Merry Misunderstandings

Grayson Blackwood

Vivienne POV

“Vivienne, how nice of you to finally show up,” her father said with a clipped tone.

“Father, mother, Victor,” Vivienne greeted her parents and older—perfect—brother. Well, perfect in her parents' eyes at least. Vivienne knew better.

"Yes, dear sister, how nice of you to finally grace us with your presence,” her brother drawled. He was one year her senior, and the most annoying ass she’d ever met. Other than Grayson Blackwood, that was.

“Yes Vivienne, do sit down and explain to us how you managed to screw up your relationship with Derek Caldwell’s son?” a pang of sadness struck Vivienne in the gut. It seemed as though being with someone important was the only good thing she could do, according to her mother. But then again, she was used to it.

“Well, if you must know, he was cheating on me with the CEO’s daughter.” Vivienne said, her cheeks heating with embarrassment.

Her brother snorted from across the table, sharing an amused look with her father.

“Well, you must’ve not been taking care of him properly then,” her mother said, taking a sip of her cocktail.

Vivienne's hands clenched to fists under the table. Of course, this would be her fault.

“Now, why don’t we order so we can discuss this whole inheritance matter,” her father said, his voice clipped as he passed the menu toward her. “I’m sure you’ve seen the contract, but let’s talk through it. You know, to be sure.” He sounded annoyed, but Vivienne kind of understood, he’d been eyeing her grandfather’s B&B empire for years. For her brother’s benefit, of course.

“Yes, really, it’s preposterous. You’re not a businesswoman,” her brother snorted again.

“I could be if I wanted to,” Vivienne righted her back a little more. Yes, she was smart and a hard worker. She could make it work.

“Right, sure, sister. You could be a rocket scientist as well,” her brother said in a degrading voice.

“Lily,” Vivienne coughed in her hand, causing her brother to instantly pale. Yes, that’s right. Vivienne knew something extremely incriminating about him—something the press back in San Francisco and New York would feast on, especially now that he was engaged to Serena Vanderbilt. Victor had a son out of wedlock. A little boy named Conner with a woman named Lily. She didn’t come from money, so her parents would never approve.

When Victor found out she was pregnant, he dumped her without looking back. Vivienne had been supporting them financially since then. They’d become great friends—she was even Connor’s Godmother.

“Yes, Victor is right. Vivienne, it’s ridiculous that father thought of you. You don’t even have a business bone in your body.” Her father said, taking a bite of his stake, while Vivienne rolled pasta around her fork, ignoring her mother’s disapproving looks. She’d made a nice comment about her looking a bit plump before.

“I think I could make it work, don’t you agree, Victor?” She said, as her lips curled into a smirk.

“Yes,” her parents' heads snapped towards her brother, who shrugged, “ I mean, Vivienne is a smart woman, she might be able to do it.”

“See, Victor believes in me,” Vivienne smiled.

“Where is grandad anyway?” Vivienne asked, wondering why her parents were here instead of him.

“Grandfather had to take care of a few things back at one of the B&B’s in Canada,” her father said curtly, not bothering to explain further.

“Okay, so the contract clearly states that you’ll inherit the whole Woodland Manor empire if, and only if you can make the Cedar Hollow B&B profitable and—whole—again.” Her father’s lips tugged up into a smile. He clearly thought she couldn’t do it.

“If you fail, the empire will go to your brother.”

“Yep, I read that part,” Vivienne nodded, her stomach twisting. She wished the dinner would be over soon. Suddenly, her gaze drifted to the bar, where the man she had met outside earlier was walking toward it. He greeted the bartender with a smile, then slid into a barstool, peeling off his jacket and scarf.

She might go over there when her family left and flirt a little more.

“Great, Blackwell’s here,” her brother muttered, rolling his eyes. Vivienne turned, scanning the room. Was he talking about Jack?

“Where?” she asked, still confused.

“Over there,” her brother jerked his head. Vivienne followed his gaze and froze when Grayson turned around. Her stomach plummeted.

It was Grayson Blackwood? She'd been flirting with Grayson Blackwood?!

He caught her eye. Recognition flared across his face, quickly replaced by that cocky smirk she had once tried so hard to forget.

He stood and seemed to be walking toward their table.

“So, if you’re smart, Vivienne, you’d just hand over the B&B now. There’s no way you could make it profitable again.” Her father taunted, his voice biting. Her mother seized the moment, diving in with her usual critique.

“You know, Vivienne, you’re getting to a certain age. You’ll only be coveted for so long. It’s time you started thinking about settling down and having children. I heard Charles Ashford’s son Henry is newly divorced—sure, there are rumors about him cheating and having a drinking problem, but—”

Vivienne wasn’t hearing any of it.

All she could think was don’t come over here. Don’t come over here.

Her mother’s words faded into the background. Grayson, still moving toward their table, was already too close.

“Only a Wood would make their daughter feel like they weren’t worth more than an alcoholic divorcee,” Grayson cut in, his silky smooth voice washing over her like a wave.

“I don’t need you to defend my daughter, Blackwood! You’ve clearly forgotten your place!” Her father spat, his face turning red. Vivienne looked up at Grayson’s smirking face. A mixture of relief and embarrassment flooded her.

“Thank you, Grayson, but I don’t need you to talk for me,” She cut in, before this thing got out of hand. It wasn’t how she wanted the staff to get to know her.

Luckily, dinner was over not long after that. She should be grateful for Grayson’s intervention. Her mother had acted distraught after his blunt words, acting as if she would never put one child above the other, but they all knew the truth.

After her parents left, Vivienne approached the bar, needing something strong to burn away her family’s harsh words.

Grayson casually slid into the seat next to hers, his smirk still in place. "Didn’t expect you to get all feisty with your family," he said, clearly enjoying the shift in power.

Vivienne looked down at her drink, avoiding his gaze. "I didn’t expect you to stick your nose in, either."

Grayson’s voice dropped to a low tone. "Oh, I just couldn’t help myself. After all, it’s been a while since we last... spoke."

Her heart skipped a beat, and she turned to stare at him. Did he really just bring that up?

"Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, but she couldn’t keep the anger out of her voice.

Grayson chuckled, leaning in a little. "Oh, come on. You remember that night, don’t you?"

Vivienne stiffened, her face flushing with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance. "I remember," she said, biting back the sharp words that threatened to spill out. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need some space."

She threw back her drink, the burn of the alcohol not quite enough to numb the tension between them. Grayson’s teasing grin lingered as she stood up, but Vivienne was already heading for the door, her mind racing.