Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Reid
With Grayson on one end, we hefted the final board onto the stack of wood loaded on the back of my truck. It was hot, sweaty work, especially on a warm day, but I relished it.
I needed some kind of outlet for the emotions that had been raging through me all morning. And considering punching Jacob in the face was more likely to end in me facing charges than it would him leaving town—not that I wasn’t willing to make that sacrifice to see the look on his face when I decked him—lifting heavy shit was probably the best choice.
At least for now.
“What else do I need?” I wiped the sweat off my brow with the back of my arm and looked at my brother. “Anything else on Avery’s list? Or can we move on to mine?”
“Yours?” My twin shook his head. “Shit, brother. I don’t think you can fit much more on there.”
“I’ll borrow the trailer. Let’s go.”
Grayson shook his head and turned to walk away. “Let’s take a water break. I didn’t sign up for a workout this morning.”
Reluctantly, I followed him into the air conditioning of the shop. “Why are you loading? Don’t you have employees for this?”
He tossed me a bottle of water and popped the top on his own before answering. “It’s the middle of the week. Most of my employees are still in school. Besides, I thought you might want to talk.” He gave me a look before tipping the bottle to his lips.
Talk? Fuck that. I wanted to fight. Just not with Grayson.
“Nope. Nothing to talk about.” I knew my brother. Just as well as he knew me. Which was why I knew it was fucking killing him not to ask all the questions that were no doubt on the tip of his tongue.
I also knew he wouldn’t say a damn thing until I gave him an opening.
Which was exactly why I took my water bottle and walked to the other end of the shop, where he kept the few cuts of specialty hardwoods that he brought in. A nice piece of oak caught my eye. I ran my hand over the smooth surface and immediately I knew exactly what I’d do with such a piece.
“Add this to my tab, Gray.”
“Which one? They’re both growing.” My brother shook his head, but he didn’t say no.
“Mine.” I rejoined him where he lounged in the shade. “And what do you mean, they’re both growing?” I had a tab with the shop, but I paid it regularly.
“Avery’s bill is getting bigger every day, man.” He tipped his bottle to his lips and finished it before crunching the plastic and tossing it into a recycling bin. “I’d be worried if it was anyone else. But…”
“She’s my wife.”
“She’s your wife,” he repeated, but I didn’t miss the question in his voice. “I am going to have to close it out at the end of the month, though. She said something about a payment from the estate coming in…”
He was obviously waiting for some kind of reassurance, so I swallowed my mouthful of water and pretended I knew what the hell he was talking about. “Right. That’s coming in as soon as everything is settled with the lawyers.”
Fucking Jacob.
This whole thing with her cousin wasn’t just holding up the ownership of the inn—it was also interfering with the finances. Shit. It wasn’t something I’d considered.
The asshole was putting everything in jeopardy. What I didn’t know, however—and was going to ask her about as soon as I got the chance—was why she hadn’t told me that so much of the project was financed on credit.
Which meant…if Jacob was successful in holding things up too much longer, Grayson was going to have to collect on the bill and… fuck.
Worse, if he was successful in proving that— no . I refused to let myself think anything of the sort. That wasn’t going to happen. Because Avery and I were—well, I still didn’t know what the fuck we were. But what I did know was that whatever it was, it was real.
There was nothing fake about?—
“Reid!” My brother clapped his hands in front of my face. “Did you hear anything I just said?”
I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Of course. You said you needed to collect on the?—”
“No. I was talking about the Sprout n’ Shout. Tilley Beckett was in here earlier with a poster advertising it. Looks like it’s some kind of festival focused around flowers, where people bring in plants and seeds and you can take what you...whatever. You guys are going to be there, right? It’ll be a good opportunity to grab some new perennials for the inn and maybe clear out some?—”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I’d made my best effort, but I had no fucking idea what my brother was going on about. “Plant, what? Perennials for the inn? Respectfully, what the hell are you talking about, Gray?”
My brother was a patient man, but I could see I’d just about exhausted whatever reserves he might have. “You and Avery. We’ll see you there, right? It’ll be a good time to?—”
“Right. Grab some plants for the inn and fill out the gardens,” I finished for him, my brain finally catching up with the conversation. “I was listening.”
I didn’t miss the way he rolled his eyes. It would also be a good time for the two of us to put in another public appearance and hopefully shut Jacob up once and for all.
“Tilley mentioned that you and that beautiful wife of yours are the talk of the town.”
Fuck. Of course we were.
Maybe not the whole town. But there was no doubt our names were on Tilley Beckett’s tongue, that was for sure. In a way, I sort of brought it on myself by practically proposing in front of her, but that couldn’t be helped now. “Well, maybe we should skip this thing then. I don’t know if I need to subject Avery to any more public scrutiny.”
Grayson shook his head and scratched at his chin. I could tell he was working hard to keep an opinion to himself.
“What?”
“I didn’t say a word.” He raised his eyebrows.
“You didn’t have to.”
“You want to know what I think?”
“No,” I answered honestly. “I really don’t. But I also don’t think you’re going to be able to keep it to yourself. So go ahead.”
Grayson frowned and shook his head. But after a moment, he started talking, just like I knew he would. “I think that’s exactly why you should both be there.”
“To expose Avery to more scrutiny?”
“Yes.”
My fingers twitched. If he wasn’t my twin—and he didn’t have a good point—I’d knock him out right now.
Reading my mind, he chuckled. “I’m not going to pretend to know what exactly you’re up to, Reid. But I know you well enough to know it’s something. And no.” He held up a hand. “I’m not asking you to come clean. I figure if you’re going to these lengths to keep it quiet, it’s important. So, I’m not going to ask. But I will give you my opinion. Whether you want it or not. And that opinion is that if you want people to think you’re the happily married couple that you obviously are”—a growl rumbled inside me, but again, he held up his hand and continued—“people need to see it for themselves,” he finished.
“We were just at the wedding.”
“You were.” He nodded. “And everyone is talking about it. Now’s the perfect time to keep them talking. In a good way. Hiding out in the inn, no matter how much you might prefer it, is not going to satisfy anyone’s curiosity. And like it or not, brother, the entire town is watching you.”
I let his words sink in for a moment. Reality set in as I blew out the breath I’d been holding. “Fuck.”
“Exactly.” Grayson didn’t bother hiding his grin as he shook his head. “So I guess we’ll see you there?”
I growled in his direction, grabbed my paperwork, and headed to the shop for a few hours of quiet. Maybe if I was alone, I’d be able to think this through.
There was something Avery wasn’t telling me. And if she was working herself into a mountain of debt, it was crucial that we make the ownership of the inn official as soon as possible. I wasn’t going to let her lose the inn. No matter what.
Even if it meant losing her.
The thought hit me like a truck as I drove away.
We were only married in name. And only so Avery could secure her inheritance. There was no other reason.
No matter what I was starting to feel.
Which meant, when her inheritance was official, there was no reason for us to continue the farce of our marriage.
And I’d lose her.
Just when I’d found her.