Page 96 of Miss Understanding

“He as big of a prick as her roommate says he is?”

I sucked in a breath. “Nan.”

But she merely chuckled. Why did her memory have to be crystal clear just now? I could only imagine what Chloe must have told her when she’d visited while I’d been in Virginia.

Liam handled it with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “He can be, certainly.”

Oh, no. “He’s not that bad. It’s always an adjustment when you work for someone new. Now that I’ve gotten to know him better, we get along.”

“Does that mean you got rid of the list you kept of ways for him to suffer?”

Damn. Grandma went there. My gaze strayed warily to Liam’s face, but he was schooling his expression, casually taking a sip of wine.

“What types of things?” he asked as if he was amused by the idea instead of the one the list was about.

“It was harmless stuff,” I quickly explained. “And only at the beginning. I deleted it over a month ago. It was immature and—” I realized I was sounding way too defensive when my mother’s brow lifted.

Liam smiled tightly.

“Chloe only told me about a couple things. Funny stuff,” Nan said on a sigh. “She said he’s hot, too. Have to say it must be quite the law firm if all the lawyers are hot. They have a ‘bring your grandmother to work day’?”

I’d failed to warn Liam that my nan could be a bit pervy. I blamed all of the romance novels she read with her friends at the facility.

“I think that’s enough, Mother,” my mom said, giving us an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”

He waved her off. “No, no. It’s quite all right.”

But a half hour later when we got into his Range Rover, he was uncharacteristically quiet.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

He glanced over with a smile and took my hand across the console. “Yes. Sorry. Just lost in thought. Your family was amazing. I can see why you love spending time with your nan. She’s a kick.”

“She is indeed. She was very lucid tonight.”

“She especially loved giving you the knitted throw for your birthday.”

I was hit with a wave of affection for her. “She did. I cherish everything she’s ever made me.”

He squeezed my hand. “Thank you for introducing me to them.”

Deciding now was my opportunity to bring up what had been said, I went for it. “I want to apologize for what my grandmother heard about you as my boss. And about the list. Like I said, I already erased it. And I only vented to Chloe in the beginning about—”

“There’s no apology necessary. I understand.”

“I no longer feel the same, of course.”

His smile was strained. “It wasn’t as though I didn’t deserve what was said, Kendall.”

True. He’d been an asshole, but now that I understood him better, I realized his behavior had been a sort of armor to keep people from getting close to him. Now I wondered if hearing about the list was affecting him more than he was letting on.

He brought my hand up to his lips, kissing the knuckles. “Don’t give it another thought. On to better subjects, are you ready for your birthday surprise?”

I was relieved he seemed to be taking it in stride. “I’m always ready for a birthday surprise. Especially if some of it includes you naked.”

He chuckled, the tension leaving his face. “I think sex is a given, regardless of your birthday. And considering you’re a big fan of picking places other than the bed, I’ll make it ladies’ choice.”

Damn. The way his voice went low and sexy made my stomach flutter with anticipation. Our sex life definitely hadn’t diminished in any way. If anything, the more we got to know one another, the more I eagerly anticipated his touch. “I’m looking forward to the options.”