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“You’ll be fine.”

“I will,” I say, taking an exaggerated breath and making Leah laugh. “What’s with the water tower?” I ask, wanting to change the subject.

It’s from that moment on, I form a bond with Caleb’s sister-in-law. We spend the rest of the afternoon laughing and getting to know one another. And that’s how the boys find us.

CHAPTER 52

CALEB

April’s eyes almost pop out of their sockets when she meets Elijah. My brother is a giant, towering over the rest of us. At six foot six, Leah describes him as aman-mountain.Unlike in previous years, however, my elder brother is acting like the perfect gentleman. If not strangely overprotective of our guest.

I take time watching as he interacts with Gabriel and Leah, holding baby Callum in his enormous arms, smiling down at the little man as he tries to grab his nose. There’s no denying it’s been a tough year for him. He and his wife, Darra, have finally decided to draw a line under their years of bickering and separate. I know they are in the process of divorcing, but as usual, he is holding all his cards close to his chest.

I’m pleased to see Lottie by his side, that Darra has let her attend. My niece is more relaxed than I’ve seen her in years. No longer being the filling in the sandwich between her warring parents has clearly had an impact.

Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised she already knows April. She recently began attending Scarlett’s dance school. Herface was a picture when I introduced them, and April smiled, telling me she’d been teaching my niece for a couple of months.

Since their separation, Darra has moved off the family estate and into the city. Lottie has gone with her, which has devastated my mother. But it means Elijah gets to see more of his daughter when he’s working. What was weekends only is now half a week, and everyone seems to be happier. Darra, it appears, has realised the damage she’s done, and although the battle between her and Elijah rages on, she’s decided using their daughter as cannon fodder is out of line.

“You can’t take your eyes off her, can you?” Kat’s voice appears at my shoulder.

“No,” I admit honestly, making her smile.

“She’s the woman from New York,” she adds, telling, not asking. I can’t help but smile. This is so Kat, cut to the chase. “You should know. I know everything that happens in every one of the Frazer Hotels. Especially when one of my siblings makes a request for security footage.”

I sigh.

“Oh, how the mighty have fallen,” she chuckles. “I’m happy for you, little bro.”

I look across, but she appears to be lost in thought.

“How is the hotel business?” I ask.

Kat was the one to take over the Frazer hotelier business after our father died. She’d been working alongside our father, learning the ropes until his untimely death.

Five years ago, when she was younger than me now, she was forced to confront the misogynistic board members, who argued a woman could not run a hotel empire. Kat has been proving the old fossils wrong ever since, expanding and growing the chain.

“How’s the redevelopment going in Asia?”

Kat groans and wipes a hand over her face. “Don’t ask.The developer, who came highly recommended, is an eco-fraud.”

I hide my grin, already aware of this fact. “You know I’ve told you before, Jaxson…”

The look my sister shoots me stops me dead in my tracks.

“Don’t,” she says. “Jaxson Lockwood is going nowhere near this project or my business.”

“Wow, who rattled your cage?” I ask. I know I’m staring at her wide-eyed. Kat is hard to rattle, but the mere mention of Jaxson’s name has her eyes flashing fire.

“I cannot work with that man, so don’t even suggest it.”

I hold up my hands in defeat and decide against telling her Jaxson will be attending tomorrow’s party. Knowing my sister, she’ll pack her bags and leave, or worse still, have a firing squad waiting for him. Kat on the warpath is not something anyone wants to encounter.

Before I can make any further comments, I notice Elijah is moving towards April. After last year’s fiasco with Leah, I don’t want to leave April unattended, so I make my way over.

April and Elijah are talking. Is that a smile I see threatening his lips? Wow!

“Hi, Eli,” I say.