’s not my fault. I ran into Serena outside when I was leaving Jerry’s place and things kind of snowballed from there.”

  “We’ll figure it out,” Griffin said. “I want all of your stuff moved by the end of the week, though. I’m ready to get settled.”

  “Oh, that’s so cute,” Redmond said. “Our sister is officially shacking up. I’m so proud.”

  “Knock it off, Redmond,” Dad groused. “You’re giving me a headache. We’ve already been over this. Aisling is an adult. If she feels she’s ready to move in with her boyfriend, then that’s what she’s going to do.”

  I was impressed. I couldn’t believe my father was taking my side on this. “That’s a progressive attitude, Dad.”

  “I’m simply going to pretend you’re still living with Jerry since you’re going to be right next door,” Dad said. “I find it easier to delude myself than argue.”

  “That’s a pretty pathetic attitude, Dad,” I teased. “I can live with it, though.”

  “That’s good,” Dad said, smiling. “I want you to be happy.”

  “Oh, look, it’s the schmaltz family,” Braden said. “How did this happen to us?”

  “I blame you,” I replied. “I think it probably has something to do with your attitude.”

  “And for that I will see you on the sock hockey arena,” Braden said. “Prepare to be crushed.”

  “She’s not playing sock hockey,” Griffin argued. “She’s injured.”

  “We’ll see,” I said, squeezing his knee. “Where is dinner? I’m starving.”

  “It’s coming,” Dad answered. “Aisling, where is your hand?”

  Instead of reacting with disgust or irritation, Serena burst into tears as her gaze bounced around the table. I was caught off guard by the sobbing. “What’s wrong?” I asked, horrified. “Did Braden upset you? Griffin, beat him up.”

  “Maybe after dinner,” Griffin said, his eyes concerned as he watched Serena. He looked as lost as I felt.

  “I’m not crying because I’m upset,” Serena said. “Okay, maybe a little. It’s just … you guys remind me of my family. It makes me feel like I’m home a little bit.”

  Dad pursed his lips as he regarded the girl, shaking his head as he glanced at the ceiling and then pasting a bright smile on his face. “Okay. We’ll all play sock hockey. If the drywall needs to be repaired at the end of the night, though, I’m taking it out of everyone’s paychecks.”

  Well, there were worse ways to spend a night. “Bring it on.”

  16

  Sixteen

  “Look ou
t!”

  Braden slammed Cillian into the wall, causing the framed artwork several feet from the impact point to rattle. Dad, his brow slick with sweat thanks to a solid hour of sock hockey, pointed a finger at my brothers to still them.

  “Do not ruin that painting,” Dad snapped. “That’s an antique. Your grandparents gave it to me when I was just starting out on my own. It’s priceless – which means it’s worth more than all of you combined.”

  I pursed my lips as I sat on the edge of the staircase and studied the painting in question. It was red – my least favorite color – and it seemed to depict a dark shadow stepping into the bowels of Hell. For some reason it didn’t surprise me that my grandparents thought that was an appropriate gift for a young man. Thankfully my grandparents live in Florida year round and we never see them. If they gave me something like that painting for a housewarming gift I’d say something obnoxious. Oh, who am I kidding? I’d say something obnoxious regardless. It’s clearly in my genes.

  “I think we’d be doing you a favor if we ruined that painting,” I said, rolling my neck. Griffin wasn’t kidding when he said I was barred from sock hockey. He joined in with my brothers – even getting a few hard hits on Braden, which I think was deliberate – but every time I made noise about playing he shushed me with a dark look. He clearly wasn’t in the mood for games. Er, at least he wasn’t in the mood for my word games. He seemed to be enjoying sock hockey, though. “Just for curiosity’s sake, though, why would Grandma and Grandpa hand you a painting as you were walking out the door as a young man?”

  Dad was confused. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean you were starting out on your own,” I replied. “You were going to move into an apartment, make your own money and take care of yourself for the first time. Wouldn’t some cash … or even a new car … have come in handier?”

  Dad made a face. “That shows how spoiled you are,” he said. “This painting was a classy gift. I didn’t need a car.”

  “I would’ve wanted a car.”

  Redmond snickered as he leaned against the railing next to where I sat. “I would’ve preferred the car, too,” he said. “You know we made up horror stories about that painting when we were kids, right? Aidan told everyone he saw it moving one day and swore up and down that someone crawled out of it to haunt the house.”

  “Holy crap,” I shouted. “I forgot all about that. I wouldn’t come downstairs after dark by myself for a week.”

  “I remember it, too,” Braden said, his smile mischievous. “It made our midnight kitchen raids so much more relaxing without you. It was glorious.”

  I rubbed my forehead and jutted out my lip, jolting when Griffin hip-checked Braden into the wall and kept going until he was by my side. He rested his hand on top of my head and turned me so I was facing him.

  “I would never go on a midnight kitchen raid without you.” His grin was impish but his eyes were earnest. “That’s one of my favorite things to do.”

  “Oh, I’m totally going to throw up,” Redmond muttered. “You two are so sickly sweet right now I just can’t stand it.”

  “Yes, it’s giving me indigestion, too,” Dad teased, his eyes twinkling. “Still, I think they’re cute most of the time. I never thought I would say that because I predicted Griffin was trouble from the moment I met him, but I guess I’ve been proven wrong by his loyalty and dedication.”

  Griffin’s cheeks flushed – and I think it was only partially from the workout – and he nodded his head to acknowledge Dad’s words. “When I first met you guys, I realized that Aisling was saner than she had any right to be,” he said. “I thought she had crazy tendencies there for a little bit. Then I realized it was all of you fueling them.”

  “I take offense at that remark,” Cillian said, using his shoulder to protect Maya when Aidan slid by. “I’m not crazy. I’m the sane one in this family.”

  “That’s the only reason I’m letting you date my sister,” Griffin said.

  “I let you date my sister and I think you’d have to be crazy to be attracted to her,” Cillian countered. “Your sister is mellow. My attraction makes sense. My sister is nuttier than crunchy peanut butter. I’ve questioned your sanity a time or two.”

  Griffin tugged on a strand of my hair, his expression fond. “She has her moments, but she’s always exciting.”

  “And it’s puke time again,” Braden said, cuffing Griffin as he circled around. “Are we going to finish this game or what? My team is up by two – led by the energetic and talented Serena, of course – but it’s not really a game if we don’t have a winner.”

  Unfortunately, that’s a common belief in the Grimlock family. That’s why we don’t do well playing sports with anyone who doesn’t share our DNA. We are far too competitive for other people to enjoy competition with us.

  “Fine,” Dad gritted out. “We have five more minutes of this and then we’re moving on to something else. I’m too old to play games like this all night.”

  “I think we should do makeovers,” Jerry said. He was playing sock hockey, but his heart wasn’t truly in it. He kept getting distracted by his reflection in the mirror – which was priceless, and annoying to everyone on his team. “I brought that blue mask you love, Bug. Your Dad let me stock up at the pharmacy when you and Cillian were out this afternoon.”

  “I can live with that,” I said. “Griffin can’t find fault with a mud mask.”

  Griffin’s expression told me otherwise. “I think you should go to bed early,” he said. “You’ve had a really long day.”

  “It’s not even eight!”

  “Son, pick your battles,” Dad warned, moving closer to Griffin when it looked as if my boyfriend was going to argue with me in front of everyone. “She seems fine and she’s already missed out on sock hockey. Is doing a mask with Jerry really going to hurt?”

  “I guess not,” Griffin said. “After that you’re going to bed, though.”

  “Yes, sir.” I mock saluted and rolled my eyes.

  “And there’s the sister we know and love,” Redmond teased. “I almost thought she’d been taken over by a body snatcher or something.”

  “I think we should trade her for Serena,” Braden said, ruffling the teenager’s flaxen hair, earning a swoon-worthy sigh for his efforts. “She’s more fun and a lot more athletic.”

  “Oh, that sounds like a good idea,” Cillian said. “Serena hasn’t told me to bite her butt even once tonight. She is much more pleasant to be around than Aisling.”

  I knew they were joking but it still grated. Actually, if I thought about it too much, the ribbing hurt. I reminded myself that they were merely trying to bolster Serena’s spirits, but the internal admonishment didn’t stick.

  As if reading my mind, Griffin leaned closer and kissed my cheek. “I wouldn’t trade you for anything,” he said. “I love you.”

  I opened my mouth to reply and found Dad watching us with a curious look. Instead of saying something nasty about my brothers, I adjusted my tone. “I love you, too.”

  “Five more minutes of this and I’ll get a mud mask makeover thing with you,” Griffin said. “It will be like a bonding exercise.”

  I could think of better ways to bond, but I was up for anything that would get me out of this foyer and away from my father’s prying gaze. “That sounds like a plan.”

  “MY FACE is tingling. Is it supposed to be tingling?”

  Griffin shifted on the parlor couch and stared at me. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. He was adorable in his cornflower mask.

  “It’s removing all of the impurities from your skin,” Jerry said as he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. “Just enjoy it. This is the pampered life, my friend. We’re doing makeovers and mud masks in a mansion that looks like a castle. It doesn’t get better than this.”

  “It would be better if we had some women,” Braden argued, touching his finger to the blue concoction on his face. “I’m bored.”

  “I have a woman,”
Cillian teased, smiling at Maya. She seemed thrilled with the mask – and with Cillian’s flirty expression.

  “I do, too,” Griffin said. “We don’t need any more women.”

  Secretly, I couldn’t agree more. Serena seemed to be on my side because she happily settled on the couch between Redmond and Braden – she realized pretty quickly who would dote on her – but she fixed her eyes on me once she was comfortable.

  “How long have you and Griffin been together?” Serena asked. As much as she enjoyed running around with my brothers, when it was quiet she seemed drawn to me. I wasn’t used to being looked at as an older sibling, which was exactly how I felt.

  “A few months,” I replied.

  “Six months,” Griffin volunteered. “Six glorious months.”

  I poked his side to elicit a laugh. “You’re such a suck-up tonight.”

  “I am,” he agreed. “I’m just thankful you’re all right and everyone is under the same roof.”

  “Was it love at first sight?” Serena was serious when she leaned forward. “Did you take one look at each other and fall head-over-heels in love?”

  The question bothered me and I had to remind myself that she was a traumatized teenager. She didn’t mean to be annoying and she was desperately trying to fit in with a family that wasn’t her own. Her family was gone, of course. The reality of that was yet to fully hit her.

  “Not really,” I replied. “The day Griffin met me I was standing over a dead body.”

  Griffin chuckled at the memory. “I don’t know. Even the first time I saw you I knew there was something about you. Of course, I thought Aidan was your boyfriend. That lasted exactly three minutes. You guys look too much alike and you fight more than any couple ever would without someone being arrested for murder.”

  “I don’t remember us fighting that day,” Aidan said. “I just remember that I was ticked because Aisling tripped over a body and I knew it was going to be a royal pain in the butt when the dust settled. I thought Dad was going to yell at me.”