Page 73 of Nothing to Fear

“Of course. We’ll pick you up and have dinner in the city before we return here.”

“Thank you, but I… I have a thing tonight.”

“A thing?” Caber asked. One set of expectant eyes bred another until she was under blanket scrutiny. It wasn’t accusing just… innocently expectant. “See the thing is in a family like this one…” He gestured a circle. “There’s no such thing as a secret.”

“We tell each other everything,” Troy said. “Someone always knows something.”

“No secrets,” Ward agreed. “No judgment.”

Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea for her to be part of the Breckenridge family.

Darroch’s thumb extended to stroke up and down her arm. A comfort? Or was he agreeing with his brothers?

“A thing?” Caber prompted again.

“It’s something for a friend. I promised I’d make an appearance at his event to support him.”

“Him?” Ward said and grinned at his brother. “Competition, man.”

“Don’t I know it,” Darroch said. “She’s made no secret of that. I’m just happy to be in the running.”

Did she really come across as the type of woman who’d string several men along at once? If anyone asked Jeremy, he’d say yes.

“It’s not like that, we met at a fundraising event years ago. He’s passionate about the community effort. It’s for a children’s center.”

“Oh, wonderful. It’s in the city?” Alice’s shoulders went slightly back. “Why is that not on our calendar?”

“Don’t ask me,” Caber said, though she may not have been actually asking him. “We’re finding out there’s a lot not on our calendar.”

“No,” she said on an exhaled laugh. “This is small scale, tiny, they’re hoping to raise thousands, not millions.”

“Luxe Leathers going to be there?”

“No, this is not through work, it—” She cleared her throat with an eyeroll. “We went out one time.”

“Ah, so it is like that.”

“Competition,” Darroch said, closing his arm around her.

“No, not at—he’s an amazing man, but he has serious issues. Well, his family has serious issues. He’s a… His workmeans everything to him. I said I would make an appearance to support him. It means a lot to the kids he works with.”

“He works with children and prioritizes charitable efforts?” Alice asked, her eyes slinking around to join hers. “Darroch may not be the only man at the table with competition.”

Wow, a joke she didn’t expect, but she appreciated it with her friend. Friend?

“You hearing this, Dad?” Troy asked.

“I hear everything,” Benedict said, typing into the tablet. “And what’s our first rule with women, boys?”

“Do it better,” the men chorused, startling her.

Benedict surprised her by giving her his focus. “Learn everything you can about the man, then do it bigger, better.”

“Okay, to do it better, I have to see it,” Darroch said and kissed her hair. “Dinner first? What time does the event start?”

“Eight thirty. But it’s invitation only, they don’t have a lot of space for—”

“Will a million get us through the door, or should we make it five?” Benedict said. “What’s the guy’s name? I’ll give him a call.”

---