“Of course, your room is a trailer that has been adapted to accommodate your needs,” I continue. “It should be cozy as long as you can play nice with the goats I’ve got housed in there. Watch out for Nesta, she’s a horny one.”
That’swhat finally gets Gray to look at me. I suppress my smirk at his expense and push his sign in documents across the counter.
“Any questions about your stay, Mr. Smith?”
He shakes his head as though to clear it. Then a slow, soft smile spreads across his face. When he catches my eye, my stomach flips.
“I forgot my gun back in New York City. Can you take care of that for me?”
“Obviously,” I say with a shrug. “Complimentary shotguns are located under your bed. Let us know if you need more slugs. You’re welcome to shoot anything you’d like to eat and use your firearm as you see fit, with the only stipulations being that you can’t shoot another guest or use the piece to intimidate a minor into marriage. Sound good?”
Gray laughs at that, and I can’t help myself—I smile back at him.
“Well, shit,” Hunter says, pushing up from my couch to get back on his feet. “Molly finally found someone who thinks she’s funny.”
“I always thought your little sister was funny,” Gray argues, pulling his bag over to my counter. “I remember us telling a lot of jokes together at your expense.”
Hunter slaps his knees. “And that’s my cue to leave you two. I don’t care for Molly to guide you through every embarrassing event that’s happened in my life over the past two decades, and my lunch break is over soon, anyway.”
Hunter jabs a finger at Gray’s back and winks at me. “I’ll be back to harass you, Smith.”
“He means he’ll be back to get you drunk at my bar and use you as his wingman to hit on out-of-towners.” I raise an eyebrow and smirk.
My brother throws his hands up and heads for the exit. “I’m going, I’m going!”
I turn back to Gray as Hunter pushes through the door. A silly smile still hangs on his face, like his mouth hasn’t quite caught up with the fact that our gag about Little Haven has ended. Shit—I forgot his smile was lopsided, and that his eyes crinkle tight around the corners like that. I swallow hard and look down at my paperwork, shuffling it into a neat stack before sliding it across the counter.
“So, um, your sister says you’ll be staying for at least two weeks,” I say, careful to keep my voice controlled and my eyes fixed on the paperwork.
Gray sighs and runs a hand through the front of his hair. “That’s how long the suspension is for. Coach Gunderson didn’t want me in the state, much less the city, while Maxim is still hot about our run-in.”
I chuckle, remembering the footage I watched of Gray laying out the massive, sinewy basketball player with one thrust of his fist.
“Do I get to know what the fight was about?” I ask. “Did Maxim tell you that your fancy new haircut makes you look like Kris Jenner?”
His hand immediately goes back to the front of his hair. “Shit. Does it?”
I grin through the deep blush I know is staining my cheeks. It definitely doesnot. Gray Smith looks like Prince Eric fromThe Little Mermaidand Henry Cavill created the perfect test-tube baby, then sacrificed their own good looks to the Gods so their miracle child might live.
Gray places both palms down on my counter and rolls his neck, like he’s had entirely too much time to think over his response when asked about the infamous altercation. He sighs and shrugs.
“I’m regrouping and it’s coming along. I’m sure I’ll be—”
“Gray. You don’t have to bullshit me. You can just not tell me what happened.”
His eyes meet mine then, making my stomach do that strange flip. His dark brow furrows.
“Maxim was talking shit about one of the dancers. You know the Lady Liberty?”
I nod, my stomach tightening up into a heavy ball now. “Were you dating her or something?”
He shakes his head. “Honestly, I didn’t know her at all. But she’s got that red hair like my sister and she’s real young, and… And, well, Maxim doesn’t hold back when he’s talking shit. He said something truly vile about what he was going to do to her at the next party, and I don’t know what came over me.”
“You’re trying to tell me you just punched this famous MVP because you didn’t like how he was talking about a total stranger? Do you also want me to believe you cured cancer out in NYC?”
Even as I tease him, though, I think back to all those checks Lindsey told me about. Gray may not have come home to Little Haven in years, but he never forgot about his family. He made damn sure his little sister and his sick mother were taken care of.
“Are you going to banish the violent offender from your inn or what?” He asks.