For the Record (Record #3)(11)
Author: K.A. Linde

“What are you doing here?” Savannah asked in surprise. “Didn’t you fly out yesterday?”

“State of emergency and all that. Supreme court can wait for family business,” Clay said, sliding out the stool next to Liz and taking a seat.

“Clay,” Savannah warned.

“I can’t sit here?” he asked, already ignoring his sister. “Luisa, I’ll take the same.”

“Of course,” the cook said, her cheeks coloring under Clay’s gaze.

“Hey, Liz. It’s been a couple days since I’ve seen you.” He looked her up and down. “With this much clothes on.”

Liz coughed at the statement and glanced over at Savannah. Her eyes were wide and disapproving. “Really not necessary,” she mumbled.

“Clay, why do you have to do that?” Savannah asked.

“Do what?” he asked as if he had no clue. “Last time I saw her, she was in this tiny little dress.” His eyes followed the image still in his mind. “And then . . .”

“Really, that’s enough,” Liz snapped, giving him an equally disapproving stare. “That might as well have been a lifetime ago.”

“It was only Friday night,” he said with the same cocky smile and a shrug.

“Do you have to do this? Can’t you just be normal?” Savannah complained. “Especially after what Brady said. I would have thought that you’d learn. I guess getting thrown up against the wall like a rag doll by your older brother isn’t enough to teach you.”

Clay’s face hardened. Liz could only guess what had happened between Brady and Clay after Brady had found out. She didn’t see any visible bruises, so maybe there hadn’t been any violence. She was just glad that she had missed it.

“You always come to his defense, Savi.” He said the nickname like it was a slander.

“It’s easy to come to his defense. He doesn’t act like you.”

“There’s no one else like me,” he said with a wink in Liz’s direction.

“That’s the truth,” Savannah said.

Clay scooted his chair closer to Liz, completely ignoring his sister. “So,” he said, leaning into Liz.

“Yes?” She leaned backward.

“Steal anyone else’s phone lately?”

“Oh, honestly!” Liz cried. She stood up from her stool and looked down at him in frustration. She had brought his phone back, after all.

“Why don’t you two just calm down?” Clay suggested, biting into his sandwich. “Savi here just likes to pick on me because I’m not her favorite.”

“Pick on you?” Savannah asked incredulously. “I pick on you?”

“I guess it can’t be helped. You need someone to pick on because Brady is too perfect for that.”

“At least I’m not just jealous . . .”

“She loves me.” Clay pointed his thumb at Savannah.

“I do,” she grumbled. “Even when you’re an ass.”

“Have to live up to everyone’s expectations. Someone has to be in the shadow of the sun. How does it feel?” he asked, staring meaningfully at Liz.

Was he saying that he was stuck in Brady’s shadow or suggesting that . . . she was in Brady’s shadow? Liz didn’t have the energy for this. “Can’t you harass someone else? I’ve had a hard enough day as it is.”

“That’s not the only thing that’s hard,” he said with a chuckle to himself.

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Brady said, walking formidably into the room.

Chapter 5

COMMUNICATION

Brady looked incredible in a tailored three-piece black suit, crisp blue shirt, and burgundy silk tie with a herringbone pattern. His brown eyes were cold when they looked at his brother, but melted into warmth when they were turned on her. Liz felt so much of the anxiety of the day dropping off her shoulders in just that one glance. How was he able to do that?

Brady cleared the distance between them in an instant and his mouth dropped onto her lips. The kiss was brief but fierce, possessive, and demanding. Passion sparked between them, and Liz felt like she could have stayed frozen in that moment forever.

Too soon he broke away and Liz was left with a void in his absence. She was pretty sure he was the most addicting thing in the world. When they were together, she felt like everything that had gone wrong in her life recently was going to be all right. At least she had him at her side. That was what helped get her through. Brady fixed everything.

Clay cleared his throat loudly. “Y’all need to get a room or something?” Liz took another step back from Brady, not even realizing they had just been staring into each other’s eyes.

“No, and we don’t need any of your snide comments either,” Brady said, shooting Clay a meaningful look. “I don’t want to have the same discussion we had on Sunday.”

“We’re calling it a discussion now? Could have fooled me.” Clay leaned back on the island casually.

Savannah just huffed and swatted at him. “Can’t you behave?”

“Can’t you mind your own business?” he shot back.

“Savi,” Brady said softly. She turned her attention to her older brother and shrugged like he started it. The whole exchange made Liz giggle.

Brady pulled Liz closer and fixed Clay with a hard stare. Liz knew that they didn’t get along, but she hadn’t realized quite how much until she was in the same room with them. Most of the negativity had come from Clay in the past, but there was obvious heat on Brady’s end too.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in D.C.?” Brady asked flatly.

“Aren’t you?” Clay countered. “We had the same flight. You canceled yours. I thought it really must be dire to keep you in Chapel Hill two extra days.”

“Why do I feel like you have ulterior motives?”

“Does it always have to be ulterior motives?” Clay asked. “Can’t I just want to spend more time with my family?”

Savannah snorted. “No.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, sis.”

Liz shook her head.

“You manage to get through Yale Law School and get a job clerking for the Supreme Court, and yet you’re still a terrible liar,” Brady said.

“Sorry, I’m not a politician.”

Clay and Brady glared at each other. Liz suspected she would need a machete to cut through the tension.