Chapter 4
Grant
Grant barely registered the drive through the suburbs and small towns to the Holbrook estate in New Cardiff.
He got impressions of historic, well-kept, ornate buildings and elaborate estates, their lights distant through the carefully manicured landscapes and trees.
As they sped past one burned-out old mansion, he got a brief whiff of smoke, but he was too tired to wonder about it. Gus was energetic and upbeat, and he bounced from Grant’s lap to Kate’s to look out the windows and bark at the lights as they passed.
Finally, the car pulled up to a tall black gate. The security guard buzzed it open, and they went up a long, winding driveway lined by huge trees.
Grant whistled as they approached the house. Actually, it was more than a house—it was a mansion. The three-story stone building had a tall peaked roofline punctuated by dormers.
The car pulled up to the front of the house. Perfectly manicured bushes edged the walkway and stairs up to the arched arcade marking the front door. Grant was too in awe to feel out of place. Gus bounced around him in excitement at all the new smells. Grant opened the door, and the dog burst out and graced one of the bushes with his presence. In the distance, Grant saw other outbuildings. Perhaps a detached garage? What else would someone have on their land?
“This is a twenty-acre estate,” Kate informed him. “It’s large for this area. There is a pool, tennis courts, and a climate-controlled garage for Mr. Holbrook’s antique car collection, plus another garage for everyday cars. There is also a stable for three horses. Tomorrow, I’ll give you a full tour of the grounds. It’s a really beautiful property. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted—he’s the famous landscape architect who designed Central Park.”
“Oh” was all Grant could say. He was still a bit in shock from all the wealth.
The feeling of being overwhelmed intensified when the butler ushered them through the largest front door Grant had seen outside of the military—and it was much nicer than any of those doors.
The foyer was a creamy white with large beams on the ceilings, arched doorways leading to various rooms and hallways, and rich, dark wooden floors. An ornate blown-glass chandelier hung from the ceiling. On the wall was a large portrait of a man Grant assumed was Walter Holbrook along with three young children, two girls and a boy. They were smiling broadly. They looked happy. Grant didn’t think he ever looked that happy with his adoptive parents. Feeling off-kilter, he picked up Gus. He did not want the puppy make a mess in the pristine house.
“Right this way, Mr. Holbrook.” The butler had a light Eastern European accent.
“Should I take off my boots?” he asked uncertainly.
“However you feel most comfortable,” the butler replied. Grant opted to tread carefully in his boots as he followed the butler up the sweeping staircase. The butler and Kate chitchatted as they walked through the enormous house. Grant struggled to follow their conversation and take in the opulent surroundings.
“Here we are,” the butler said as he opened a door to a tastefully decorated room. “This will be your suite, Mr. Holbrook.”
“It’s Grant Jones,” Grant corrected. “You can call me Grant.”
“As you wish.” The butler led him in. “Your bags will be brought up shortly.”
Grant looked around the enormous room.
“This is the sitting room,” the butler told him. “We can bring up a meal for you.” He pointed to the table. “There is a desk, outfitted with stationery, pens, stamps, and the like. Whatever you need, do not hesitate to let me know, and I will procure it for you.”
Grant nodded.
“This is the bedroom.” The butler opened a set of French doors that led to a room painted gray with a dark-charcoal accent wall. There was a huge bed in the center of the wall. It had a clean, masculine dark-metal frame. The butler led him through another set of double doors. “This is the closet. I wasn’t sure what your sizing was. These are some of Walter’s old clothes. We will take your measurements and have suits, shirts, and pants made for you shortly. Place any laundry you want cleaned in the hamper, and hang items for dry cleaning here.” He pointed.
“And through here is the bathroom.” The bathroom was almost the same size as the bedroom. There was a glass-enclosed shower and a separate tub. Across from a window was a huge vanity with a marble top. “Through that door, you reach the bedroom, and this one leads us back to the sitting room. If you would follow me.”
The suite was bigger than the garage apartment he had lived in with his adoptive parents when he was a child before they moved to the cinder-block house. He followed the butler back to the sitting room, where Kate waited.
“Will this room be okay?” she asked him.
“Yes,” he said, “it’s perfect.”
“Great!” She smiled brightly at him. He felt melty inside.
I need to just fuck her and get it out of my system, he thought then immediately chastised himself.
“I’ll leave you to rest,” she said. “Tomorrow, I’ll join you for breakfast and take you through the grounds and New Cardiff Township. It will be fun!”
After she left, the butler told him, “I’ll have some light supper brought up for you.”
“Thank you,” Grant said. “What’s your name?”
“Stefan.”
“Thank you, Stefan.”
“My pleasure,” Stefan replied as he left the suite.
Grant took a long, hot shower. He wasn’t sure what to do about Gus, so he stuck him in the tub and hoped that he didn’t make a mess. When he went into the sitting room, there was sliced steak, broiled vegetables, some sort of pasta, and a salad waiting for him. There was also a small plate of cheese and fruit. On a wooden platform were two bowls, one with water and one with small cut-up bits of chicken and broccoli for Gus. The pup raced over to it and devoured the meal. Grant fed him small pieces of his own meal since Gus looked as if he was still hungry.
His bags had also been brought up, but Grant didn’t bother to unpack. “We’re only staying a day, maybe two,” he said to Gus. “Just until I figure out what my biological father wants and how much he’s willing to pay me to go away. I bet there’s some sort of contract for me to keep my mouth shut.” The puppy started wandering around the room anxiously.
“I bet you need to go out,” Grant said. He found a coat in the closet and shoved his boots back on. His uniform had been taken away to be cleaned, he supposed.
He tucked the dog under his arm and went outside then set Gus down on the perfectly manicured lawn.
“Hello there,” said a female voice.
“Kate,” Grant said, turning to look at her.
She smiled at him.
“Thanks for everything,” he said to her.
“Are you settling in?” she asked. She was wearing some sort of asymmetrical coat. She looked so elegant standing there in the soft light from the windows. She had changed out of her heels and was wearing thin canvas sneakers. Just seeing her delicate ankles in those shoes as she shifted her balance was making Grant crazier than a repressed nineteenth-century professor.
“Do you live here?” he asked.
“I live with my grandmother on the next property over,” she told him.
“I see.”
Grant was feeling warm from the shower and the meal, and Kate was looking up at him, her hazel eyes almost green in the light. He reached out and ran his hands down the side of the coat. It was soft, and the calluses on his hands caught on the delicate threads.
“What are you doing?” Kate said with a breathy laugh.
Grant pulled her close to him and kissed her. She didn’t struggle, just melted into his arms, so he kissed her harder and let his tongue slide into her mouth. He came up for a breath then kissed her neck while he slid one hand up her thigh, under her dress.
Kate’s brain seemed to catch up to what her body was doing. She pushed his hands off and stepped back from him. Her face was flushed.
“Sorry,” Grant said, not meaning it.
“I have to go,” she told him, then she turned and practically ran off. Grant let out a long stream of curse words, dropping into a nearby chair.
What were you thinking? he scolded himself. Get your head on straight. You can’t sleep with your father’s assistant. In his desire for Kate, he wasn’t watching for Gus, and now the dog was missing. He cursed again and took out his phone to use as a flashlight and poked around the landscape, looking for the adventurous corgi.