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Oh, this is going downhill fast.She needed to change the subject quickly. Now that they knew, they were probably going to tell their husbands, and Sunday brunch was going to be something she wanted to pass on.
“Morgan, it was so nice of your parents to include me in their celebration. I had a lovely time.”
“They’ve been asking about you. Why don’t you stop in? They’d love seeing you again. Take Logan too.”
Right now that would be a more relaxed environment than Lena and Brice’s. At least Loras and Elizabeth were clueless about who she was. For now.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve asked. How are you feeling by the way?” Morgan asked.
“I’m fine. No lingering effects.”
Lena chimed in, “What happened?”
Morgan filled everyone in on the minor accident she’d had. Cori blushed as they all started talking to her like she was fragile and needed caring for. It was cute that they all rallied around her. Like it had at Loras and Elizabeth’s party, seeing these women, related only by marriage, being so warm and unified brought a pang of sadness as well. How she wished she had that sort of loving relationship with Sarah. When did things go downhill for them? If Cori didn’t make an effort for them to talk, they’d probably never speak again.
“I’m so glad you have Logan to take care of you,” Zoey stated. “But if he gives you any trouble at all, you just call one of us. We’ll straighten him right out for you.”
Cori knew Zoey wasn’t joking. That explained how they all functioned. As a family, they took care of each other. She was just an outsider, not even a girlfriend, yet they were already including her in their group. She didn’t mean for the question to be voiced, but it was too late once it was.
“Why are you all so nice to me?”
It was Zoey who answered. “My family hasn’t always been... close. There are things in our past that we can’t run from. The only thing that has held us together is love. So for Logan to introduce you to us says a lot about how he feels. Because he’s important to us, so are you.”
She was torn between feeling honored and feeling like a piece of crap. They were warm and welcoming now, but what about once they found out it wasn’t true? They’d never trust her. Actually, they’d hate her. It hurt knowing that day would come and there was nothing she could do to prevent it. The sad part was, she didn’t want it to end. She wasn’t without family, but for the most part, she felt as though she had been.
“We’re... just starting. Nothing serious.”
Morgan shook her head. “I saw how he watched you at my parents’ party. He never took his eyes off you. You might not want to admit it’s anything more than dating, but I’m telling you, I’ve never seen him like that.” She turned to the others. “You’ll see for yourselves on Sunday.”
“Logan told Brice he couldn’t make it.”
“Oh, he’ll be there. Trust me,” Zoey said firmly.
“And so will you, Cori. He’s just worried we’ll scare you off. But we haven’t, have we?” Tessa asked.
She was petrified. It wasn’t about a story at the moment. This was a real family who loved each other, and if she was right, she had information that was going to break their hearts. How could she tell them their father murdered her grandpa? It would be a wedge between them that would never leave. And she would have been the one who put it there. The worst part was Logan was the one helping her, and he had no clue what he was doing either.
Cori forced a smile and said, “I would love to be there.”
That didn’t mean she would. There were too many things that stood between her and Logan. First of all was the truth. Second was the truth. And last, once again the truth. No matter how she cut it, she needed to find a way to be honest with him before Sunday. If he still wanted to take her, that would be an entirely different story. She couldn’t picture him doing so. And they wouldn’t be quite so welcoming either.
“Good. I hope Shaun is back from Tabiq by then,” Morgan said.
Zoey shot her a look that spoke volumes. Morgan had slipped, and Cori didn’t miss it. She’d heard of that place. It was known for the mistreatment of women. Why would Shaun be there? Something wasn’t adding up. From what she knew, Shaun was a financial wizard. There wasn’t anything in Tabiq that should appeal to a Henderson. Whatever it was, it was something they didn’t want getting out. That was her specialty. Now all she needed to do was figure out what was so important over there that they all knew about and yet wanted hushed.
Cori played it off nicely by saying, “It’d be nice to see him again too.”
Since she hadn’t reacted to the mention of Tabiq, the ladies seemed to relax again. The rest of the lunch was spent talking about things that were light and fun. The conversation turned to what she assumed they always spoke about, their children. Although Cori didn’t have any, she’d done her share of babysitting when she was young. She’d always thought she’d have a houseful by now. Since she wasn’t actually dating, it felt safe to assume she wasn’t any closer to achieving that goal than any of her others.
At least I’ll have accomplished one. I’ll have the truth about Grandpa.
She knew exactly what she was going to do with the rest of her day. Cori needed to find the connection between Tabiq and Shaun. It was sad because whatever it was, wasn’t good. Honest businessmen didn’t want anything to do with that place.
She no longer felt bad about her quest. Knowing that the family had probably lied to her all along, she was back to thinking they were most likely just like James. The only thing different is they were much better at covering it up. She needed to remind herself of what a vile man James was. If they were as bad, if not worse, she’d need to be extremely careful, or that could be her fate as well.
Although she texted back and forth with Logan that night, she chose to stay at home alone. She had a lot of thinking to do. There was the story of a lifetime out there, and she knew it. But something was holding her back. Nothing had ever prevented her from digging for the answers. It’s all she ever wanted. Why was she hesitating? Was it the truth that scared her or was it the repercussions of the truth that troubled her? Either way, the ball was already rolling. Logan had told her he was looking into the fire. Brice confirmed it wasn’t accidental.
While they dug into her past, she was digging into theirs. They had no clue. It really was a win, win for her. Except for one major piece: Logan. Somehow through all this, she’d really come to care about him. That hadn’t been part of her plan. But no matter how she calculated it, the answer was the same. It can’t ever be.
