Liam glanced up. It took another few seconds for his eyes to clear and for him to focus on her. “I compiled everything when the business got the subpoena. I wasn’t going to hold anything back, no matter how much Baines begged.”

Now she’d made him defensive. The exact opposite of what she wanted. But . . . “Did he?”

“Of course.” Liam poured another cup of coffee for both of them as some of the tension drained from him. “He had this very elaborate, very convoluted argument about how financially screwing you would ultimately help Kennedy.”

“That sounds like your brother.” He’d been determined to make her pay, either through the bank balance or through Kennedy.

“He was named after our grandfather. They shared the same ‘do whatever works’ attitude.” Liam saluted with his cup as some of his general lightness returned. “Word is my grandmother hit him with a shovel.”

She thought she’d heard every family story, but she’d missed this one. “I thought your grandfather died when he fell into a well.”

“Wouldn’t you fall if someone hit you with a shovel?” Liam smiled at her over the rim of his mug. “But the document subpoena became moot because Baines suddenly agreed to a divorce settlement.”

“You gave him a brotherly ‘get your head out of your ass’ speech, and I thank you for that.” She returned the mug salute.

“His attitude changed right before the settlement.” Liam’s expression morphed from open and friendly to unreadable. “I stayed out of his way because I thought he was pissed about my constant ‘she’s your daughter’s mom’ lectures. But then he announced a surprise settlement offer, and I wondered if you had leverage.”

“Like what?” She had a hard time keeping up with Liam’s changing mood. He shifted from joking to serious to somewhere in between over the span of ten minutes. She depended on him to be solid. Not being able to trust his mood left her feeling unmoored. And she hated this topic.

“It must have been something you did or said.” He sounded so sure. “Want to fess up?”

He wasn’t wrong. She knew why. Of course she knew. “It was nothing. You know how marriage is. People collect slights. They remember harsh words and bad behavior. You end up compiling these secrets without even realizing you’re doing it, then an unexpected divorce gives you a way to weaponize and unload them.”

“I was married and never did any of that.”

Because he didn’t suck like his brother. “Right, well, you had two nice marriages with two nice women, followed by two very civil divorces. No fighting or yelling. You handed over cash and property without balking or unleashing war.” The ease with which he exited a committed relationship always fascinated her. He should give classes to other men. “Your lack of anger was . . . unusual.”