Just One Scandal (The Kingston Family #2) -Carly Phillips Page 0,26

of letting you know how she’s doing. In person.”

A long pause followed, and Beck thought Jordan was going to have to nudge Linc to get a thanks, but he managed to speak up first.

“Thank you,” he finally said.

“I’m doing it for Chloe.” Beck needed to make his position clear.

“We’ll take care of her,” Jordan said and Beck had no doubt she meant it. Linc, too.

Like Beck and his family, the Kingstons were a tight bunch.

His job here finished, Beck turned and walked out of the office, heading back downtown to his loft. That Chloe was there waiting made it all that much sweeter.

Chapter Five

Other than Aurora’s visit, Chloe had managed to hold her family off for over a solid week. And if it had been Linc who’d called asking her to meet, she could have pushed him for more time, too. Not Xander. Her marine turned thriller writer brother liked his solitary lifestyle, staying in his East Hampton home whenever he could and only coming to his Manhattan apartment when necessary.

If Xander was asking to see her, she couldn’t say no. He suggested they meet at her mother’s estate in Brookville, which was halfway for each of them, an hour for her and actually half an hour longer for him. Leaving Beck a note so he wouldn’t wonder where she’d suddenly disappeared to when he returned from work, she called for an Uber and headed to her mom’s.

As the car stopped at the gate, Chloe opened her window and punched in the code. The doors slowly opened, and the driver pulled up to the house she’d grown up in. Massive and with enough land for her father to dub it the Kingston Estate, this was home.

She thanked the man and exited the vehicle, immediately taking in not just Xander’s BMW SUV but Linc’s Range Rover and Dash’s obscene Ferrari Limited Edition V12 supercar. Given his rock star status as lead singer of the Original Kings, to Dash, the sports car was pocket change. He had the kind of fame that put her little issue with social media bloggers and Page Six to shame. Surprise hit her that he was at their mother’s, too. The band should be holed up writing music and practicing the songs they had ready so they could head off on tour. Instead Dash was here along with the entire family.

Which told Chloe one thing: She’d been set up.

Her anger bubbled up along with a deep understanding of their concern. After all, if the situation were reversed and any one of them had been left at the altar and taken refuge with a stranger, she’d be out of her mind with worry, as well. But that didn’t mean they could manipulate her.

The front door was unlocked, and she let herself inside, following the sound of voices to the large family room her mother had redone shortly before Chloe’s father had passed away of a heart attack.

She stood in the wide entry, taking in the busy-looking chintz furniture covered with floral fabric and accented with dark wood. All her mother’s taste. Not Chloe’s.

In silence, she waited until, one by one, they noticed her.

“Honey, I’m so glad you’re home.” Her mother walked up to her and pulled her into a hug, and Chloe doubted anyone had told her mom that this was an ambush.

“Hi, Mom.” She hugged her back, taking in her familiar scent.

Breaking apart, she met Xander’s gaze. “You,” she said, pointing at her bearded brother, “used our relationship against me.”

“Whoa.” He held up both hands. “All I did was ask to see my sister. With a little prodding from him.” Xander tilted his head toward Linc and Jordan groaned.

“Can’t you keep your mouth shut?” Linc muttered.

“What? Because it isn’t obvious that this gathering means it’s time to have a chat with Chloe?” she asked with finger quotes around the word chat.

“I thought you all decided to come for a visit,” her mother said, her chiding gaze falling from one male child to the next.

Linc stepped toward Chloe. “Well, now that you’re here, can you at least understand that we’re worried about you? Holed up in Beckett Daniels’s place? You don’t even know him.” He reached out a hand to touch her arm and she jerked away.

Chloe dropped her shoulders and much of her anger. “Of course I understand you’re concerned. I would be, too, if the situation was reversed. But the whole point of me staying with Beck is that he’s not pressuring me. I have time