Call You Mine (The Baker’s Creek Billionaire Brothers #4) - Claudia Burgoa Page 0,39
already, “It won’t work. You know his reputation. Men don’t just change because they claim they’ve found the right woman. That’s just fantasy.”
I know his reputation. The same way I know he fabricates all that publicity. I’ll never understand why he makes up so many stories. He’s not a saint, but he’s neither the playboy he personifies when he’s not at home.
Seth stares at me and bobs his head a couple of times. “So, we’re not forgiving him for scaring the shit out of us, huh?”
I look intently at him, puzzled by his comment, and I immediately understand. I’ve been too quiet, overthinking the kiss. Should I tell him about it? Nope, he’ll probably try to kick Beacon’s ass. Or laugh at me because I can’t get laid and have to approach my hot, sexy, smart-ass best friend.
I redirect my thoughts and say, “Are you upset at him?”
They are pretty close, and I’m sure if something happened to Beacon, he’d be pretty messed up, just like me.
“Nah, I knew he was fine.” He rolls his eyes. “That guy is like a cockroach. Nothing can kill him—not even his stupidities.”
“He can be reckless,” I agree with a sigh.
Beacon is impulsive. The guy is a genius, and he’s always a few steps ahead of us. When we’re scouting, he’s already tracing a plan on how we’re going to proceed. Sometimes, he just says follow my lead without waiting for Dad’s approval to continue.
“I guess that’s why he’s one of Dad’s best men.” Seth looks at his watch. “Can we leave? We could borrow his truck or one of his brothers can fly us to Portland.”
Vance is the one who picked us up from the airport and flew us here. He said he’d take us back whenever we wanted. The guy was angry that he couldn’t open the locks. Maybe it was a way to hide the worry. He doesn’t know Beacon as well as we do, or they would have just waited for him to come out from his hiding place.
“Why don’t we go to Beac’s house? I’ll introduce you to his family.”
He smirks. “I know them well enough. I could even tell you what brand of toothpaste they buy.”
“Maybe — and this is just my opinion—it might be different if you introduce yourself. Because they don’t know you,” I remind him. “They have no idea you’ve been watching them since their father died, just to check if they are worth being close to your friend.”
He grins. “It wasn’t like that. Beac asked me to do it.”
I roll my eyes. “You two are ridiculous.”
“By the way, the lawyer is in town.” He suddenly changes the subject.
If there’s one thing I’d like to do, it’s kidnap Jerome Parrish and interrogate him until he tells us what his deal is. He drops by every so often to make sure “the boys” are complying with the will. He throws in a few unrequited life lessons. There are some letters William Aldridge left that he didn’t just hand over. He’s giving them one by one. As if those were golden stars they only deserve when he feels like it.
What is his game?
“Are you going to tell them?” I look around, wondering if the asshole is nearby.
“Beacon already knows, if he checked his text messages.”
“Where is Parrish staying?” When the guys moved into town, they kicked him out of The Lodge. That’s the only hotel in Baker’s Creek. Since they own the place, they decided to not allow him to stay there.
“He’s been renting a house in Happy Springs since late September when one of the brothers bought the bed-and-breakfast.”
“Interesting.”
“We should run a thorough background check on him. He should be in New York running his law firm,” I say, pulling out my phone and taking off one of my mittens. “Why would he spend his time in Baker’s Creek babysitting six grown men?”
“Money?” Seth asks, then shakes his head. “His firm does well enough.”
“He’s getting something out of this deal,” I insist. Beacon doesn’t believe me. He thinks his father paid him to fuck with them, and there’s nothing more to it.
Beacon loves to fuck with people, so he put a detail on him just for fun.
“Let me finish my caseload, and I’ll start digging into his life,” Seth assures me.
Maybe I should help him. What if we discover something useful that can end these stupid stipulations sooner? Now, that’s something I can get on board with.