Page 70 of Babies for the Christmas Grump

Or worse… what if my aunt knew about this? Was she mixed up with this Lang guy? Was the hotel being targeted?

I can’t breathe. My heart is a drumbeat in my chest.

I yank myself out of the chair and practically run down the hall to the bar, desperate to get some answers from someone who isn’t me.

Dex is there, cleaning a glass with a towel. He looks up when I approach, his eyes softening at the sight of my panic.

“Sunny,” he says gently, “you really need to sleep. You’re looking… a little wrecked.”

“I can’t. I need to know something. Vincent Lang. Do you know who that is?”

His expression doesn’t change. He scrubs the glass one more time, shaking his head. “Not off the top of my head. Why? Is this about the hotel?”

“I… I don’t know,” I admit, feeling utterly lost. “I think it’s connected to… something. The finances, maybe? I’m freaking out over here, Dex.”

He looks at me for a long beat, then sets the glass down. “You should take a break, Sunny. You look like you’re running on fumes. Are you sick?”

I shake my head, stubborn. “I can’t be sick. I don’t have time. I need to find Ryder. He must know something about this. Please tell me you know where he is.”

“Ryder?” Dex’s eyes flicker. “He’s out with his sister.”

My brain stops.His sister?

“But it’s his mom here, right?”

Dex shakes his head. “Nope, his sister has come too. Seems like it’s a whole family reunion.”

Great.

I was going to talk to him about this, but it seems like he’s too busy.

I really am in over my head.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Ryder

December 15th

This brunch?It’s not just uncomfortable, it’s a damn circus. And I’m the unwilling ringmaster.

This was supposed to be just me and Claire, but because nothing in my life can ever be simple, Elaine managed to invite herself.

Now I’m stuck at a table, the worst seat in the house, trying to pretend this whole mess doesn’t exist while the two of them throw passive-aggressive barbs at each other as if it’s some game.

I take a sip of my coffee. It’s burnt. No surprise there. This whole situation’s just… wrong.

I glance at Claire first. She’s picking aggressively at a chia parfait. Her eyes are burning holes in the walls as she does everything she can to not meet Mom’s gaze.

She’s sharp, always calculating, and never says anything unless it serves her in some way. And right now, she’s watching Mom, trying to figure out the best way to gut her without anyone noticing.

Then there’s Elaine. If there’s a master at manipulation, it’s her.

She’s doing the whole “charm and smile” thing, but it’s all a façade. She is not here for small talk. She’s here to remind Claire how much better she thinks she is at running things, at handling people, at living life.

She’s the queen of backhanded compliments.

“So, Claire,” Elaine says, dripping with sweetness, “your little wellness business is still running strong? I hear it’s very…enlighteningfor the right clientele.”