This was weird. Really weird. After Gray’s bitter words about not being able to find anyone even though he wanted to settle down, Aaron fully expected that this woman would be in it for the money. People didn’t up and get engaged when they weren’t even dating someone a week ago.

And as much of a phony as Gray was, he wasn’t good enough of an actor to feign jealousy and desperation. His acting was the kind that made him seem more pleasant than he actually was. That day in the restaurant had been one of the rare moments were his real feelings slipped out for a moment.

Aaron had figured this entire thing was a farce and that Gray was desperate so he settled for the first person who came along. It wouldn’t be the first time that someone had offered money to have the kind of relationship they wanted.

But Mandy Applegate didn’t give off the aura of a kept woman. For one, she had completely transformed this formerly barren space into a family home. There were even pictures of the two of them all over the walls.

It didn’t make a lick of sense how all of those could have been taken in such a short period of time. Especially the one in front of the Sydney Opera House. Gray would have had to leave the day after having dinner with Aaron and only been there for a day or two, which would not be worth it considering it took an entire day to fly there.  

He supposed it was feasible, if not likely, but why would his brother randomly go to Australia? Had he met this woman there? She didn’t have an Australian accent though.

Trying to think too much about that made his head hurt so Aaron stopped trying after a while and attempted to focus on what everyone else was saying. The group had made their way to the table as Mandy moved all of the food over to the center of it.

That was another thing. She was fully engaged in hostess mode and smiled frequently and naturally. She was perfectly at ease around Gray, as if she had known him forever. He wasn’t exactly the type of person that screamed ‘trust me’ so how had he managed to inspire that level of trust in only a week?

Who was he kidding? Aaron couldn’t focus at all. Seeing that woman smile so freely at a man who didn’t have a genuine bone in his body was oddly irritating.

Did she have any idea what she was getting into? Did she have a death wish deciding to mess with a man who could kill her in the blink of an eye with no remorse? Or was she a victim of Gray’s lies?

Aaron spent most of the dinner hardly tasting the food, trying to decide whether Mandy was incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. After much thought, he decided there were only three things she could be.

A naïve woman who had fallen in love at first sight and gotten swept away, a cunning con woman who was acting like she loved Gray to get his money, or someone as messed up as he was who had become his partner in crime. Aaron wasn’t sure which one it was. Or which would be ultimately worse to deal with.

“This prime rib is fantastic, Mandy,” Keeley complimented between bites. “Where did you learn to cook?”

“Oh, I picked it up here and there,” she replied airily with a wave of her hand.

Gray smiled more genuinely than Aaron had ever seen before. “Isn’t she wonderful?”

He didn’t even bother to try and disguise the admiration in his eyes. That was a first. Had the infamous former playboy Graydon Meyer actually fallen in love so quickly? It would explain why he had moved so fast…if he met someone he actually cared about, he wouldn’t want them to get away.

That still didn’t account for why Mandy was here. Which of the three options was it? Love-struck lamb, con artist, or evil genius?

It occurred to Aaron that the first option would be bad for Mandy, the second would be bad for Gray, and the third would be bad for his family. Keeley’s worry about her being a bad influence might not be so far off.

“When did you two meet?” Aaron asked because none of this made sense.

Mandy batted her eyelashes at her fiancé. “Sometimes it seems like it’s been forever, sometimes it feels like it’s only been a few days, doesn’t it?”

Gray nodded and Aaron’s frustration grew. That wasn’t a real answer. He was beginning to think this woman was toying with him on purpose, which would place her firmly in category three. The most dangerous one.

The conversation moved to Mandy’s career, interests, and family. She said she wasn’t working at the moment but that she loved to try new things and had a daughter with a family of her own living nearby. Not a lot of information to work with.

Not having a job pointed more towards category two but Aaron conceded that Gray seemed invested enough in this woman to pay for her needs regardless of which type she fell under. The more she said, the less he knew.

Aaron hadn’t thought he would care what Gray was doing with his life but he had to admit that this threw a wrench into his beliefs. If he was happy with this strange woman, good for him, but if she had more sinister motives…

He kept an eye on her throughout the rest of dinner and dessert, barely remembering to participate in the conversation when Keeley prompted him with her eyes. He hated to admit it but he was rattled. It had been a long time since anyone other than Gray had rattled him. Maybe he and Mandy were a match made in heaven after all.

As the Hales made to leave at the end of the dinner, Keeley promised to help with the wedding preparations any way she could. Aaron hadn’t realized that was what they were talking about now.

“Thank you,” Mandy said graciously. “I’d hate to bother Britt about this since she has a toddler at home. We want to keep things small since neither of us have much family left.”

“I completely understand; our wedding only consisted of about ten people. Give me a call when you need help. Gray has my number.”

Gray’s arm was around his fiancée’s waist as they waved goodbye. He looked happier and more content than Aaron had ever seen him. There had always been a certain greed behind his eyes as if he was never satisfied with what he had but it wasn’t there now.

Maybe she really would be good for him. Aaron was leaning toward option number one as the elevator doors closed. That is, until he heard hysterical male and female laughter behind the doors on the way down.

Laughter? Gray didn’t do things as human as laugh.

“They were messing with us the entire time!” he cried indignantly.

Keeley let out a tiny laugh herself. “Actually honey, I think they were messing with you.”

Aaron scowled. Mandy Applegate was definitely a category three. His only hope was that she didn’t suddenly decide she wanted revenge against the Hales. Gray had been a frightening enough opponent on his own in their first life. Who knows what horrors he could wreak upon them with a cunning woman whispering in his ear?