Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
GRACIE
It's obvious I'm not the only one sick of being cooped up in the house today. Everly is in rare form, and I'm pretty sure if I don't get us out of the house, there's going to be bloodshed.
Mine, not Everly's. That little girl scares me some days.
"How about we go see Owen and Annalee."
Everly has been asking about my brother and his fiancée ever since I took her to meet them. And it would appear now would be a good time to give her what she wants.
"Yay! Owen, Owen, Owen."
The little girl continues to chant as I pack a bag and get her shoes on. Except it takes twice as long as usual because Everly is too busy swinging her feet around for me to get them on in one shot.
Lesson learned. Wait until after I get her ready to tell her about visiting my family.
Eventually, I manage to successfully get both shoes on her feet. Grabbing the bag in one hand and her hand in the other, I walk us to my car.
Everly jumps in before I get the door fully open. Clearly she is very excited to see my brother. Who would've thought he would be the one Everly flocks toward. I thought for sure Annalee would've won that prize.
The drive to my brother's work is quick.
Just like everything else in this town is.
I manage to find a spot just out front and glance to my right.
Ang mentioned earlier that's where he would be today, so maybe after visiting my brother, Everly and I can go there.
I don't tell her yet, though, for fear she would start chanting Daddy instead.
"Oh, hey, Gracie," Annalee greets me as soon as we walk through the door. "And hello, Everly. I didn't expect to see you two today. Not after Angelo came in earlier."
I stop dead in my tracks. "Excuse me?" I look straight into Annalee's eyes. "Ang was here?"
"Yeah. He stopped in not too long ago to speak to Owen. I figured he wanted to officially meet him already."
I bite my tongue since I already know that isn't why Ang stopped by at all. "Annalee, will you do me a favor and watch Everly for a few minutes while I go speak to my brother?"
"Oh, sure." It's obvious Annalee can see something is wrong when she slowly moves from behind the desk to come greet me with a hug, but she's polite enough not to call me out.
I get Everly settled and then march straight through the glass door in search of my brother. It's not hard to find him. He's the one in the middle of an argument with Maverick about what I assume is me.
"That's not what she would want," Maverick calmly tells my brother.
"I don't give a shit what she wants. It's what I'm going to do."
”You don’t give a shit about what who wants, Owen?" I walk straight up to him and push on his chest. "Me or Annalee? Because I can assure you, whatever you’re talking about won't fly with either of us."
"Why the hell didn't you tell me about Jeremy?" he fires back.
"Because I knew this is how you were going to respond, you big oaf."
"Of course I'm going to be pissed. He bruised you." Owen gently grabs both of my arms and inspects them like he expects to find the bruises he's talking about. He won't, though. I made sure those damn things were long gone before I came to see him.
Pulling my arms away, I slap at his hands. "Stop that. The bruises are gone."
"They never should've been there to begin with."
"You're right, but I'm not some damsel in distress who needs saving. One time is all it took for me to know I needed to get out of there, and that's what I did. End of story."
"Nice try." Owen crosses his large arms over his chest. "But from what I gather, Jeremy is still bothering you."
Now I'm going to be the one killing someone, and it isn't going to be my ex. No, it's going to be my current boyfriend who can't keep his mouth shut.
"I've got it handled," I insist.
"Is that so?" I want to slap the cocky grin from my brother's face. "How many times has your phone buzzed since we've been standing here?" He raises an eyebrow when I refuse to answer. "In case you weren't counting, I was. Eight times."
Damn it all to hell. I really hate his supersonic hearing some days.
"And that will be resolved when I change my phone number.” Which I'm going to do sooner rather than later.
Because he isn't wrong—it has gone off eight times since I walked in. Add that to the number of times it went off after Ang left to go to work, or even just since I left to come here, and it’s definitely a problem.
"Give me the phone," my brother demands when it starts ringing again.
A large part of me wants to tell him to go to hell, but I know better. Owen can handle these types of things better than I can. And if I'm being honest, Jeremy has always been a little afraid of Owen.
I pull the phone out of my pocket and slap it into my brother's waiting hand just as it stops ringing. And just as I think I'm going to get a reprieve, it starts to ring again.
Owen answers the call with a growling, "Hello."
I take a step back so I don't have to hear Jeremy's nasally voice. I don't know what I ever saw in that man. He's puny compared to my brother and Ang. Not that size matters, but . . . okay, I lied. Size absolutely matters. Especially when a man is self-conscious about it like Jeremy is.
"I'm only going to say this once. Leave my sister the hell alone, or deal with me."
I don't hear what Jeremy says, and honestly, I'm pretty sure Owen cuts him off, but before I know it, I'm getting my phone back.
"That should take care of the problem."
I'm not sure I agree, but I don't argue either. I have more important things to take care of. "Well, thank you. Now, if you don't mind, I’ll be going. I have a bone to pick with Ang." I don't wait to see what Owen is going to say before I turn around and storm out of the office.
"Annalee, can you keep Everly for just a little longer?" I ask as soon as I'm back in the reception area.
"Absolutely. The two of us are having a blast." Based on the number of crayons and papers littering Annalee's desk, I can see that.
I push through the door and stomp down the sidewalk like a woman on a mission. And that's exactly what I am. A woman who doesn't care that she's about to interrupt some meeting. Ang had no right going to my brother after I explicitly said it isn't what I wanted.
I'm furious, and the man is about to see my wrath.
I walk straight into a construction zone and find Ang across the place. His back is to me as he speaks to someone I can only assume is his foreman based on his phone call earlier today.
"Angelo Creek," I shout. "I have a bone to pick with you.”
Ang turns around but it isn't him that I'm currently staring at.
"Hello, Gracie," a voice I very much recognize, but never thought I would hear in Willow Creek, says from across the room.