Page 29 of Just a Plot Twist (Tate Brothers #7)

Benson

Thomas: How would you feel about representing the company at Peter Schiller’s birthday party on Thursday?

I stare at my dad’s text. Prior to a week or two ago, he’d never asked me how I “feel” about anything, and he’s already done that twice in the last few days.

I rotate in my office chair back and forth. I have so many questions. I’ve been planning my day, and it’s full of overseeing cloud migration and initiating system overhauls. I’m not doing much coding here at Foundations, but I kind of love it.

From what Sebastian and the others have told me, it was rough being raised by a type A workaholic. Apparently, he softened over the years, especially when his wife, Celine, got sick .

But my first few interactions with him were emotionally charged.

We both said things we regretted. Now, though?

He doesn’t miss a family event. And the look on his face at Henry and Quinn’s four-year-old daughter Navie’s tae kwon do competition a couple of weeks ago?

He looked—and usually looks—at her like she could do no wrong.

Still, it’s different he’s asking me about my feelings. I call him up.

“Hey, Benson,” Thomas says. “I’m about to walk into story time at the library.”

Story time? Where little kid germs and silly shenanigans converge into Thomas’s worst nightmare?

He gives up a nervous laugh. “Well, when your granddaughter asks you to do something for her, you can’t say no, can you?” There’s a smile in his voice.

“So what’s happening at story time?”

“Navie’s in a little play that Sophie and Elianna put together.”

“I bet she’s excited.” Elianna, Sebastian’s wife, has been helping Sophie, the county librarian, with various community events.

“Navie’s not only got the lead part, but she’s helping with the directing, too. Fits her personality, don’t you think?”

“That’s cute. Take some videos and send them to the family photo app, will you?”

“On it. Sophie and Elianna have been working on this with the kids for weeks.”

There’s the slightest hint of pride in his voice.

“And you and Celine are there now?”

He grunts in the affirmative. “Sophie was saying something about inviting Dax and Indie to help with the summer reading program. ”

“Yeah, she asked me about it. They’re going to love it.”

Dax and Indie have been getting to know the family. I think they like being the cool older cousins.

“Hey, about Peter’s birthday party,” Thomas continues. “He invited me, as well. But under the circumstances, I won’t be attending.”

“Makes sense.”

Thomas’s sigh is terse. “Someone at the party is bound to ask his daughter, Lora, about the new business.” His sigh is menacing. “If you happen to hear anything…interesting…while you’re there, well, there’s no harm in that.”

I don’t love social events. I can do them, there are just a lot of other things I’d rather do.

Except, there is one thing that might make this more enjoyable.

“Is it alright if I bring a friend?”

Thomas pauses. “Yes. Anyone in particular?”

“I…uh.” Do I tell them it’s Oliver’s sister-in-law?

“Because I might have an idea about who you want to bring,” he adds.

“Oh, really?”

I could take a guess how he thinks he knows. I could take twelve guesses, actually, if I were to count all my brothers and their wives.

His chuckle is low. “Word travels fast in this family, Benson. Milo explained a bit about what happened at that anniversary party.”

“You heard about this all the way from North Carolina, huh?”

Milo moved out there to be with his wife, Rose, and her son, Callum, while she attends nursing school at UNC.

“And then when I mentioned it to Celine, she told me she already knew,” Thomas says .

Great. Not only are they connecting me with someone for the first time since they met me, but that someone is Sophie’s sister. Which is a big deal. And no one is going to stay quiet about it.

“It’s looking more and more like it really is Peter’s new business,” Thomas clarifies. “In today’s meeting with HR, he was asking questions about how HR would work for a new company. And he’s been taking boxes of things from his office out to his car in the evenings. He’s cleaning his stuff out.”

“Maybe he’s doing some spring cleaning?” I mean it as a joke. I’m still not one hundred percent convinced Peter’s actually going to jump ship and abandon my father. It’s looking worse and worse by the day, though.

Thomas ignores my comment. “I’m not easy to work with.” He sighs. “But nothing gives him license to go around behind my back in breach of contract. I’ve been talking with the legal team.”

“That’s wise, I guess, especially since they’re obligated to keep it quiet.” And he’s right. Historically, he has been difficult to work with, but I don’t want to even touch that comment.

Thomas clicks his tongue. “They say there’s nothing we can do quite yet. We have to sit here and watch it happen right under our noses. And what if the boxes of stuff he’s taking out of here is proprietary information? I want to fire him ASAP, but again, legal says I can’t.”

“It’s problematic to have to wait, but we need to be wise in how we react. Peter’s position isn’t at-will. If you let him go without just cause, things could get much worse. He could sue.”

Thomas snarls, a deep groan, and I know it’s coming from the anguish caused by his friend stabbing him in the back.

“I’d be glad to go to the birthday party, Thomas. ”

“Thanks. Try to have a nice time and let me know if you hear anything.” I hang up the phone.

Spending time with Claire on the beach the other night felt different…more than just two people hanging out.

I suppose the best way to get back on the saddle is to go for it. No sense hemming and hawing over it.

Except that makes me uneasy because it’s not about that. It’s a big deal because of the family connections already in place. Besides, I put pressure on myself because this is more than just a casual thing. She deserves more than casual.

And because she’s pretty inexperienced in dating, I have to be cautious and take my time.

Even though all that is true, and I still don’t know what I’m going to do, there is one consolation:

I get to see Claire again.

The next evening, I pull up to Claire’s little house in the heart of Longdale, all wound up. My insides are spinning like a top.

When I texted her for her address, I only asked if I could stop by for a quick visit.

Was it necessary to drive to Longdale to ask her to come to Peter’s birthday party with me?

No.

But I wanted to, okay ?

Her house is a nice little bungalow on a tree-lined street. It’s navy and white Hardie board with a large front porch that spans the entire front of the house. I laugh at the life-size resin dog by the front door with a sign in its mouth that reads: “Don’t stop retrievin’.”

Why is everything about Claire cute?

And since when did I start finding “cute” so attractive?

I ring the doorbell, but she doesn’t answer it until the second ring.

“Hey. Come on in.” Her expression is bright as she uses a towel to pat the ends of her damp hair. A strong scent of florally coconut soap drifts through the air. Her loose-fitting tank top and not-so-loosely-fitting leggings do something to my insides.

And I know it’s not the clothing. It’s the woman.

“What a great house.”

“I know, right?” She has an easy demeanor, yet there’s a slight hesitation. She’s aware there’s more to my visit than just stopping in to say hello.

She leads me through the front room and down a short hallway. There’s a square shadowbox behind glass on the wall. I recognize the maroon and gold of the Longdale Longhorn mascot.

“Is this the famed Longdale memorabilia collection?”

Her grin stretches across her whole face. “It is. We’ve got a bunch of 4-H pins, newspaper clippings, old photographs of the school and Main Street back in the day...”

I point to a white satin ribbon with gold glitter. “A pageant sash?”

“And tiara! I got them for a buck fifty at a yard sale.”

“I’m sure that former Miss Longdale, wherever she is, is happy it’s being displayed. ”

“She should because her stuff made the cut. I need a few more shadow boxes to be able to display everything. The rest of the stuff is in boxes in the attic.”

Claire guides me into the kitchen, then gestures to a table and chairs set.

“I have to show off my kitchen reno, so naturally, I like to entertain in here now.”

“Naturally,” I agree, with a smile. “Wow, I love your kitchen.”

It manages to look both new and lived in at the same time, with the gleaming medium-toned wood cabinets and white-washed red brick backsplash.

She offers me my choice of cold beverages in the refrigerator, and I take a glass

bottle of Coke.

“Nothing like a classic,” she says, taking one for herself.

We sit at the table, and she grabs my bottle from me so she can use a bottle opener on the cap. I catch another whiff of her shampoo and then I try to forget about how she was just in the shower.

She uncaps her bottle with a crisp sship . “Sophie and I started it before she married Oliver. She’d wanted to paint the cabinets white, but when she moved out and the project became mine, I got to do it my way.” She rubs her hands together.

“Which meant you refinished the cabinets?”

“Exactly. I wanted the old charm still, just fresh and new. It looks a little how things were in the fifties when the house was built, with the window seats and the built-in shelving everywhere.”

“It turned out great. ”