Page 22 of Second Chance Wedding
She’d been so upset about Benji and worrying about how she’d go about paying them for the repairs that she hadn’t even had a chance to process the fact that the brothers’ requirement meant dealing with Cole on an almostdailybasis. Seeing him, speaking to him…
This agreement of theirs was going to be even harder than she’d expected.
How was she going to survive this?
ChapterSix
Cole regretted everything. Not calling the cops. Softening when he’d heard Ana’s pleas. Allowing his brothers to change the conditions and making the teenager work it off.
What was he thinking? Now he was stuck with them both for the foreseeable future until Ben paid off the damages.
Curses filled his head as he exited his Wrangler and followed Ana’s son inside the fancy hotel. People lingered at the bar and in the lobby, most of them staring at a screen of one type or another. He scanned the area for any danger, the exits, the things his years of training had made normal.
Cole tracked the teen as he headed across the expansive lobby toward an inside store on the far side of a restaurant and bar area. The store had fancy gold-glitter lettering and thick moldings that reeked of money. The clothing inside was not on the average sale rack. “This is your mom’s store?”
Ben called out a “yeah” over his shoulder and kept going. Cole paused outside and stared in through the glass to where Analise chatted with a customer.
Her smile froze on her face when she spotted her son, her gaze shifting, searching, until it landed on Cole.
The customer regained Ana’s attention when the woman took possession of her purchase and said goodbye. Ana was all smiles again, thanking the woman before she walked away.
Cole watched as Ana seemed to square her shoulders before addressing her son.
“Benj—ah, Ben, how was your day?”
“How do you think? They treated me like a slave all day. I need money. I’m hungry.”
Ana’s gaze shifted to Cole quickly before looking back at her son.
“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad. A little work never hurt anyone.”
Ben cursed at that and ignored his mother’s reprimand about his language.
“I’m hungry,” Ben said again. “Give me some money to go get food.”
“I ordered in for you. It’s in the office. Go eat, and when you’re finished you can work here for a few hours before we close.”
Curses filled the shop and overpowered Ana’s orders for her son to stop.
“Enough.” Cole growled the word and planted his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Go eat or starve but don’t swear at your mother again.”
Ben glared up at Cole, hands fisted and body tight.
Cole waited for the kid to strike. He could tell Ben rode the edge and wanted to lash out, but Cole would rather the boy take it out on him than on Ana.
Ben jerked out from under Cole’s grip and headed toward an opening where Cole guessed the office was located.
“Thank you for driving him back and…that. I’ll talk to him.”
A woman appeared from the office area and smiled at Cole when she saw him.
“Um, Cole this is Sasha, my assistant manager. Sasha, Cole Blackwell.”
“Oh, I heard,” the younger woman said with a roll of her eyes. “Ben is back there shoveling food in and muttering about you at the same time.”
Cole managed a smile he didn’t feel. “Sasha, think you can handle things here for a few minutes while I talk to your boss?”
Ana looked surprised and uneasy by the request, but before she could protest, Sasha agreed.
