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“You have someone keeping an eye on them, huh? Does Quinn even know that?”
“Probably.” He shakes his head. “I don’t know. And it’s not . . . it’s not like this person is watching them twenty-four seven or anything like that. He’s an old Army buddy. He just drives by a few times a week. It’s all above board.”
“I’m not judging you for that. But you should probably tell her. She might think she’s paranoid and stuff. It’s not fair for her to—”
He swears under his breath. “Does she feel like she’s being followed?”
“Well, yeah. I thought that was the whole point of her coming here,” I say. “To wait until her uncle got over his little tizzy fit for her inheriting the family’s money.”
Henry’s leg is bouncing like he’s ready to charge a bull in the streets of Pamplona.
No, it’s likehe’sthe bull.
He stands and places his hands at the base of his neck, his elbows wide, and starts to pace. “Tell me everything she told you.”
“Henry, I don’t want to betray any confidences that she might—”
“I’m your brother—” he interrupts, his hands going wide again. “Look, I know she’s my ex. I know I gave up the right to have any say about what she does or doesn’t do. But when your Army buddy tells you she’s suddenly the beneficiary of the family trust and there are family members who may or may not be dangerous who aren’t too happy about that, you worry yourself sick, okay?”
I take a deep breath and lean back on the sofa. “I know you’re my brother. But she asked me not to say anything to anyone. Besides, it sounds like you know everything I know, everything she told me.”
“I got special permission to come check on her. I thought I’d stop by here to see what you knew, so I could be better prepared to talk to her. You gotta help me out here.”
I shake my head. “She’s going to be ticked. She doesn’t want to see you.” I know for a fact that Quinn uses a third party to hand Navie off to Henry when it’s his turn to see her. And on account of his job, that doesn’t happen as often as everyone would like.
“I know, I know. Which is why I’m going to be civil, completely polite. If she asks me to leave, I’ll leave. I just have to make sure she and Navie are going to be okay.”
I really don’t want to tell him that nobody can ensure that, so I don’t. He knows. I also know he’s tortured about the divorce. Apparently not tortured enough to have fought for her, though, which is what I have the hardest time with.
“How long can you stay? I’ll text Alec and Oliver and have them come up. We could go to the Summit and get some steak and prawns.”
He shakes his head, then sighs and walks back over to the sofa. “I guess I should. I can’t go see Quinn until tomorrow anyway.”
“Why is that?”
“I’m meeting someone here in a few hours. But yeah, until then, let’s call the boys and go eat.”
I nod, my breathing coming in a little easier than it has ever since I saw him standing at my door.
I don’t know how much I trust Henry right now, and I don’t know exactly what kind of things he does or has done to harm his relationships with the whole family. But four of us Tate boys are under the same roof, for one night at least, and I’m going to make it count.
Chapter 27
Elianna
The eatery on the main floor is one of my favorite places in the resort because it’s quiet in the late morning, and because it has cheesecake muffins that are God’s gift to mankind. I arrive and find a quiet table in the back corner, resting my stuff on the black and white checkered placemats.
I pull up The Calendar and reschedule Sebastian’s meeting with marketing, my mind abuzz with all things Tate family drama. And there’s a lot of drama to digest.
Henry is . . . interesting. If I weren’t already completely gaga for his brother, I would probably be attracted to him because, let’s face it, he’s got the Tate genes that are the cream of the crop. But he was worried or frustrated about something. And that, combined with Quinn and Navie’s spur-of-the-moment visit last week, has my mind going a hundred different directions.
And then what was up with Sebastian’s display right before Henry came? It felt . . . vindictive. I can’t judge him for that. I don’t know exactly what his childhood was like. But I know there are ways to heal from stuff like that, work to be done. Has he been working on it? Or is he stuck in the same place he’s always been?
You have things to work on, too, Elianna.
I tell my inner critic to shut the heck up.
I know. But still. Shush.
