Page 123 of Whiskey Wednesdays

“What a goddamn shitshow,” he muttered.

“Elodie’s aunt took her to see her great-grandma and then have lunch together, and when she brought Elodie back, I found out Amelia had met them at lunch. It didn’t go well.”

“It never does.”

“Then Noah and Amelia walked right in the front door. I thought it was Connor.” I let out a shaky breath.

“How are you doing? And don’t lie this time.”

I walked into the kitchen and poured myself some water. Then I sat down at the kitchen bar.

“I hate it here,” I admitted. “Not your condo. It’s very nice, and thank you for letting us stay. But I’ve felt anxious and out of place since we got here. Vancouver is beautiful, and Connor’s house is stunning. But…”

“His house is pretty spectacular. I thought he was fucking nuts when he bought it. But it’s almost doubled in value since then.”

I sighed. “It took me months to get used to his house in Palm Desert. Only to find out he has an even bigger one here. And he seems so distracted and distant here. I felt anxious even before Noah and Amelia walked into the house.”

“What do you mean?”

I rested my head on my hand and struggled to explain. “I’m not sure we’re meant to be together. I don’t fit in, and I don’t belong in expensive houses in gated properties. Maybe I don’t belong with him.”

“The fuck you don’t,” I heard Connor growl from the kitchen doorway.

I yelped and bobbled my phone. “Holy shit! Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“Who are you talking to? And where did the blood come from in the hallway?”

Damn it, I’d forgotten to mop up the blood from my injured foot.

Glaring at Connor, I put the phone back to my ear. “Titus? Connor just walked in and scared the hell out of me. I’ve got to go.”

Titus chuckled. “Tell him I said he’s welcome and he owes me one. Good luck.”

Connor studied me as I disconnected.

His gaze sharpened when he noticed my swollen, battered cheek. “What happened to your face?”

At least I’d been able to clean up my bloody nose. I didn’t answer right away. “What happened at your house? Were they still inside when you got there?”

He walked over to me. “I came here first. The police and Sherrill are there, and she’ll call me back when she knowsanything.” Carefully, he held my chin and turned my face toward the light. “Now tell me what happened to your face.”

“Amelia hit me.” Thinking about it made my hands shake all over again. “Geneviève and Elodie’s lunch didn’t go well. Amelia showed up. Then about an hour after Elodie got home, Noah and Amelia came to the house and walked right in. They had your codes.”

He froze and stared at me, then he pulled his phone out to call his assistant. “Sherrill, where are you at? Are the police still at the house?” He paused. “Did they arrest Amelia too? Tell them Amelia assaulted Isabella, and I want her charged.” He paused. “Someone needs to interview my girlfriend and daughter. We can go to the police station tomorrow.”

I could hear Sherrill’s voice on the phone, but I couldn’t hear what she said.

Connor nodded and started pacing. “Okay. Give them my number, and make sure they know about the restraining orders on both of them. Also, find out how they got my fucking house codes. And get the codes changedtoday.”

He hung up and stared down at his phone, then looked at me and his eyes softened. “I’m sorry, honey. I brought you here, then left you vulnerable.”

My lips trembled, but I glared at him. “You were mad because Titus helped us. You can take your apology and shove it.”

“I’m sorry. And for once, I’m grateful you and Titus are friends. Now tell me where the blood in the entryway came from.”

“Don’t worry, it’s not Elodie’s. When we made it out of the house, I didn’t have shoes on. I stepped on a piece of glass or a rock when we were running. Luckily, Elodie was wearing hers.” I pulled up my injured foot and showed him.

Connor scowled at the laceration. “You didn’t have shoes on? It’s ten fucking degrees out there.”

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