Page 97 of Moonstruck Kiss

“Buttering up my parents, huh?” I say to Brax with a smirk.

He shakes his head. “Just doing what I can to help.”

“Won’t this land you in hot water with your employer? You’re working against your own client.”

“Only if they find out.”

I raise my brows. “Aren’t you afraid we’ll blab about this and it’ll somehow get to GX?”

“No,” he says simply.

I’m caught in his gaze. He’s implying he trusts my family implicitly despite the fact we have lost trust in him.

“Are you gonna accept his advice?” I ask my parents.

Dad scoffs. “I’m interested in reading it, but I have to consider the integrity of the writer.”

“I’ve already made it clear there are no strings attached to that report,” Brax says. “The last decision always rests with you guys. But please don’t discount what’s in there because it came from me.”

“How do we even know it’s actually for our benefit?” I ask with a frown. “What if you have ulterior motives for giving us this report?”

He chuckles dryly. “Ihavea huge ulterior motive in doing this report—your family’s forgiveness, especially yours. But if I don’t get that, then my consolation prize is knowing I’ve done my best to produce something that could help your business.”

I press my lips together, trying to keep a lid on my emotions. A part of me wants to throw myself at him and kiss him till the cows come home but another part is holding me back as forcefully as it can.

“The way it stands, Brax,” I say quietly, “you can’t explain why you met up with Chelsea Banton and lied to me about it. You can’t explain why you’re not the mole mentioned by Sean Son, especially when it’s true that you’re employed by the same investment bankers hired by Teews. You can’t explain why all these things have happened while you’re here in this town wooing me—me, who happens to be part-owner of the business Teews wants to acquire for peanuts. You even admitted yourself that we were still enemies when you first knew of Teews’ interest in us.”

Brax lets out a heavy sigh, his eyes suspiciously moist. “I can totally see where you’re coming from. That’s why I’m working on getting the proof to clear my name.”

“Good,” I say flippantly. “Until then, I suggest you don’t speak to us.”

He hangs his head.

Oh, God, why can’t I stand seeing him so distraught? This foolishness will get me nowhere.

I turn to my family, eager to get out of here. “I need to borrow the van to transport my paintings to the barn.”

“Oh, are you putting them up already?” asks Josie.

“Yes. Emory, Cutie and I are setting up the place today so I thought I’d hang up mine.”

“The weather report says a storm might be headed our way tonight,” Mum says. “We might get some heavy rain and strong winds. Make sure you have the barn doors and windows closed before you leave it.”

I nod.

“Need any help?” Brax asks tentatively.

I frown. Why is he still here? “No, thank you. From tomorrow, you can put up Ollie’s works. We’ll have plaques up with artists’ names so you’ll know which space is his.”

I grab the van’s keys from the console table. “And please don’t come today,” I tell Brax before turning on my heels and leaving.

The loud howling of the wind and the hard pounding of the rain on the roof wake me up from a deep sleep. Oh wow, this storm seems much worse than anticipated.

I get out of bed and look out the window. I can’t see much apart from the lashing rain and tree branches swaying vigorously.

My heart races. How is the Pies’ barn coping with this? We did shut the doors and windows, but I don’t know if the latches can hold. The Pies usually reinforce them by bolting long wooden planks when they expect damaging winds, but we didn’t do that. The storm wasn’t supposed to be this intense.

Unfortunately, the portable tall room dividers we’re using to display the artwork won’t withstand this wind if the doors and windows blow open. They’ll topple over. And if rain’s being blown in, with my display “wall” being close to one of the windows, my paintings don’t stand a chance.

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