Page 29 of Damaged King

“He seems like a really nice guy. Your dad, that is,” I said, hoping to break the tension.

“Too nice, which doesn’t make for a great businessman.”

There was certainly history in that statement, considering his tone.

“My mom is just the opposite. She’s pretty cutthroat.”

“Yeah?” he said, with faint amusement. “What does she do?”

“Mom is all about the numbers. She’s an accountant. That’s how she and my dad met.”

I closed my lips quickly, not wanting to admit to the affair that transpired creating me. To Mom’s credit, she hadn’t known he was married, which seemed impossible. But she didn’t follow the society page headlines.

“My mom is all about the numbers too. She’s what some would call a ‘gold digger.’ That’s how she met my dad.”

I tried not to laugh, but his deadpan statement warranted it. I covered my mouth to hide it.

“It’s okay. It is what it is. She’s happy, I guess,” he said.

“You don’t talk to her?”

His jaw flexed again. I’d put my nose in his business. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that.”

“Like I said, she’s all about number one and that’s not me. It was a clean break. She got what she wanted, a rich husband and sons to replace me.”

It hit me how callous I’d been as I remembered what the shopkeeper had said. I wanted to ask about why he didn’t bring clients to town and if it had something to do with his mom. But I managed not to.

“Her loss,” I said instead.

We were quiet then. I could have told him my life story, but I didn’t want it to come off as if I was trying to one-up him. We both had shitty family situations. At the same time, we had someone in our corner.

Mine was my grandmother. I did believe my mother loved me, but in the back of my mind, I wondered if I was just a bad reminder of heartbreak for her. She always seemed happiest when I wasn’t around.

The problem was, after Grant laid himself bare, I had to see him not as some heartless hero. If I looked back over our time together, he came off as arrogant true enough, but he was also my savior. I wouldn’t almost be to Manhattan if not for him.

I hadn’t realized I’d fallen asleep until he whispered my name in my ear. I opened my eyes and realized that wasn’t quite true. He was sitting straight in his seat and saying my name.

“We’re here.”

I glanced around and noticed the hospital doors. It had been a good thing that I’d told him that somewhere before I dozed off.

“How much do I owe you?” I asked, reaching for my purse.

His hand came up to stop me. “It’s fine. I had to come to New York as well, remember.”

“No way, I owe you for the room and gas… and food.”

“Don’t worry about it. And you have to go. The cops are waving me to keep it moving.”

I glanced up and noticed the uniformed officer, which seemed weird. Police doing traffic duty at a hospital. He handed me my bag.

“Thanks,” I said. “I will pay you back.”

I got out of the car, hesitating for a second. I wanted to ask him for his number and not so we could go out possibly. Okay, that was a total lie. Grant had grown on me. Then there were his eyes holding mine, like he felt the spark too.

“You should go, Highness, or…”

Damn him and his smirk. What the heck did theormean? I found myself grinning even after he’d used the hateful nickname.