Page 93 of Moonstruck Kiss

I put on a pair of shorts and a shirt before following him out. I’m surprised to see not only my father but also my mother and sister. “Hey, what are you all doing here?”

“Hey, Ollie,” Liss says. “The chickens have a lot of eggs today. Do you want to come with me and we’ll get them together?”

“Oh, yes!” Ollie turns to me. “Can I go now, please, Dad?”

“You haven’t brushed your teeth or anything yet.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Liss says, then takes Ollie’s hand to leave.

I frown. “What’s going on?” I ask my parents.

They watch Liss and Ollie drive away in a buggy before glaring at me.

“Tell me it wasn’t you,” Mum says, almost teary.

I blink. “What do you mean?”

“Just come clean to us, please, Brax?” Dad asks, despair written all over his face.

Chelsea’s cryptic warning flashes in my head and my whole body heats up. “You better tell me what you’re talking about.”

Dad pulls out his phone, taps on the screen, and hands it to me. “Everyone’s woken up to that.”

A picture of Moonstruck Chocolatier’s and Teews’ logos right next to each other is the first thing I see. My heartbeat spikes as I read the social media post by Sean Son, an independent investigative reporter famous for breaking news on juicy scandals. His accuracy is such that people take his word as gospel.

I have it on very good authority that confectionary giant Teews is keen on acquiring Moonstruck Chocolatier, the company that owns the rights to Theo Cresswall’s chocolate recipe and was recently savaged by social media influencer Chelsea Banton. Moonstruck Chocolatier is playing hardball despite their plunging fortunes but Teews apparently has a secret weapon: Their investment banker is a mole in Moonstruck Cove who reports to Teews on everything that’s happening at and about Moonstruck Chocolatier. If Teews becomes successful with the acquisition, they apparently plan to ditch Moonstruck Chocolatier’s whole product line apart from Theo’s First.

“What in the actual fuck?” I rake my hair with my fingers.

“Any Mooner who reads that would conclude the mole is you,” Mum says.

“But I’m not a mole!”

“So you don’t know anything about Teews wanting to acquire the Barkers’ family business?” asks Dad.

My mind is racing with so many different thoughts that I stutter. “Well…I…I did know they wanted to. But I thought they didn’t anymore.”

“You knew something?” Mum asks in horror.

“There was nothing malicious about it. I’m definitely not planted here as a mole! In any case, how could you even think I’d do something like that? Especially to Joey’s family?” My heart bangs violently in my chest. “I’d better go to Joey.”

Without waiting for my parents’ response, I leave in a hurry.

Chapter

Eighteen

JOEY

I siton one end of my couch, hugging my legs against my chest. My heart feels so damn heavy that I want to cry for relief, but no tears are coming.

“Here,” Mum says, offering me a steaming cup of chamomile tea.

I shake my head.

“Say something, dear,” Dad urges.

Sitting beside me, Josie rubs my back. “I think she’s in shock, Dad.”

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