Chapter 52
CHAPTER 52
CALEB
A pril’s eyes almost pop out of their sockets when she meets Elijah. My brother is a giant, towering over the rest of us. At six foot six, Leah describes him as a man-mountain. Unlike in previous years, however, my elder brother is acting like the perfect gentleman. If not strangely overprotective of our guest.
I take time watching as he interacts with Gabriel and Leah, holding baby Callum in his enormous arms, smiling down at the little man as he tries to grab his nose. There’s no denying it’s been a tough year for him. He and his wife, Darra, have finally decided to draw a line under their years of bickering and separate. I know they are in the process of divorcing, but as usual, he is holding all his cards close to his chest.
I’m pleased to see Lottie by his side, that Darra has let her attend. My niece is more relaxed than I’ve seen her in years. No longer being the filling in the sandwich between her warring parents has clearly had an impact.
Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised she already knows April. She recently began attending Scarlett’s dance school. Her face was a picture when I introduced them, and April smiled, telling me she’d been teaching my niece for a couple of months.
Since their separation, Darra has moved off the family estate and into the city. Lottie has gone with her, which has devastated my mother. But it means Elijah gets to see more of his daughter when he’s working. What was weekends only is now half a week, and everyone seems to be happier. Darra, it appears, has realised the damage she’s done, and although the battle between her and Elijah rages on, she’s decided using their daughter as cannon fodder is out of line.
“You can’t take your eyes off her, can you?” Kat’s voice appears at my shoulder.
“No,” I admit honestly, making her smile.
“She’s the woman from New York,” she adds, telling, not asking. I can’t help but smile. This is so Kat, cut to the chase. “You should know. I know everything that happens in every one of the Frazer Hotels. Especially when one of my siblings makes a request for security footage.”
I sigh.
“Oh, how the mighty have fallen,” she chuckles. “I’m happy for you, little bro.”
I look across, but she appears to be lost in thought.
“How is the hotel business?” I ask.
Kat was the one to take over the Frazer hotelier business after our father died. She’d been working alongside our father, learning the ropes until his untimely death.
Five years ago, when she was younger than me now, she was forced to confront the misogynistic board members, who argued a woman could not run a hotel empire. Kat has been proving the old fossils wrong ever since, expanding and growing the chain.
“How’s the redevelopment going in Asia?”
Kat groans and wipes a hand over her face. “Don’t ask. The developer, who came highly recommended, is an eco-fraud.”
I hide my grin, already aware of this fact. “You know I’ve told you before, Jaxson…”
The look my sister shoots me stops me dead in my tracks.
“Don’t,” she says. “Jaxson Lockwood is going nowhere near this project or my business.”
“Wow, who rattled your cage?” I ask. I know I’m staring at her wide-eyed. Kat is hard to rattle, but the mere mention of Jaxson’s name has her eyes flashing fire.
“I cannot work with that man, so don’t even suggest it.”
I hold up my hands in defeat and decide against telling her Jaxson will be attending tomorrow’s party. Knowing my sister, she’ll pack her bags and leave, or worse still, have a firing squad waiting for him. Kat on the warpath is not something anyone wants to encounter.
Before I can make any further comments, I notice Elijah is moving towards April. After last year’s fiasco with Leah, I don’t want to leave April unattended, so I make my way over.
April and Elijah are talking. Is that a smile I see threatening his lips? Wow!
“Hi, Eli,” I say.
“Hi,” he says, always the man of few words.
“Elijah was just telling me about the security features his firm will be adding to the new development. They sound amazing,” April says, her smile genuine.
Who is this man standing before me, and what has he done with my prickly brother?
“We try,” I say, raising a brow at Elijah when April turns to him. “It helps if they’re integrated into the build, less chance of tampering. It keeps insurance premiums down for the businesses.”
“We want the area to feel protected. They can sign up to our service, or monitor their own security, but it’s there whichever way suits. With the dance studios, internal cameras will be under your control. Externals, you have the choice.”
I’m surprised at Elijah’s openness. He ran a security check on April. He knows her past, her present. Wouldn’t surprise me if he knows her future, he has his fingers that far into the technical world. With Leah, he was defensive, with April, he’s open. Has he learned his lesson? Or is there something more?
Harper appears and drags April off. Elijah and I watch them leave.
“Say nothing,” Elijah huffs,
“What me?” I say, feigning innocence. “You just surprised me,” I admit.
I couldn’t be more shocked when Elijah says, “I like her.”
I choke on my drink. “Like her? Wow, high praise coming from you.”
“I give credit where credit is due,” he says, staring me down. Which I always find quite unnerving. Elijah is intense, as our older brother, he’s always been incredibly protective, something we have all baulked against as we got older.
Smiling at him, my eyes follow April. “I agree she’s special. I just wish she saw it too.”
“Her mother is looking for her,” Elijah says quietly, and my eyes return to his in surprise. “I set up alerts,” he adds, shrugging as if it’s no big deal.
“What do you mean?” A coldness floods my system.
Elijah takes a deep breath, his gaze looking over at April. “What I said, her mother has approached several sites. She’s searching for April. Wants to reconnect.”
Shit, I wish he hadn’t told me this.
How am I supposed to tell April I know this information? She’s going to want to know how I found out. Saying my brother has run security checks and has dragged up all her past secrets. Secrets I know she is keeping from me, but I’m hoping she’ll one day have the strength to trust me with. I’m not sure she’ll understand why I have a report on her, on my computer. Something I regret and will always regret. I should have trusted her.
“I’ll leave it with you. I’ve passed on the information. What you choose to do with it is up to you,” Elijah says, shrugging his shoulders.
I stare at my brother for a moment. “How are you doing?” I ask.
His laugh is hollow. “Could be better, could be worse,” he says. “At least it’s nearly over.”
“And Lottie?”
I know the reason he stayed in his disastrous marriage was due to Lottie. His love for his daughter is unbreakable.
“She’s coping better than anyone,” he says, his eyes searching out his teenage daughter, softening as they catch sight of her across the room talking to our mother. “I’m giving Darra everything,” he says suddenly, shocking me into silence.
He looks at me, his gaze hard, as if daring me to argue. “Everything bar my company.”
I take a breath.
“You do what you need to do. I know you’ll have your reasons. I will not question them. But Eli.” I move my head until he looks at me. “Just know, you’re not alone. We’re here for you. The secrets I know you keep. You don’t need to protect us. We’re grown-ass adults, well, maybe not Harper. She’s a law unto herself.” I know I’m waffling, but I want to make a point. “We want to help you. You and Lottie, even Darra if we must. But we want you to be okay. We’ll do whatever it takes, but you need to let us in.”
He stares at me. His gaze unwavering. If he wasn’t my brother, I’d be terrified of him, his size and his stony expression. It’s why I couldn’t be more shocked when he says, “Thank you. I’ll come and see you. There are a few things I’d like to discuss.”
I hold his gaze and nod. “I’m holding you to that,” I add, even more surprised when the edge of his lip curls up.
“I thought you might,” he says, before looking down at his watch. “But that’s enough of this mushy bullshit for now. It’s time for Gabriel to kick our asses at Monopoly.”
I laugh out aloud. “Our baby brother is a little competitive, but so is April. Gabriel may have met his match. I’m not taking bets this year.”
This time, Elijah does grace me with a genuine smile, although it still misses his eyes. “I’ll take your word for it. Let’s go.”
“Monopoly,” I shout, garnering everyone’s attention, a combination of whoops and groans all around.