“If you went to Carrington Hall or Bishop Caffrey,” the girl said coyly, “I’d know.”
“I’m just visiting.” Grayson gave up on attempting to seem normal and gave her a very Hawthorne look. “And I’m too old for you.”
“I knew it!” one of the other girls declared. “See! I told you all.” She grinned at Grayson. “You’re Grayson Hawthorne.”
Grayson didn’t bat an eye. “No, I’m not.”
“You totally are!” Still grinning, the girl turned to her friends. “He totally is.”
“I am so sorry that Avery girl took all of your money,” one of the others said seriously.
“And chose your brother,” another one added.
“And broke your heart!”
“But not your spirit.” The bravest of the girls reached out and laid a hand on his arm.
Grayson found himself wishing he had a suit jacket to button or sleeves to cuff. Now would be a good time for that signal, he told Gigi silently—to no avail. “Avery didn’t take anything,” he said stiffly. “And she didn’t—”
“You don’t have to talk about it,” one of the girls assured him. “Can I get a picture?”
Grayson set his jaw. “I would prefer that you did—” Not. He didn’t even get a chance to say the last word before she squeezed in next to him.
“One more!”
“Smile!”
“This is unreal!”
“Can I get you another… hard lemonade, Grayson?”
He was going to kill Gigi. For all he knew, she was already searching Kent Trowbridge’s office while he served as distraction just by existing.
“Who are you here with?”
This time, Grayson summoned up a response. “Friends of the family.” He looked back toward the staircase, where Savannah and the Trowbridge boy were still holding court.
“Oh,” one of the girls said flatly. “Her.”
“It’s a good thing we saved you, then,” another declared.
Grayson arched a brow. “And why,” he asked crisply, “is that?”
“Savannah Grayson thinks she’s so much better than everyone else.”
“I mean, look at what she’s wearing. This isn’t brunch at the country club.”
“And the heels—she’s already, like, six feet tall!”
“And the way she just expects to win, to get everything.”
“She’s such a bitch! I’m surprised Duncan hasn’t gotten frostbite.”
“That’s enough.” Grayson didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t have to. And still, not a single one of them looked at him the way they’d looked at her.
“Friiiiiigiiiiiiiid.” A guy joined them. He’d apparently been close enough to hear the topic of their conversation, but not close enough to realize that he was, in fact, taking his life in his own hands with that comment.
Grayson took a single step forward, and then Gigi appeared at his side. “This wasn’t what I meant,” she whispered, as a vein pulsed in Grayson’s temple, “when I said dance.”
CHAPTER 30
GRAYSON
So your name really is Grayson.” That was Gigi’s takeaway once the two of them had extricated themselves from the party. “And you’re famous. That could complicate things, but as a rule, I’m in favor of complications.” She led him to a door in another wing that definitely should have been locked. “I am also in favor of lock-picking.” Gigi smiled serenely as she pushed the door inward. “Voilà.”
Grayson glanced at the lock as he stepped into the room. It wasn’t an easy model to pick. “Been planning on a life of crime for a while?” he asked.
“I get bored easily,” Gigi informed him. “And when I’m bored, I learn things. All kinds of things.” The emphasis she put on the word all was mildly concerning, but it wasn’t his priority at the moment.
Grayson scanned Kent Trowbridge’s home office with military precision and a Hawthorne’s eye for detail. There were built-in shelves along three walls, and the spacing on two of them didn’t match the third. The expensive rug covering the dark wood floors had a fringe that was tangled at one corner. All the cabinets and drawers had locks. There wasn’t a single family photo, though there was a painting of Trowbridge himself, hanging just behind the desk.
Gigi made a beeline for the computer. She tapped at the keys, then began searching through papers on the top of the desk. “I’ve known Mr. Trowbridge my whole life. He thinks he’s tech-savvy, but I would bet big money he has his passwords written down somewhere.”