Fat Cat Liar

“Sorry, I zoned out. Is the roasting over?”

She slaps me gently. “I asked what you wanted to do tomorrow night?”

“I thought you and your dad were going to a holiday drop in.”

“About the only good thing with you being here is we got to cancel.” Kevin sounds pleased with the change of plans.

“Dad!” Greer gasps.

“Don’t let us interfere with your night,” Clay tells them.

“I didn’t want to go anyway. I prefer a quiet Christmas Eve at home. Greer is the one who pressed the issue, but now that we have company, there’s a valid excuse to miss it.”

I can’t pass up the opportunity to get under his skin. “So, you are glad we’re here.”

“Your dad and brother, yes. I like them. You, not so much,” he shoots back without missing a beat.

Clay and Dad chuckle while Greer mutters something under her breath.

I flash him a smile and mouth, ‘thanks, Dad’. His face heats up and his eyes narrow, shooting fire my way.

“Why don’t you let us do dinner tomorrow night?” Dad offers, breaking into my fun with Kevin.

“That’s not necessary. I was going to cook,” Greer responds.

“I insist. Let us thank you for the hospitality. Lawson and Clay got their mother’s cooking talent, and I’m excellent at supervising.”

“Sounds good to me as long as Lawson isn’t going to give us all food poisoning,” Kevin agrees.

“Lawson is an excellent cook!” Greer comes to my defense, glaring at her dad.

“It’s settled, we’ll get the groceries tomorrow.”

“I’ll get the stuff to make pancakes for Christmas day,” I whisper and love the way her face brightens.

“Sounds wonderful,” she says so only I can hear.

“Lawson, can you meet with me in the morning to cover a few areas of your analysis? I’d like to make sure I understand your point on the steel reinforcements and if they will work,” Kevin asks.

“They’ll work.”

“You may think so, but I’m afraid this building may have structural elements you are not aware of. “

“Believe me, they will work.”

His expression hardens, and Greer’s grip on my abdomen tightens. I cover her hand with mine and squeeze reassuringly.

“Kevin, they will work because I’ve spent ten years perfecting the alignment and restructuring of buildings like this. I’m not your typical architect where my craft lies in one area. If you feel more comfortable seeing proof, I can provide dozens of designs that Morris has successfully executed under my direction.”

“I’m not sure that would be legal under your terms of employment.”

“Seeing as I’m about to be the VP of Architectural Design, I can worry about the legalities.”

The room goes still, Dad and Clay both sucking in an audible breath. Greer pops up, looking between the men and then back to me.

“You haven’t told them?”

“I haven’t had the chance.”