Perfect Grump (Bad Chicago Bosses)

“You don’t request rides as much as you used to.”

“I mean, I’m not technically on payroll.” She grins and blushes. “Plus, a lot of my classes run late in the evening. Ward drives me to those. He insists on coming because he doesn’t like me downtown alone after dark.”

“More like he doesn’t like letting you out of his sight.”

She slaps my arm. “Enough about me. Who lit up your face with that text?”

Since she put it like that...now I don’t want to tell her.

“Nick...the Prick himself,” I say, though I have to fight to push that last part out.

“Oh, you’re still calling him that?” Again, she gives me that look over her sunglasses.

I narrow my eyes. “Why wouldn’t I?”

For a second, I’m alarmed. What has he said to her?

She smiles like a cat with a toy. “Because he hired you a nanny who tutors Millie. That’s not very prick-like.”

I wave my hand. “Oh, boy. Has he told you about all the other stuff?”

“Maybe. I mean, I only know there’s an issue with your sister. He’s been awfully protective of your privacy. Hope things are okay. It’s kinda fun hating your hot boss, isn’t it? I should know since I married mine.” She sticks her tongue out.

I laugh. “I guess, but...what do you mean?”

“Every time you pick me up, you have a new war story, and there’s only one Brandt boy who’s always the star.” She leans over again, dropping her voice. “Good thing, too. If it was Ward, I might have to kill you.”

“Stop!” I push at her playfully. “Look, since I don’t drive you around much these days and Bea’s gone, he’s just my most interesting passenger. Also, your husband is way too nice and boring now. As his driver, that’s cool. I won’t sneeze at low-drama passengers. But that also makes Nick like a hundred percent of my road hazards these days.”

“Mister Road Hazard seems to be helping stop a lot of crashes lately,” she says knowingly. “I think he’s turning over a new leaf.”

A smile pulls at my lips.

“Could be. I’m not sure how I ever would’ve handled this without him. Like you said, he hired Millie a nanny, but he also helped my sister out with a good attorney.” I leave it at that.

I don’t want to say anything she doesn’t already know or have her thinking my sister is some kind of criminal lunatic.

Then I remember Paige Brandt is Nick’s sister-in-law, privy to Brandt family secrets I can only imagine. She must know more about him than I do...right?

“Hey, can I ask you something?” I venture, keeping my eyes on Millie.

“Of course.”

“What’s the deal with Nick?”

She gives me a long look and snickers. “I’m not sure what to tell you. He’s a hot mess, and I do mean hot. Although, I did snag the sexier Brandt, so meh.”

She also got the more boring brother, but I don’t say anything.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t emphasize the mess part. It’s not entirely his fault, though. What do you know about how things went down with Victor and Giselle Brandt last year?” she asks.

“Their parents? I know enough. I think. I know they were shady as hell and always trying to drag down Beatrice, their sons, you, and anyone else at the company if they thought it would hurt Bea or get them more money.”

Paige nods. “Anything else?”

“Nick mentioned that he and Ward handed their asses to them so they’d never come around raising trouble again. He wasn’t really specific about how, but I didn’t ask either.”

She stares at me for a long second. “You guys seem to talk a lot. Interesting.”

I try not to blush.

“Well, commuting through Chicago traffic can rack up some serious time in the car together...” I hope she believes me.

“It’s not just that Ward and Nick’s parents were shady, though. They were, but they were the reason why the Brandts turned into such tabloid material. They were on the family yacht when that actor died. There was never enough evidence to charge them, but everyone believed they were guilty. And every time the boys tried to move past their parents’ scandals, something would dredge it up again. Victor and Giselle were also super pissed because Beatrice cut them out of the will—and they deserved it for being horrible. I don’t want to spill everything, because it’s not my place. But Ward and Nick spent more time with their grandparents growing up, and their parents’ mess left a few scars.”

Dang. That’s heavier than I thought.

I flop back on the bench, processing everything.

“I didn’t know that but I’m not surprised,” I say slowly. “Nick mentioned Bea being like a mom to him more than once.”

“Exactly. So, I’m no shrink, but you can see how growing up like that might make it hard to trust people. I think all the crap they had to deal with early on molded them both. But it wasn’t just the scandal, I mean. It’s one thing to have parents making bad choices. It’s another to have your grandparents swooping in at every opportunity because your mom and dad aren’t fit to raise you.”