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“It’s not breaking in. I have a key.” Rolling my eyes, I press my lips together in annoyance but say nothing. She’s trying to wind me up by phrasing it to suggest I gave her a key, which is far from the truth. If I force her to hand over the key, she’ll just be back tomorrow pounding the door down.
My night, and every quiet moment, was filled with visions of Natalie, leaving me aching and frustrated like a teenage boy with a crush. The lack of sleep has made my temper shorter than it should be, and I need to leave. Natalie will be going for her run soon.
“Storm in then. Uninvited.”
Standing side-by-side for moral support, Hayley and Leah fidget, growing more and more agitated the longer I stare and stubbornly refuse to answer their question about going to some party.
“We haven’t seen you properly in two years, Chase. If you don’t want to spend time with us, then what are you even doing here? And if you say to bring you home one more time, I’m going to scream.”
The force of her words takes me by surprise. That’s more bite than I’m used to from Hayley. Hunter, to his credit, doesn’t stir at all. Strapped to her chest, he’s sound asleep, and even his mother’s stern words don’t disturb his peaceful slumber.
“Can we not just go out for dinner? Just the three of us. Why does it have to be a big thing?” Taking a sip of my steaming hot black coffee, I pray for strength and patience. I want to see my sisters but I can’t get a moment alone with them. They’re either at the lodge, which seems to be some kind of homeless shelter for down-on-their-luck former models, or with their adoring partners. I know they’ve been doing it on purpose.
“Chase, a barbeque is not a big thing. This is as casual as it gets.” Hayley strokes Hunter’s head, soft downy hair covering his scalp, and gazes down adoringly at him. I don’t blame her. She’s made a beautiful baby. I try not to think about what will happen if it turns out his father is dealing with criminals. I don’t want to split up a family, but I won’t have either of them at risk because of Cooper’s actions. I’ll move here if it means I can protect her and my nephew.
Van is already scouting for property suitable for our base of operations. I’ve told him to add Grey Ridge to the list of possible locations, just in case. She catches me smiling at Hunter and her expression softens.
“Yeah, but it’s not just us. There’s going to be lots of people there.” Aware that I’m pouting, I blame it on the early hour of their visit and the lack of caffeine flowing through my veins.
Leah fakes a horrified expression. “Oh, no; not other people!”
Glaring at her, I say nothing. I’ve been putting off spending any length of time with my sister’s partners until I have more information from Van. If I ask him how long it’s going to take one more time, he’s going to block my number. And my email.
While I’m waiting, it would be nice to actually cut loose and have some fun with my family. I’ve done nothing but work for the last few years, maybe I don’t even know how anymore. Plus, it’ll give me a chance to observe them all together and to see how happy they really are.
“Rex is barbequing. We do it down at the bed and breakfast whenever we get a couple of days between a turnaround. It’s so nice down there. You have to see it before you go.”
It is nice there, in fact it might be my favourite spot in Grey Ridge, but instead of admitting that I know it well, I smile at Leah’s hint about me leaving. Subtle, she is not.
“Sounds great. Need me to bring anything, other than my sparkling personality?” When I smile, trying to be enthusiastic, Hayley grimaces, not used to the sight.
“Maybe this is a bad idea...” Hayley turns to Leah, immediately having second thoughts. She probably didn’t think I’d agree. But Leah puts her hand on Hayley’s arm to reassure her.
“Chase, Cooper’s and Rex’s parents will be there. They’re good people. Can you please just be nice in front of them? We’ve done a good job so far in convincing them we’re a nice, normal family.”
Normal? I wish. There’s nothing normal about me, or this place.
“I can be charming when I want to be.” Lowering my coffee in mock disgust when Hayley laughs, I set it on the counter behind me. Getting serious for a moment, I nod. “I’ll be on my best behaviour.”
Matching raised eyebrows greet my promise. I really should go along and play nice in case it turns out I’m wrong and there is nothing more going on here than a string of bad luck.
Grey Ridge is growing on me. The trail up to the top of the mountain rising up behind the lodge has some of the most picturesque views I’ve ever seen. Whenever Natalie stops to admire them, I itch to creep up to her side and take them in with her instead of stopping after she’s moved on to see what she was enjoying so much.
Van would be horrified. I should know better than getting close to someone we’re investigating. And I definitely shouldn’t be excited that she’ll be at this barbeque and maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to keep my head around her for once.
“Fine, I’ll be there. Need me to bring anything? I can’t cook, but I can bring beer.”
Maybe this is the tack I should have taken from the start. Befriended everyone, had a few drinks, waiting till they let their guard down and then went snooping. Being best buddies with everyone isn’t something that comes naturally to me unfortunately.
“We got it covered. Cooper owns a brewery, remember?” Hayley swings her baby bag over her shoulder but I take it from her and follow her to the still open front door.
“I’m not drinking that craft shit. I’ll bring my own.” I’ve already tried their beer. It’s pretty good. Maybe it would be worth making nice with Cooper and Ethan for the free booze alone.
Leah stares back at me open-mouthed. “Jesus Chase. Can you at least be nice to Marcus and Ethan? They don’t deserve to suffer just because you can’t handle your little sisters growing up.”
If only it were that simple.
“Ah, yes, Ethan, the one with the mauled arm.” I know what claw marks look like. Rinsing my cup and plate, I stash them in the dishwasher and face my sisters, pretending not to notice how fidgety that remark made Leah. Hayley is so still she’s like a statue. Very interesting. “And Marcus, that’s Natalie’s brother, right?”
