Page 79 of Filthy Rich Ex's Brothers

“Oh—wow,” Ryan laughs, instantly turning his charm up to eleven, clasping his free hand over the top of Lillie’s. “Pleasure to meet you. Where are you working? In the city?”

And just like that, the two of them are off, discussing the best restaurants and working your way up in the culinary scene.

“Well, Georgia, this is Travis and Graham.” I laugh nervously. “Georgia is my other roommate and friend. She’s in med school.”

“Nice to meet you.” Georgia’s voice is crisp, like she’s my mother here to assess the guys. Looking around her, she says, “This is a lovely home. Was it bought with blood money?”

Travis chokes, and Graham lets out a hearty chuckle, shooting a look in my direction that says,I like her.

Ryan sets out a charcuterie board and vegetables with a yummy homemade ranch dip, then disappears into the kitchen. Lillie goes with him, the two chatting the whole way. Travis starts to make cocktails when there’s another knock at the front door.

This time, it’s Grayson and Sid walking in, a sheen of sweat over their faces from the long drive in Lillie’s AC-less mini-van. I hug them, finding their bodies just as tacky, their shirts damp.

“Was it worth it?” Georgia asks, raising a single eyebrow at them.

Sid cuts a look first to Travis in the corner, making drinks, then to Graham, “Guess we’ll find out.”

I make more introductions, more nervous now that Sid is eyeing the guys up, appearing to make his own conclusions about their motivations. Travis wins Grayson over with the martini he makes him, while Graham and Grayson start chatting about the park.

“No, for real, I used to go up there with the family every summer,” Grayson says, taking another sip of his drink. “It’s cool as fuck that you’re trying to protect the place. Hate to see it covered with a Walmart or something.”

Graham goes pale, as though the thought of what,specifically,could happen to the park never crossed his mind.

“Stop it,” Travis jokes, leaning back in his chair, uncharacteristically relaxed. “You’re scaring him.”

“Is that a SpongeBob reference?” Sid asks, pulling his head back in surprise.

Travis laughs, “And if I said it was?”

Sid shoots me a look that I can’t decipher. I’m pretty sure Travis wasnotreferencing a kids’ show, but leave it to the master negotiator to make Sid think he was.

Lillie and Ryan reappear with dinner. It’s pesto pasta, rich and zesty, topped with butterflied, perfectly grilled chicken. Wine appears on the table, along with bread, olive oil, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

The dining room has windows on three sides. Outside, to one side, is a balcony with a grill and table, and on the other is a water feature that runs along the back of the house. Beyond that is a sprawling view of the New York countryside. If you squint, you can even make out cows dotting the fields in the distance.

For a moment, we’re all just eating, enjoying the meal and the company.

Grayson brings up the Cubs, which pulls Ryan and Graham into a conversation about baseball I can’t follow. Travis asks Georgia about med school and mentions that he’d thought about becoming a doctor, too.

“Why didn’t you?” Georgia asks, raising an eyebrow at him over her wine glass. I watch anxiously as Travis considers the question, turning his own cocktail in his hands slowly.

“That’s a good question,” he finally says, then, “I think, when you grow up the way I did, it can be complicated to figure out your own path amidst all the external expectations. And deep down, I think my reasons for wanting to go into medicine were too selfish.”

Georgia is quiet, then she says, “I get that. The thing about pressures.”

“So, you don’t think you would have made a good doctor?” Sid asks.

“I think I would have been good at medicine,” Travis laughs, shaking his head a little. Piercing me with his brown eyes, he says, “I think those who know me best would agree I’m a little too abrasive to make a good doctor.”

Without warning, an image rushes to mind—him between my legs in the hotel room, the furniture rocking against the wall. Travis telling me to yell his name.

“I wouldn’t sayabrasive,” I murmur before taking a sip of my wine as the others laugh. The conversation jumps from place to place—interest in Ryan’s upcoming project, the photos I took out at the grotto, our time in Italy, a brief discussion of Alex—in which Travis assures us quickly that everything is taken care of.

Lillie jumps to help Ryan bring out dessert, and then we’re enjoying a fluffy mousse topped with bright, luscious berries.

After dessert, we retire to what Travis calls the “smoking room.” At some point, the record player is moved in here, and Ryan picks out an old Fleetwood Mac album, which adds a whole new vibe to the night.

Grayson, Sid, and Graham play pool. Lillie curls onto the sofa and falls asleep. Georgia sits next to her and networks with Ryan on her behalf, saying her current job is shit, and if he can connect her with something better, it would be great.