They All Had A Grudge: A reason. A secret. A fear. A murder. (They All Had A Reason. Book 6) by Michele Leathers

Author:Michele Leathers [Leathers, Michele]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: EMAR Publishing
Published: 2022-11-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

Paxton

The Past. . . .

The doorbell rang, waking me from a deep sleep. I wasn’t sure if it really was the doorbell or if I was just dreaming.

The family room was bright. The sun was shining through the windows. I rubbed my eyes, then checked the time, surprised to see that it was already noon. I couldn’t believe I slept for so long.

The doorbell rang again. This time I knew it was real, and a sense of dread washed over me, my thoughts turning to what happened with Layla. I hoped it wasn’t her at the door.

I got up from the couch, tiptoed to the front door, and looked through the peephole. Thank goodness. It was just Dottie. I noticed her bike propped up against the house. Normally she walked here.

I opened the door, and the corners of her mouth turned down. She didn’t look happy at all. “I know you lied to my dad.” She sounded irritated, and she should be.

“I’m sorry. I know.” I sighed, tucking my hair behind my ear. “I'll explain everything.” I closed the door and locked it, then we headed to the living room.

Dottie sat in the recliner across from me as I began telling her about the deal I had made with Layla. Her expression softened. She didn’t seem upset anymore, which was a relief.

She picked up the TV remote and began scrolling through Netflix. “You had the perfect opportunity to get Layla in humongous trouble, but you didn’t take it.” She gave me a sidelong look. “You must really like Lane. And if that’s the case, then why did you cheat on him?”

I didn’t want to get into a long discussion about my insecurities with Lane. I didn’t want to talk about my relationship problems at all. “I don’t know why I did it. It was a mistake.”

Dottie’s focus shifted to her phone. “So do you like William?”

“I like him as a friend. But that’s all.”

“Just friends? Are you sure?” She arched an eyebrow.

“Yes, I’m sure. Just friends.”

She propped her chin on her fist, a curious look in her eyes. “So William’s kiss wasn't, like, totally amazing? The kind that just knocks your socks off and sends a jolt of electricity throughout your entire body? The kind that makes you think about him nonstop?”

“No, of course not. It was nothing like that. There was no spark. I felt nothing.” That wasn’t true. I did feel something. I stared at the spot on the couch next to me where William sat last night, thinking about our kiss. I liked everything about it. It was perfect. But it was also wrong. I shouldn’t have done it.

“So what are you going to do about Layla?” Dottie asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Are you just going to forgive her and act like she didn’t show up here with a switchblade?”

“I don’t know . . . maybe.” What else could I do?

Dottie sat forward, eyebrows raised. “She brought that switchblade to your house, with the intention of using it on you, Paxton.

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