Free Because of His Fortune (For His Pleasure, Book 25) by Kelly Favor

not
giving a deposition, counselor.   She
doesn’t owe you any explanations, and I’d rather you didn’t try to put her on
the stand during breakfast.”
    “I’m not putting anyone on the stand,”
Todd said, leaning back and putting his hands up as if in surrender.   “Just trying to get to know her.”
    “Then maybe you should talk to her like a
normal person.”
    “Was that not a normal question?”
    Liam shook his head.   “Nothing about this is normal.”
    Todd made eye contact with Grace and he
seemed to have sad eyes, she decided.   “Grace,” he said.   “You can
probably surmise that my son and I don’t have the greatest relationship at the
moment.   But I do want to improve
things.   I want to fix my mistakes.”
    Grace smiled at him.   “I think that’s wonderful,” she said,
wanting to reassure him somehow.   “But these things take time, and obviously right now is a very sad
moment for the entire family.   Everyone’s emotional, I’m sure.”
    “See, now, there’s a smart lady,” Todd
said.   “You’ve chosen well, my
son.   Smart, beautiful, but most
importantly—kind hearted.”
    Liam spun his cup so hard that a bit of
coffee splashed over the sides.   “Spare us the bullshit, Attorney Vangelis.”
    “You can see what I’m dealing with,
here,” Todd said to Grace.   “I can’t
say anything right.”
    “Stop trying to use her,” Liam
snarled.   “It’s pathetic, you know.”
    At that completely awkward moment, the
waitress returned with their plates of food.   As she set the plates down, it allowed
for the anger to settle.
    Staff efficiently refilled the water and
topped off their coffee cups.
    And then another waiter brought their
smoothies.
    “So much wonderful food,” Grace smiled,
trying to shake off the sense of being on a sinking ship.
    “You should really try the smoothie,
Grace,” Todd said.   “They’re so
refreshing.”
    “Sure, why not?” she replied, and picked
up the slender, tall cylindrical glass filled with fresh fruit juices.  
    He was right after all.   The smoothie tasted amazing.
    Actually, all of the food was
amazing.   She’d never tasted such
delicate eggs, and the flavor of the Hollandaise sauce was light and tangy and
she couldn’t believe how hungry she was.
    The food seemed to settle Liam a little,
and he was able to shoot her a covert smile, and she returned it.
    Todd was making short work of his
thousand-dollar frittata.   He ate
with his mouth slightly open at times, guzzling coffee, water and smoothie
juice in between voracious bites of his meal.
    “What can I say, Liam?” Todd asked, after
he finally took a break from shoveling food in his mouth.   He wiped his lips with a napkin.   “I’m sorry I’ve been such a dismal
failure as a parent.”
    Liam just looked at him.   “Mom’s dead,” he said, his voice low and
controlled.   “It’s not about you.”
    “I understand that,” his father replied
evenly.   His voice trembled a little
as he spoke again.   “But I want to
be here for you and Exley and Vera.   I don’t want you kids to go through this alone.”   He smiled painfully.   “Can’t you understand that?”
    “I guess,” Liam relented.   He seemed vaguely surprised by his
father’s vulnerability.
    “Give me a chance to prove myself to you,
Son,” Todd said, and now his eyes were wet.
    Liam sat back and stared at him, and his
eyes were also teary.   “I’ll do my
best, Dad.”
    “That’s all I can ask,” Todd replied, and
this time he seemed slightly lighter, as if a burden had been lifted from his
shoulders.
    Grace smiled, feeling like maybe things
were turning around after all.   They
returned to eating and drinking coffee and the conversation took a distinctly
more optimistic turn.
    Todd started discussing some times in the
past, before the divorce, when they’d traveled as a family and things were
obviously happier between all parties.
    Even Liam laughed as they