Chapter Eighteen #3
“The boys finished the work on the rental yesterday, and with everything that happened, we haven’t been able to make sure it’s ready for the next guests. Do you think you could go out there and make sure it’s clean?”
Britt’s eyes narrowed. “You’re just trying to get me out of the house,” she accused.
Chad was thankful his mom had made the suggestion and not him, because the daggers shooting from Britt’s eyes were definitely lethal.
“Of course I am,” Evelyn told her sweetly.
“I appreciate more than you know that you immediately brought your suspicions about Otis to Chad. But this is a Young issue ... no offense. I don’t want him to see you and think he can accuse you of lying or planting evidence against him just because you’re not a local.
I mean, he could still do that with you at the cabin, but I want to spare you from having to see him or hear whatever accusations he might make. ”
Britt’s shoulders relaxed. “I can understand that. And we do have the renters coming today. All right, I’ll head out there and get the cabin ready.”
“Thank you, child.”
“I’ll walk you over,” Chad volunteered. The sooner he could get Britt out of the house, the better he’d feel. Not that he honestly thought Otis was a threat, but like his mom, he didn’t want him saying anything that might make Britt feel bad or suggest that anything that happened was her fault.
He was ready to get this done. Get Otis off Lobster Cove property, talk to the police, press charges, move on.
Feeling antsy, not knowing when Otis or Camden would show, Chad turned to Britt, wanting to get her safely into the rental now . “Ready?” he asked.
She glanced at him with a confused look. “Yeah. I guess so.”
He held out his hand.
Britt looked like she wanted to protest, stall, something , but thankfully she just took his hand and stood. “Okay. Thanks.”
Once she was standing, she walked over to Evelyn and kissed her on the cheek. “Be careful, okay?”
“Of course. Otis isn’t going to hurt me.”
Chad wanted to snort at that. He’d already hurt her. First by stealing from her for years, then by having his son tamper with her car.
He wasn’t surprised Britt was thinking the same thing.
“You have no idea what a desperate man might do. If he’s been stealing from you and then suddenly gets cut off, there’s no telling how he’ll react.”
Evelyn nodded. “I know. Which is why I won’t be alone. Just in case.”
Reluctantly, Britt backed away, and Chad took her hand once more. They walked out of the house, and he saw her look around a little cautiously.
“He’s not here yet,” Chad said, understanding what, who, she was looking for.
She wrinkled her nose. “I was that obvious, huh?”
“A little,” he said with a shrug.
“It’s just ... this feels so unreal. Do you really think Otis had a hand in what happened yesterday?”
“I don’t know for certain, but my gut says yes. Camden could have acted on his own. But to me, it’s too much of a coincidence that right after my meeting with his dad, Camden found a reason to work on Mom’s car. At the very least, Otis didn’t discourage whatever he did.”
“You think Camden is involved in the embezzling?”
“Probably. He’s most likely benefited by getting handouts from his dad.
And if Otis is canned, that also stops. Camden isn’t the hardest-working individual I’ve ever met.
If Otis told his son about my visit yesterday, Camden might have decided to take matters into his own hands.
Or Otis could’ve told his son what to do.
We might never know, because I doubt either will confess to anything.
Otis has had years to perfect his lies.”
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Chad asked. “You didn’t cause any of this.”
“I know, but I still feel as if I brought it all down on everyone.”
Chad stopped in his tracks and turned to Britt.
He took her face in his hands and tilted her head up so she had no choice but to meet his gaze.
“Do not feel guilty. You were able to see something that’s been right under our noses for years.
We owe you, Britt. Big time. Whatever happens to those two is on them , not you. Got it?”
She nodded.
“Good,” he said, dropping his hands and turning them toward the guest cabin. He wanted to continue to reassure her, but he also wanted to get back to the house and prepare himself for the impending confrontation with Otis.
“I’m also sorry,” Britt added as they continued toward the cabin, “that you and your family have to deal with a betrayal like this. I’ve experienced it with my mom and with Cole, and it sucks.”
It hit Chad then that she probably really did understand.
The one person who was supposed to support and love her unconditionally, her mom, had let her down over and over again.
And then to be abandoned in Maine without any money and apparently without a second thought by her ex was another huge blow.
They’d arrived at the cabin, and Chad opened the door, pulling Britt in behind him. He did a quick walk-through of the house to make sure everything was as it should be, then pulled Britt into a long hug.
“Don’t overdo things. You were in an accident yesterday,” he said.
“Yeah, I remember,” she said with a grin.
“Stay in the house. No matter what,” he ordered.
Her grin faded. “Sorry, but if I hear yelling or worse ... I’m not hiding in this house like a coward.”
“Britt, I was in the Army, Zach was in the Navy, Linc was an Air Force pilot, and Knox was in the Coast Guard. I think we’ve got this.”
“I know, but ... I’ll never be the kind of woman who hides under a bed when shit’s going down. Well ... not since I was eight. You should know that about me by now.”
“And I love that about you. But I don’t want you in danger.”
“Chad, I could be in danger walking down the street. Or in the woods because the ticks around here are horrible and they carry that Lyme disease. Or I could trip walking up the stairs. Or—”
“Can we please stop talking about you getting hurt?” Chad asked, feeling a little sick inside.
“I’m just saying if you think there will ever come a time when I hide in a closet while you or someone in your family is in danger, you’re so wrong it’s not even funny.”
“If anything happened to you, it would destroy me,” he whispered.
“If something happened to you and I was sitting around doing nothing, it would destroy me ,” she countered.
Chad frowned. He understood what she was saying, but it still went against everything within him to let her charge into any kind of unstable or dangerous situation.
“How about this?” she said. “How about if I promise to not run willy-nilly into whatever’s happening? I’ll analyze, take stock, figure out what’s happening and the best course of action before I act.”
He still didn’t like it, but that was better than the alternative. “All right.”
“All right,” she echoed. “And for the record ... I don’t like violence. I don’t like confrontation. Or yelling. So I’m happy to stay in the background and not get involved if at all possible.”
“I promise this is an anomaly. Things around Lobster Cove are usually easygoing and smooth sailing.”
“I know. I’ve seen it for myself. Go. Get back to your mom. I know you’re chomping at the bit to get to the house. You’ll let me know when it’s safe to return?”
“I’ll come get you myself.”
“Thanks. Be careful, Chad. Desperate men do desperate things. Even sixty-eight-year-old men who have been family friends for decades.”
“I know.” And he did. He’d learned from his time in the Army and as a sniper that when backed against a wall, people could do just about anything. He wasn’t going to let his guard down around Otis. He didn’t care if he was sixty-eight, a hundred and eight, or eighteen.
Leaning down, he kissed Britt long and slow. He needed this memory to get him through the confrontation with Otis. His mom would be in charge of the meeting, but it would take every ounce of control he had not to demand answers himself.
“Love you,” Britt whispered.
The two words seemed to travel throughout Chad’s body, giving him the strength he needed to get through whatever was to come. It would be unpleasant, but after today, they’d all have a new start.
They’d find a new accountant, someone else to check his mom’s investments, and maybe one person who could oversee all the Lobster Cove businesses.
He and his brothers would convince his mom that having one person do literally everything related to money was no longer a good idea .
.. but maybe after everything with Otis, she wouldn’t need much convincing after all.
“Love you too,” Chad said, then backed away. She gave him a small smile and adorkable wave.
Grinning, Chad headed for the door. He closed it firmly behind him, took a deep breath, then headed for the house and the impending confrontation.
Deep down, he had no doubt that Otis was behind yesterday’s accident.
He’d panicked after Chad confronted him.
It would be interesting to see what the man had to say.
How he’d defend himself. But no matter what, the result would be the same.
Otis Calvert and his son would no longer be working or associated with Lobster Cove after today.