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“Kyle?” Julia prompted.
“Spit it out, Kyle,” Grant grumbled before he took another sip of his bourbon.
He offered an apologetic glance as Julia shot him a disappointed glance. “Sorry. Take your time.”
Kyle’s features pinched as he centered his gaze on Julia’s kind features. Grant narrowed his eyes at his son. He’d use anything to try to get her sympathy. And with his new role in their plot to bring DG Industries to its knees, he had plenty of opportunities.
He imagined him slipping into her office at every chance to whine about how difficult this was on him and how hard he’d been working to help them. She’d offer him that sympathetic, caring glance–the one that could melt his heart, too–and Kyle would grab her hand, acting innocent and helpless.
The idea made anger burn inside him. If his son was using the crusade against Lydia to put the moves on Julia again, he’d wring his neck.
Julia led Kyle to a chair and eased him into it. “Why don’t you sit down, and I’ll get you a drink?”
Grant held back from rolling his eyes as he focused his gaze on his son across from him. Kyle was really putting an effort into his performance. He rubbed his palms along his thighs as he blew out a long, shaky breath.
“Grant, can I refill yours?” Julia asked as she handed a scotch off to Kyle.
“No, thanks. I’d just like to hear about this big problem we have.”
Julia perched on the edge of the chair next to Kyle as he sipped his drink.
He sucked in a breath, balancing the glass on his knee. “Thank you, Julia.”
Grant wasn’t certain he could take much more of this act. He was ready to lunge across the desk and choke the words out of Kyle before the man could twist the situation any more to gain Julia’s sympathy.
“You’re welcome. Now, what’s the problem? Is it something Lydia’s planning or something she’s asked you to do?”
He shook his head. “No, that’s the problem. She hasn’t asked me to do anything. And she hasn’t given me any insight into her plans lately.”
“That’s what you burst in here acting like someone killed your kitten to tell us?”
Kyle’s jaw flexed as he snapped his icy blue eyes up to Grant’s face, his lips tugged into a thin line. “Oh, I’m sorry that’s not concerning for you, Dad.”
“Well, I think you’re being a little dramatic here, Kyle. Though I think I know why.”
Kyle’s eyes narrowed as his fingers curled into fists. “Really? Something you want to accuse me of?”
“No,” Julia said with a shake of her head, her eyes flicking back and forth between the two of them.
“Oh, I think there is. Go ahead and say it, Dad. Tell us what’s on your mind.”
Grant’s voice was terse, clipped with irritation. He waved a hand in the air, trying to sweep the matter away. The last thing he wanted was to be goaded into an argument by Kyle where he could easily be painted as the bad guy. “Forget it. I’m just frustrated. Lydia’s games are wearing thin on all of us.”
“Well, now I don’t want to forget it. I want to know what you think my reasoning is for being ‘dramatic.’”
“Oh, come on, Kyle, let it go,” Grant shot back.
“Why don’t we just move on? Did something else happen? You did seem really upset when you came in.”
“I am really upset,” Kyle answered, running a hand through his hair as his leg bobbed up and down. “I’m getting nowhere.”
“Okay, well, that’s…to be expected. We knew Lydia wasn’t going to just give you all her plans, right?”
Grant eyed his wife as she laid a consoling hand on his son’s shoulder. He hated every second of how he sucked sympathy from her.
“No, but…”
Julia leaned forward, tilting her head to catch his eye as she kept her features soft. “But?”
