Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Evie
It was going to be a shit show. I already had a feeling in my gut, and when I got that feeling, it was always right.
I didn't know why, not yet, but my intuition was telling me tonight was going to be rough.
God, I wished that I was with Matthew and Nick instead of standing on Avery's doorstep, but here I was. They’d both been so understanding, of course, and I knew they were having a date night instead.
Good. But also . . . I’d much rather be having a night full of orgasms than talking about a creep named Phil.
I didn't even bother to knock on their door, stepping inside and kicking off my shoes. Bonnie and Bandit came running, and I stooped over, petting them both as I crooned their names.
“My babies,” I sighed happily. “Look at your sweet faces.”
Bandit’s tail wagged so fast his butt was shaking. Bonnie sat patiently, her eyes full of loyalty and love.
The door opened again behind me, and I scooted out of the way before it could bump me. Austin stepped inside, his eyes lighting up as he saw me.
“Well, hi,” he said. He leaned in, his lips meeting mine in a kiss that sent butterflies through my stomach. “Do you know what this is about?”
“I do,” I said. And now my thoughts were barely coherent. He kissed me one more time before straightening, his brow raising. Did I tell him now before everyone else?
Austin’s brows pulled together. “Hmm, this sounds bad. Are you okay?”
“I am,” I said. “I just . . . It’s okay. We’ll all talk.”
His frown deepened, but before he could say anything else, the door flew open again. His arm slid around me as Dallas, Maddie, and June piled in.
“Oh look who it is,” Dallas said smugly, eyeing the two of us.
Austin snorted. “Don’t even start right now.”
“I feel like I’m at least partially entitled to giving you some shit,” Dallas said.
“Leave them alone,” Madi chuckled, giving him a playful push.
June had the smuggest look on her face.
Mateo's voice echoed through the house, and Levi’s head whipped around the corner. “Well, don’t just stand there,” he said. “You’re not vampires. You can come inside.”
“That’s what she said,” June announced.
Everyone groaned at the bad joke, then started talking over each other, chatting about random things that happened throughout the day.
Dallas, June, and Madi made their way to the living room, but Austin and I stayed put. I looked up at him and smiled despite my nerves.
“We’re together,” he whispered. He reached up and tucked a stray wave behind my ear, his gaze softening on my lips before meeting my eyes again. “And it feels right.”
“It does,” I agreed. “I wish . . .”
“Matthew and Nick were here?”
I nodded.
“Me too,” he exhaled. “I guess we should invite them next time.”
“Even Nick?” I teased.
“Ugh. Maybe not him.”
I grinned as he slid his hand in mine and led me to where everyone was gathering.
Mateo, Levi, and Avery’s new living room had two couches, and it created a conversation area that was definitely needed.
They had the biggest house, and it had become where we all gathered.
Avery’s art and Levi’s photos decorated the walls.
Bandit and Bonnie curled up on the rug, Bandit at Dallas’s feet.
Bonnie’s little face perched on Avery’s knee as she sat on the floor.
Mateo and Levi brought in a few platters of food and drinks, and pretty soon, our group was settled around the coffee table.
Avery wiggled her brows at me and Austin. He shook his head at her, his brows drawing together, but his scowl was all pretend. I kept catching a little smile lifting the corner of his mouth, and it was contagious even though I was nervous about the Phil situation.
“Okay,” Levi said, clapping his hand on his knees. Bandit immediately started to sit up, but Dallas leaned over and started petting him aggressively to convince him to stay put. “The anticipation is killing me. I don't like this. Can we please talk about what's going on?”
“Yep,” Mateo said.
Then, of course, he looked directly at me.
Well, okay then. It was on me to tell them about Phil, since I was the one who had the encounter. I still didn’t like it though.
I cleared my throat and smoothed my hands over the skirt of my dress. “Earlier, a man came into the bakery,” I said. “His name was Phil.”
Austin immediately stiffened to my right. I glanced over at him, my heart skipping a beat when his expression became unreadable. The thing was, I knew how to read that expression. And it was not a good sign.
“He was a debt collector,” I continued. “He was asking questions about the Whynot family and he knew my name.
He came to me first because he said he knew I was close to all of you.
It was weird and creepy, but luckily Mateo came in and got him to leave.
I'd asked him to go, but he was lingering, so it was good timing.”
“Wait, what? What the fuck?” Dallas growled.
“What the hell,” Avery hissed. “I wish you would have called us. That’s so creepy.”
“That's just so bizarre,” June said. “Why would a debt collector be here? And for what?”
Madi shook her head with a frown. “That’s weird.”
Austin still wasn't saying anything, but he was stiffer than a board.
Avery immediately zeroed in on him. She crossed her arms. “Austin,” she said firmly. “Do you know something about this?”
Dallas's head whipped up, and all eyes in the room went to Austin.
I reached for Austin and slipped my hand over his knee, the denim rough under my fingertips. I was surprised when he immediately took it, his fingers interlacing tightly with mine.
“I do,” he finally said.
“Are you in debt?” Dallas asked bluntly.
“No? Yes? I'm not exactly sure how to explain it.
But dad had a lot of debt, and some of that dipped into the assets that he had.
Normally, when someone dies, even if they have debt, it's not passed on to other people. But, he cosigned the hotel with me. So I think that guy is trying to do something about it.”
“Fuck,” Levi mumbled.
My mouth dropped. “How long have you been dealing with this?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. “A couple years now. It started out as just phone calls and emails. But he's been getting more aggressive. I don’t know why. But the fact he’s shown up in town and questioned you infuriates me.”
“This is bullshit,” Avery said. “Absolute bullshit. Also, it's bullshit that you didn't tell us.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” Dallas asked.
“I didn't want to worry you guys,” Austin said. “You've already got a lot going on. I just didn't want to trouble anyone.”
“Okay, well, in the future please trouble us,” June said. “Trouble all of us. This is ridiculous.”
Madi slid her arm around June before she launched into a rant. Dallas raked his hands through his hair and sat back, still studying his brother. Levi rubbed Avery's back, his eyes on her.
Mateo started pacing back and forth.
“That guy was gross,” he said. “The vibes were all off. How do we even know if he's legit? And why the fuck would he be talking to Evie? I have so many questions, but all I know is my gut said that guy is bad news.”
“Could you lose the hotel?” Madi asked gently.
It was a real question delivered with such softness, and it scared the hell out of me. It scared me for him.
Austin’s eyes watered as he sank back into the cushion. He was squeezing my hands so hard, it almost hurt. But I didn't wanna let go. I didn't want him to let me go.
“I don't really know. Honestly, there's still so much paperwork to go through.
There's still so many things that I'm figuring out with what happened toward the end of his life.
And I know I should've asked for help, but I just .
. . I don't know. It's been hard. It's hard, knowing how much we love him, and how much he loved us, then seeing the mess that was left behind.
And not that it was his fault, but I guess I'm angry at him for it. Is that wrong?”
“No,” Dallas whispered. He cleared his throat, his eyes glassy. “No, it's not wrong to be mad at him. Hell, I'm mad at him too. For a lot of things. This has been hell for all of us, but especially you, because you took everything on.”
“Dallas and I can take on more,” Avery said. “I know that you want to protect us because you're the oldest, but we are adults. And we have people who love and support us.”
Everyone murmured in agreement, and I gave Austin another gentle squeeze. “So do you,” I said. “Everyone in this room cares about you. And everyone in this room wants to see you happy.”
“And rested,” Mateo chimed.
“Not as stressed,” Dallas added.
“Okay, but how the fuck am I supposed to do that?” he asked. He shook his head, and he looked so defeated. I leaned closer to him, rubbing his back.
“We take it one day at a time,” Levi said.
“You ask us for help, and we ask you what you need.
And we go from there. As far as this Phil guy goes, he sounds shady, and if anything legal comes up, we will figure it out.
I still have good lawyer connections. And if I don't know anyone, my old agent will.”
“It's true,” Avery said. “Sometimes I think Robin is connected to the mafia.”
“Avery,” Levi laughed.
“What? She has such mafia boss vibes.”
While everyone started chatting amongst themselves, I leaned into Austin, giving his cheek a gentle kiss. He turned his head, his breaths shallow. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“No, it’s okay. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, I didn't realize this was something you knew about.”
“It’s okay,” he murmured. “Although in the future, if someone shows up and makes you feel unsafe, please tell me. I'll be there in a blink. I’d love an excuse to punch the guy.”
I snorted. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don't think Phil would stand a chance against you.”
“He absolutely fucking would not,” Austin chuckled.
I smiled as he slid his arm around me. It just felt right. This was something that I'd wanted for so long, and even though what we just talked about was hard, holding onto him while he went through was right. It was where I was supposed to be.
It was going to be okay. We had each other. We had our family of friends. If trouble came knocking, we’d knock it right back.
“I’ll keep an eye out for this guy,” June said. She cracked her knuckles, earning an eye roll from Dallas.
“Please do not attack the debt man,” he sighed. “The last thing we need is to be on the front page of the Whynot newspaper.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Mateo snorted. “Especially after y’all’s little homecoming announcement.”
“Hey,” Madi laughed. “That was for romantic reasons.”
“Let’s keep our reasons for being in the paper nice, then,” Dallas said. “Leave the punching to Austin and me.”
“That is so sexist,” June hissed.
Before he could say anything back or Madi could interject, Avery suddenly jumped up. My eyes widened as she shot out of the living room, and Mateo went after her.
“What the fuck?” Austin asked, standing up.
Levi ran his hands through his hair. “She's nauseous.” He looked nauseous too.
“Food poisoning?” Austin asked.
“Yeah, it has to be,” Dallas said, his brows drawn together.
June, Madi, and I all looked at each other. None of us were convinced that was the case.
We could hear throwing up through the house, and Levi was gone in a blink. A door shut, and I exhaled slowly, knowing that they had her.
“Well, damn,” Austin mumbled. “I hope she's okay.”
“I’m sure she'll be fine,” Maddie said slowly. “Well, I guess that's the meeting then. Maybe we should clean up and leave them so she can rest.”
“That's a good idea,” I said.