Brody knew he wasn’t.
The old man was playing them–pitting them against each other–and that’s when so much of his life and why he did the things he did fell into place. And it took him thirty-two years to realize it.
He had no idea how to get through the rest of this lunch. His appetite was completely gone.
And so was his respect for his father.
Chapter 15
A party without cake is just a meeting.
Things had been going well.
Like really well.
So much so that Leanna began to wonder why she waited so long to tell Brody how she felt. For over a week, there had been a shift in their relationship. He was more attentive, smiling more, laughing more, and it was almost like he was a completely different person.
Most of the time.
There were also times when she saw a sadness in his eyes–mostly when he didn’t realize she was watching–and she had to wonder what he was thinking.
The biggest change was how he didn’t talk about work nearly as much. There was a part of her that wondered if some irreparable damage was done the day of her big feelings reveal–otherwise known as “the feelings incident”–but any time she asked, he told her that had nothing to do with anything and that he was fine.
Then he’d distract her in either a sexy way or by taking her out to do something fun and she’d forget about it.
She just couldn’t seem to get past the sad look, though.
Although, now was not the time to focus on that because they were at his parents’ house and finally having that family lunch they were invited to almost a month ago. It had taken a bit of creative scheduling and a few late nights, but Leanna made sure she had the day off to be here.
Charlene and Travis were there along with Brody’s parents. His older brother and his wife were unable to make it but Sylvia assured them all that they’d try to have everyone over again another time. For now, she was thankful to finally have at least two of her sons over at the same time.
Leanna thought it was incredibly sweet but when she looked over at her cousin, she noticed Charlene did not look happy.
Weird…
They were all sitting in the sunroom and having drinks before lunch was served and Sylvia seemed positively giddy to talk with her.
“So tell me more about your business, Leanna,” she said as she sat down beside her. “When we talked before the engagement party and even during that weekend, I honestly had no idea your business was so large and successful! How did you even manage to find the time to join us today?”
Leanna glanced over at Brody and saw he was watching them even as his father and brother were trying to talk to him and she knew he was a little nervous about them being here today. Still, he should know that could handle herself just fine.
But it was sweet that he was concerned.
So she talked about Meet Me at the Altar and how much she loved what she did. “I’m very fortunate that I have an amazing team working with me on the baking end. My assistant is absolutely the best and I know she can handle anything if I’m not available. We pulled a couple of late nights to finish up our orders that were needed for events today.”
“You do more than one event a day?” Sylvia asked. “You poor thing!” Placing a hand on Leanna’s knee, she smiled. “You must be exhausted. I’m glad we get to take care of you today so you don’t have to lift a finger.”
“Thank you, but it’s really okay. I enjoy being busy. Plus, I love what I do so it doesn’t always feel like work.” Then she laughed. “Not always, though. Sometimes it’s hard to balance both the baking side and the event planning side. My partners and I are very hands-on and once I’m done setting up the cake and desserts, I jump in and lend a hand wherever I’m needed.”
“Positively inspiring! Don’t you think your cousin is amazing, Charlene?”
Leanna knew her cousin’s fake smile, and the one she was giving Sylvia was beyond fake.
What in the world?
“Mrs. King? You’re needed in the kitchen,” one of the staff came in and announced and Sylvia rose.
“Please excuse me.” Then she turned to Charlene. “Why don’t you show Leanna the rose garden we planted to use for your bouquet? They’re coming along beautifully!”
Smiling, Leanna turned to her cousin. “I had no idea you were doing that! How fun!”
With a nod, Charlene stood and the two of them walked out the door of the sunroom and into the garden. There were easily a dozen different rose bushes and Leanna slowly walked around looking at them all.
“I have a black thumb with this sort of thing,” she admitted. “Will you only be using these for the bouquet or will you be supplementing with the help of a florist?”
Her cousin stepped in front of her with a scowl. “Oh, drop the act, Lea.”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, please…could you be more of a suck up?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Crossing her arms, Charlene let out a mirthless laugh. “Really?”
“Yes, really. What’s going on?”
“I find it interesting how my future in-laws are suddenly making such a fuss over you. We all know your relationship is a sham. Brody was using you the weekend of the engagement party to get everyone off his back.”
Leanna was a little stunned that this was such common knowledge, but since it was out there…
“To be honest, yes he was. But he also helped keep my folks off my back so it was mutually beneficial.”
“Then why are you still here?” her cousin snapped. “Or did you finally see all you could have by hanging on?” Then she paused and an almost evil grin crossed her face. “Or maybe Brody did.”
“Charlene, you’re not making any sense. Brody and I had a good time that weekend and realized we had a lot in common. He reached out a few weeks later and we started dating. There’s nothing sneaky going on.”
“Oh, really?”
She sighed. “Yes, really. What’s gotten into you?”
Leaning in close, Charlene said, “He’s just using you. He needed a little help with his reputation at work and you were convenient. When he saw how well things went at the engagement party, he was encouraged to keep seeing you. Once he gets his promotion, you’ll be history.”
Everything in Leanna went cold and she had no idea how to respond–something that seemed to delight her cousin.
“We should go in,” Charlene said, turning away. “Lunch is about to be served.”
But Leanna stayed where she was for several minutes until Brody came out for her.
“Hey,” he said softly, “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”
Did she dare tell him what she’d just heard?
Looking up at him, she saw genuine concern on his face and told herself she was being silly. Her cousin was just being a brat because someone else was getting some attention. Once that thought took hold, she relaxed.
“Um, yes. Sorry. My cousin just gets under my skin sometimes. Let’s go inside.”
“Are you sure?” He gently grasped her hand to keep her from walking away. “We can go if you’d like.”