Page 42 of The Irresistible Distraction

The sauce on the side is unidentifiably creamy and splendid.

And the meat is . . . sublime.

After I’ve complimented the food (twice), Brody admits, “I had it delivered.”

I’m genuinely confused. “How?”

Brody stretches out his jaw in an exaggerated grimace as Vera starts laughing. “After realizing Lake Arrowhead has neither DoorDash nor Uber Eats⁠—”

“Not true. McDonald’s delivers,” I amend.

“And sometimes,” Sebastian chimes in, “KFC. Though it’s pretty soggy by the time it gets up the mountain.”

“Yes, well, upon realizing my dining options would be a tad more limited than I was used to⁠—”

I can’t help but interject. “Leftovers from Keep Calm and Toast On don’t cut it?”

He tilts his head, his face giving nothing away in a way that helps me realize (belatedly) that the overly dramatic expressions are a facade he adroitly maintains. Brody’s baseline poker face is . . . impressively inscrutable. “They’re very nice. Sans the spiders and with the knowledge that your meals come with a side of cookies, perhaps I wouldn’t have troubled my assistant.”

“You have a meal delivery service?” My tone is admittedly envious, because after coming home from the diner, where I fill in whenever Mario or Reuben are both away, and because I already spend spare time baking extra cookies to sell . . . not cooking is kind of the dream.

Vera and Brody exchange a look, and Vera starts chuckling. “Brody from Beverly Hills⁠—”

“Is that what you’ve been calling me?”

“My nephew from the bougie sections of down the mountain does not subscribe to a meal delivery service.”

Brody shrugs, back in charismatic chameleon mode. “It’s not nice to wealth shame, my people, but what my aunt from Arrowhead⁠—”

“That’s never going to stick.”

His large blue-green eyes are twinkling as his grin widens. “It’s a working title. What Vera means is that normally, because I’m not the world’s most adept cook⁠—”

“Burnt boiled eggs.”

“Once, allegedly.” Sebastian laughs, and Brody deepens his voice, narrowing his eyes. “Even if my mother texted you, digital evidence is notoriously difficult to authenticate and unlikely to be accepted via legal exception given it’s hearsay, meaning it’s basically inadmissible.” Brody winks at me, as if he knows watching him in lawyer mode is vaguely sexy, because competence always is. “What I will admit is that yes, I employ a housekeeper who is technically a trained chef.”

Sebastian and I are both looking at Brody, our mouths hanging a little open, because that’s how different our lifestyles are.

Different leagues, I mouth to Vera.

“Same eggs,” Vera replies, not bothering to whisper.

“Didn’t you get fired or something?” Thankfully, Sebastian asks the question I’ve been thinking. “Sorry, I overheard you and your aunt talking earlier today.” He pulls his leg away and glares at me. “They weren’t being quiet, which means it wasn’t a secret and you don’t have to kick me.”

“I tapped your leg, very lightly, as a reminder to be polite.”

Brody’s chuckle is wry, his tone amused. “It’s fine. Technically, what I told Vera is that I’ve been disinherited. The firm can’t fire partners without significant cause. Even if he stays angry, there will still be an exit package to negotiate. So, for now, disinherited, working very, very part-time while technically on sabbatical and thinking through life.”

Vera gives a small humph. “I’m sure your father is hoping you’ll be so bored you’ll go crawling back.”

Brody lifts both shoulders but doesn’t otherwise reply. He’s leaning back a little, the picture of relaxation.

I try to keep my voice as neutral as possible as I serve myself another portion of the most tender pot roast I’ve ever had. “You seem very casual about what sounds like major life changes.”

Mentally, I’m reclassifying him as Sexy Unemployed Tourist and am wondering how long it is before he runs out of savings, given how he’s mentioned employing both an assistant and a housekeeper/chef.

“Considering this is the fifth time my father has disowned or disinherited me and knowing how tricky it would be to transfer some of our more important clients, they can’t afford to not keep me on, at least part-time. Thus, I see no real reason to stress.”