Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
“Makayla, do you want to stop by the spa and see what their appointment options are?” Melanie asks diplomatically.
“I would like that, yes,” Makayla answers.
“It was nice seeing you guys,” Melanie says, getting to her feet.
That dress is supposed to be a showstopper. I’d be surprised if she thought it would actually work on us after what happened. There are things that cannot be wiped away with a revealing dress and naughty stilettos.
“I’ll see you back at the suite,” Makayla says, joining her rival. There’s no way to warn her—nothing more than a friendly goodbye—as the women exit.
I look at my brothers, despair clawing at my chest.
“What the hell is she doing here?” Alex demands.
“I don’t know,” I respond. “The worst part is that Kay is picking up on something.”
“Yes, I figured that’s why she went with Melanie in the first place…” Kellan remarks.
“How can we tell Kay without putting ourselves at legal risk?” I wonder. “Worth talking to our lawyers about this…”
Alex runs a hand through his hair, closing his eyes for a moment. I can almost hear him breathing. “I’ll reach out in the morning and see what they have to say about it. I’m pretty sure there was a no-contact clause in there.”
“Which is kind of moot since she’s Callie’s sister,” I reply.
“We can’t prove it was intentional, either. Melanie could say that she didn’t know we’d be here,” Kellan says. “This whole thing is a clusterfuck. And she’s up to something. I know it!”
“Whatever it is, we need to make sure she doesn’t get it,” Alex says. “Most importantly, we need to figure out how we’re going to loop Kay in without giving away non-disclosure-bound details. There’s no telling how Kay will react. We have no control over her.”
“Nor should we,” I sigh deeply.
“If Melanie gets to Makayla first, we might have to divulge everything,” Kellan insists. “We need to get ahead of this.”
I shake my head. “If we were to keep Kay from leaving with Melanie, you know that would’ve opened the gates for precisely what we’re trying to avoid.”
“I’m trying to understand what it is that Melanie wants. It’s been a few years, now. I thought it was well and far behind us,” Alex says. “I thought we’d only see her once in a blue moon, and that’s it. I certainly didn’t expect to bump into her HERE.”
“She could create much bigger problems than simply poisoning Makayla’s opinion of us,” I admit. “She could screw the NDA altogether and go public, just to stir shit up.”
“Didn’t she just make junior partner at her firm?” Kellan surmises. “Would it even be in her best interest?”
“People like Melanie are both inconsequential and terrifyingly unpredictable,” Alex says. “There’s no telling what she is capable of.”
“Dammit!” I snap, slamming my fist against the table. “You’re right. We need to go back to the legal agreement and see what can be done. Maybe get the police involved.”
“It was the police who suggested we settle in court because they didn’t find enough proof of her deception,” Kellan reminds me.
“We get a new detective to reopen the case. Fresh eyes, man, someone hungry enough for recognition that they might want to take it up,” Alex says.
“Another option would be to try to talk to Melanie in private and remind her that her sister might be affected by whatever she’s got planned,” Kellan suggests. “Maybe she’ll leave before our trip here is over. I want to believe that Melanie still has some redeeming qualities and that she cares enough about Callie to back off.”
“Our options come with considerable risks, no matter how we look at it,” I conclude.
“So what can we do?” Alex asks.
“We need to keep Makayla and Melanie apart,” I say. “Get her back up to our suite sooner rather than later, for starters.”
“This is so wrong… We’re keeping our relationship a secret from Bryan, we’re keeping Bryan’s proposal a secret from Callie and now we’re keeping our past from Makayla. That’s too many secrets,” Kellan replies.
All we can do is trust that Makayla is able to figure things out on her own, that she is able to see through any lies and half-truths that Melanie might want to spin about us. I would hate to lose her after just getting her back, yet I cannot force anything, either.
I’ll do my part and pray the pieces land where they should.
20
MAKAYLA
“What about this one?”
I point to a spa package that promises a hot-stone massage and a mud facial.
“If you like that sort of thing,” Melanie says, her tone flat, unimpressed by the spa’s entire menu. “I’m more interested in knowing how things are going with the Anderson triplets.”
“Fine,” I mutter, not wanting to get into it. My hackles rise every time their name rolls off her tongue. “Like I said, we go way back.”