“I have some towels in the backseat. I brought them in case I needed to clean up after working on your car.”
I raised my fists in the air. “Yay for my parking brake being on,” I joked.
Maddox laughed. “Yeah, except my appearance ruined the potential sale.”
I cupped his face. “I know you’re worried about your mom, but he’s not worth it. No one gets to say those things about you. We’ll find something else.”
He hadn’t contacted me in the last twelve years, but I was starting to let that anger go. I saw what a great man he’d become, and I liked having him in my life and in my bed.
Sure, if he ever proposed, I’d have to ask him why he had disappeared without a word. But that wasn’t going to happen. At least, not anytime soon. We weren’t even officially dating.
Maddox drew me back into his embrace and kissed me.
When he pulled away, he had a look in his eyes that I couldn’t figure out. “You’re amazing.”
I shook my head. “No, you’re amazing.”
This town didn’t deserve him.
He grinned. “How about we agree to disagree?”
I smiled back. “Deal.”
Thirty-Four
Brantley
Wednesday afternoon, Brantley Graham looked up from his desk in his office as Simon walked in with a man behind him that Brantley had never met before.
The man stepped forward and held out his hand. “Hello, Mr. Graham. I’m John Spade.”
Ah. The PI Brantley hired.
He stood and held out his right hand to welcome the detective. “How do you do?”
“May I sit?”
Brantley swept his arm out. “Please.” He looked over at Simon. “Please have a glass of water brought to our guest.”
Simon nodded like the good employee he was. Brantley had found the perfect protégé in him. Now, if only he could convince his Addison to marry him.
It was a shame he didn’t have a son or a nephew to pass down the business to, but unfortunately, he was an only child, and his Addison was an only child. Her mother had passed away when Addison was six after struggling with cancer for a few years. He had considered remarrying, but he was always too busy, and before he knew it, twenty years had passed.
This was why he needed Addison to stop her foolish fantasies about Maddox Wolfe. That boy would never be worthy of marrying his daughter. It was a godsend that he’d been arrested twelve years ago. Then, his daughter had almost ruined that.
When Sheriff Whitlock had called and told him that she had alibied Maddox, Brantley had been enraged and disgusted. Taking up with a Wolfe. He hit the jackpot though when she was never subpoenaed for Maddox’s trial. His court-appointed lawyer had shown up with papers requesting that Addison testify, giving her the ultimate decision to go to court or not.
It was a good thing the paperwork had been “lost” and that he’d had Addison take a trip to visit her mother’s parents out of state on the day she was supposed to appear in court.
But, now, the stupid man was back. Back in town. Back in Addison’s life. Back in her bed.
Brantley shuddered at the thought as Simon returned to the room.
Behind him, one of the maids came with a glass of water for Mr. Spade.
“Thank you,” Mr. Spade said. Then, he turned to Brantley and pushed a manila envelope over. “Your daughter has spent the last two nights with Mr. Wolfe.”
Brantley had just hired the PI to start working on Monday, but two nights was two too many.
What about Brandon? Why isn’t she taking the bait?
“She did meet with Brandon Taylor on Monday at the local diner. It appeared friendly. They then went to visit a farmer by the name of”—he pulled his notebook into his line of sight—“Dan Davis. I spoke to Mr. Davis after your daughter and Mr. Taylor left. It seemed they were looking to buy some land for a mobile park home.”
What in the hell is Addison doing?
“But Mr. Davis told them no when Mr. Wolfe showed up,” the detective continued. “After I left, I thought your daughter was going back to town, but I traced her cell to a field about a mile away from Mr. Davis’s farm.” He nodded to the envelope. “It seems she is very involved with Mr. Wolfe.”
Brantley opened the envelope, and the contents spilled across the desk. Simon came around and looked at the photos that had been taken by the detective. His jaw clenched, similar to what Brantley figured his was doing.
“I apologize for the sensitive nature of the photos, but you can see that she is with Mr. Wolfe and not Mr. Taylor.”
Brantley felt his blood pressure rising. With the return of Maddox Wolfe and Addison’s lack of interest in Simon, Brantley had insisted her old boyfriend head up the golf course project. His plan was to lure her away from Maddox with Brandon and then lure her away from Brandon with Simon.
Nothing was going as planned. He was going to die with no one to run his company.
Maddox was supposed to hate his daughter for making his mother lose her home, and Addison was supposed to be with Brandon.
Brantley took the photos and pounded his fist on them.
It looked like he needed another plan.
It was time to get the Wolfe boy out of his daughter’s life forever.
Thirty-Five
Addison
It was Sunday, and my weekly dinner with my father was hanging over my head. I hadn’t discussed things with him yet for several reasons. If I went storming into his office, all pissed off, he wouldn’t listen to a word I said. And he’d accuse me of being an emotional female.
And then part of me worried that me getting upset was his goal. If I went in and let him know I was mad, maybe I’d be giving him exactly what he wanted.
So, I needed a clear head before I went to speak to my father.
I almost considered letting it go because I knew he was doing this to get to me, but it wasn’t in my nature to ignore it. I still felt like there was more I could have done twelve years ago, and I never wanted to feel like that again.
I arrived early, hoping to catch my father in his office. Of course, that was where he was. He was getting better since his stroke and was probably doing more than the doctor had given him permission to.
I knocked on the open door. If I wanted my father’s full attention, I needed to be as respectful as possible. He was sitting at his desk with Simon standing next to him.
His head came up, and he smiled when he saw me. “Hello, Addison.” He looked over at the clock on the wall and frowned. “You’re early.”
“Yes, I wanted to discuss something with you. Do you mind if I come in?”
“You may enter.” He waved me toward him.
“Simon, do you mind if I talk to my father alone?”
He looked at my dad, who nodded, and Simon left the room.
Tucking my dress under my legs, I took a seat in front of him.
He folded his hands and looked at me. That was a little odd. Maybe he had been expecting this. “What can I help you with?”
“I wanted to talk to you about the golf course.”
My father grinned. “Are you excited for it? It will bring a lot of business to our little town.”
“Yes, it will. And I am looking forward to seeing it finished and up and running. But, Dad, I’m wondering why you expanded the plans.”