Love Next Door (Lakeside #1) by Helena Hunting

I tip my chin up, defiant. “I’m on whatever side you’re not.”

He smiles, and his fingertips trail down my arm. I bat his hand away and suppress a shudder. He forces the envelope into my hand. “You should think good and hard before you say no. I’m only offering the opportunity once; after that, every loss is on you.”

Real fear settles under my skin, making it pebble. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“I can either help you or hurt you. Don’t take what I’m offering you, and I guess you’ll find out. I’ll be in touch soon.”

I crumple the envelope in my fist, and he backs off, finally allowing me to step out from between him and the car.

I want to knee him in the nuts, or slap the smug holier-than-thou look off his face. “I’d suggest not randomly showing up here again. Unless you’re interested in being used as target practice.”

He laughs as he rounds the hood of the SUV, opens the door, and lowers himself inside. The engine rolls over with a low purr, and he peels out, narrowly missing my foot on the way.

I wait until he’s gone before I let my shoulders sag and give in to the urge to rub my temple. I can feel the headache knocking behind my eye.

Billy appears on the deck, one crutch perched under his arm, hair a mess, sleep lines on his face despite it being the dinner hour. “Who was that? One of those hockey player guys?”

“I wish,” I mutter, not because they’re all built like Adonis and have that rough-and-tumble kind of look about them, but because they’re nicer to deal with than potential blackmailers. “Just some asshole looking to buy up some land that isn’t available.”

Billy nods solemnly. “Lot of that going on around here lately. I think the whole town is corrupt. It’s a conspiracy, you know?”

“What kind of conspiracy?”

“The north side is keeping us under their thumbs. They run the town, even though they only live here a few months out of the year. You know Bernie lives right on the edge, between the north and south side, and he fakes having our best interest in mind because he’s playing both sides.”

“How do you know this?”

“I worked on his house last year. I see things. And people talk. Last night I heard them down at the lake, talking about expanding.”

“How did you hear them?”

“My window was open, and I have good hearing. Great hearing.” He tugs on his earlobe. “I’m hungry. I’m going inside. We probably shouldn’t talk about this out here.” And with that he turns around and hobbles back into the house, leaving me baffled, worried, and anxious.

I smooth out the envelope and look around, paranoid. I shake my head at myself for allowing my brother’s conspiracy theories to affect me. Still, I head back to my trailer before I open it up. Inside is a check for ten grand and some legal documents. They look official, and they state that Bee was incompetent at the time she changed her will. There’s a space for my signature.

There’s also a list of the projects my dad and uncle have worked on in the past year, and one in particular is highlighted. There was a dispute regarding inflated charges, but I know it was resolved and was a simple misunderstanding. On top of that are reports on my brother’s DUI charge and all his misdemeanors and run-ins with local law enforcement from when he was a teenager. It’s not much, but it’s enough that I can see where Bradley is going with this.

I need to talk to Bernie and see what recourse we have. If any. So much for Van’s brother being unmotivated. It looks like he just needs the right thing to light a fire under his ass. Like blackmail.

My phone pings with a reminder that I have a dinner date with Van. I run my hand down my face and sigh. I don’t know how I’m going to get out of this situation without someone getting hurt in the process.





CHAPTER 23

PARANOID

Van

I’m standing at the edge of the trees that separate my property from Dillion’s, trying to understand what I’ve just seen. Dillion with my brother. It doesn’t make sense. I try to keep from overreacting. Maybe he tried to stop by and see me, and I was down at the lake so he checked in with Dillion.

Maybe the way he was in her personal space was nothing. Maybe I’m making things up in my head, but I don’t understand why he would be back here so soon after coming for a visit. Especially since he complained the entire time. Apart from when he was drugged, anyway.

Dillion’s brother comes out of the house, so I head back to the cottage, still searching for a way to rationalize things. I pace the length of the living room, my gaze landing on a framed photo of Bee and Dillion. They’re sitting on the front porch peeling peaches, likely for some kind of pie, since that was Grammy Bee’s specialty. And tarts. God, I miss those.

My phone rings, and I nab it from the kitchen counter. My stomach flips as my brother’s name appears on the screen. I answer the call, unable to keep my cool. “What are you doing back in Pearl Lake?”

“I had a little business with your girlfriend. She’s quite the little firecracker. I can see why you like her. You were always a fan of the ones who needed taming.”

“What business could you possibly have with Dillion?”

“Clearly I’m the one who got the brains in this family. I’m the one contesting the will, genius.”