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rs. And if you had, you would have placed yourself squarely in King’s vision anyway. Who’s to say he wouldn’t have actually thought you had been working with Damon, which might have only firmed up Lars’s suspicions.”
From her spot at the window, staring out at the guys on the porch, Peyton said, “Kinsley’s right. Damon’s death is not your fault. He brought the trouble onto himself.”
Remy’s heart reached for Peyton. Both her friends were trying to make her feel better, and they’d outed themselves coming to her defense. “Is Boone mad at you?”
“Mad?” Peyton turned away from the window and then she sank into Asher’s leather recliner. “I think he’s more disappointed. I’m sure he never thought I’d keep something like this from him. But, of course, he understands why I did. I was protecting you. He gets that.”
“I’m sorry,” Remy choked out, grabbing the blanket off the back of the couch to wrap around her, yanking it over her head. “I’ve made a mess out of everything. Now Boone’s unhappy with you. Asher’s furious. And everyone is danger.”
“Oh, stop it,” Kinsley said, pulling away the blanket until it settled on Remy’s shoulders. “You had no idea that the money belonged to Joaquin King. None of us did. If we had, we obviously never would have spent it.” She threw her arm around Remy, and Remy rested her head on her shoulder as Kinsley went on. “The guys are worried. That’s all this is. They’re not really mad.” She paused, then she laughed softly. “I take that back. Asher’s mad, but I can’t really figure out why he’s mad since this totally wasn’t on purpose, so I’m thinking he doesn’t even know why he’s mad.”
“Actually, I know why he’s mad,” Remy said. “I told him I got the money for my shop from my mother.”
Kinsley winced. “Okay, yeah, lying is bad. But I’m sorry, you’ve thought enough about men and how to keep them happy. How about you in all this? Asher will either get over this or he won’t. But I still say a thousand times over, you deserved your shop, Remy. That money was fate giving you a little help when you most needed it.”
“Which is kind of beside the point now,” Remy stated. “I’m going to have to sell the store to get the money back.”
Peyton’s shoulders curled. “As much as I hate that idea, I think that’s probably the best thing. You need to give this guy the money and get him to go away quickly and neatly.”
“You don’t have to tell me that.” Remy recalled the coldness in Joaquin’s gaze, the firmness that still shook her right down to her bones. “He was really, really scary.”
Peyton’s expression softened. She came over to the couch and sat on the coffee table where Asher had been. She took Remy’s hand. “Everyone loves you, most of all Asher. No one is going to let anything happen to you. Boone, Rhett, even Hank, they’re all going to help you figure out this situation.” She drew in a long, deep breath, firmed up her expression, and then added, “No matter what, the truth remains, you were only trying to find a little happiness in a very dark moment. Kinsley’s right—you didn’t know that was Joaquin’s money. You’re a very good, kind person who is always making all of us feel better with your cool witchy stuff and positivity. No one is perfect, and you’ve kind of been perfect ever since I met you. So, you made one mistake…it happens.”
“A mistake?” Remy snorted. “Isn’t that putting it a tad lightly?”
Peyton laughed softly, squeezing Remy’s hands tight. “Okay, it’s like a huge mistake that’s landed you in a lot of danger, but that’s like one little blip in a whole life of good deeds. When Kinsley told you to take that money, it was done out of love, for you, because you deserve good things and life has been a total asshole to you. Yet since I’ve known you, that never seemed to get you down. You always get up and try again. You’re the first one to go light a candle and say positive word to make everyone feel better.”
Tears blurred Remy’s vision again. “Are you trying to make me sob again?”
“No, of course not.” Peyton pulled Remy into a warm hug. “I just want you to understand all this clearly. Yes, the guys are mad, but it’s because they love you. This situation with Joaquin King is scary.” She leaned away, held on to Remy’s arms, and said fiercely, “But don’t think for a second that you deserved anything that happened to you. This is all going to work out, one way or the other. Do you know how I know that?”
Remy took her hand away to clear her tears. “How?”
“Because good things happen to good people.” She smiled. “And you’re good people, Remy.”
Remy’s heart turned to mush. “I love you both. Thank you for being here.”
Arms suddenly surrounded her in a group hug. After they both leaned back, Kinsley said, “All right, so now we’ve got to come up a plan to get you out of this mess.”
“First, I’m going to sell my shop and get the money back,” Remy said. “And second, considering we put me into this mess, I don’t think we’re the ones to get me out of it.”
Kinsley jumped up, hands on her hips, a huge frown on her face. “Now you listen to me, Remy Brennan, we are not the just sit here and do nothing women. You haven’t gone through all the shit you’ve gone through to hide away when faced with trouble. Sure, this has taken on a new unexpected ‘holy shit’ twist, but we can deal with this. Do you hear me?”
Remy nodded. “Yeah, I hear you just fine. I also don’t have two hundred thousand dollars just lying around to pay Joaquin off.”
Kinsley arched a single eyebrow, giving a sly smile. “Don’t you?”
“No—” Remy paused at Peyton’s wide eyes and open mouth. Then she got her answer. My inheritance. “Kinsley,” Remy said in all seriousness. “I actually think your ideas might be the very thing that do me in.”
Kinsley barked a laugh. “Never. My ideas are brilliant, and as soon as everyone realizes that, life will be a lot better.”
* * *
Out on his porch, Asher sat on the stairs staring out into the dark night. All he’d wanted was to protect Remy. To save her from the con man who wanted to take her for all she was worth. To somehow in all this make her life better again. And yet, he’d done what he always did, fucked things up. Instead of being the supportive friend she needed, he’d let his temper get the best of him. He took control of her life, arresting Damon, and now she was worse off than if she’d married Damon and lost all her money. At least she would have been safe.
All Asher had done was interfere in her life and make it worse. Ten-fold.
Boone and Rhett joined him outside ten minutes ago. Rhett offered him a beer, and Asher silently accepted. He cracked the beer open and chugged half of it back. No one spoke for a while, and Asher was glad for it, reeling in his wild emotions. No matter how hard he tried, his father was a part of him. He’d learned to control his anger years ago, but tonight it had spilled out and made Remy cry. Shame nearly suffocated him, and yet that weakness only fueled the rage burning in his gut.
