Page 296 of The Maxwell Brothers

DECLAN

I checkedmy phone as soon as I got inside the house. My assistant had emailed me the papers.

“Liz, I want to look over this stuff first.”

“Sure. I’ll wait,” she said.

I went over to the couch to sit down. Opening the attachment, I read every word carefully. The fucking moron. He was suing me for defamation. As proof, he claimed to have copies of emails from the Halsey Group where they stated that after conversations with me, they decided not to continue employing him.

That was a weak argument, and any lawyer worth his salt knew it, including a sleazeball like Gregory Ashburn.

“Any chance you want to share what’s happening? I’m dying of anxiety over here,” Liz said. She was leaning against the kitchen island, biting her nails.

Dropping the phone on the couch, I went to her.

“The good news is he’s only suing me.”

Liz cocked a brow. “I fail to see thegoodpart.”

“Luke was the one who introduced me to the Halsey Group. I’m glad he was left out, and that he’s not going after Reese. He’s only after me.”

“Right. And that’s… good. You’re the weirdest person I know.” She rolled her eyes.

I ran my fingers through my hair, thinking hard. I didn’t want to burden her with my issues. “Let’s change the subject. Show me your lease contract. I can look over it right now.”

“Umm, no you won’t. I have until tomorrow, and you’re too worked up. I want you to relax. Mom always said there’s no problem that can’t wait until you’ve baked a tray of goodies.”

I threw my head back, laughing. “I don’t think it applies to me.”

“I’m serious. Stepping aside from the problem can give you perspective.”

I looked at this strange, lovely creature in my kitchen, all intent on taking my mind off everything. It troubled me that Malcolm had served me papers with a bogus accusation. It meant a lot of hassle. But I’d assumed as much when he hired Ashburn. Still, I didn’t like this one bit.

No one was going to hurt my family. I was undecided whether to tell Reese about this—I’d never even told her that I’d spoken to the Halsey Group—but past experience proved to me that keeping secrets wasn’t the best idea.

Usually, something like this would put me straight into work mode, and I’d immediately draft a response. But right now, spending the afternoon with Liz sounded much better. I could enjoy my woman now and deal with this moron once she left for her shift.

She’d taken a huge step forward toward opening her bakery, and it warranted celebration. I was determined to push everything else to the back of my mind and focus on her.

"Now, we’re baking. I need very precise instructions," I said as we rounded the counter.

"Yeah, but first things first. This suit is too expensive to go anywhere near the kitchen."

I burst out laughing. "You're trying to get me naked?"

"Not my intention. But if it's a side effect, you won't hear me complaining," she said with a wry grin.

"You seriously want me to stand in the kitchen naked?"

"I didn’t say anything about that. Just that this suit isn’t suitable. Pun intended."

I took off my jacket.

"Yeah, neither is the shirt. It's too white and too damn sexy."

"And you're still not trying to get me naked?" I verified.

"No."