Cherish Me Forever by Layla Hagen

Author:Layla Hagen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: layla hagen
Published: 2023-11-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Reese

I was a bit of a mess over the next few days to the point that I didn’t even participate in the Halloween celebrations at the hotel. I just kept thinking about Malcolm's message. He hadn't sent me a follow-up, but I wasn't kidding myself. If he'd taken the trouble to write to me in the first place, he wasn't going to give up just because I didn't answer.

No matter how much I wanted to protect my family, I couldn't keep them in the dark. This affected them just as much as it did me. I considered telling just Travis and Kimberly at first. As the owner of the hotel, Travis would be the one most directly impacted, although Kimberly and I were also co-owners of the Aspen Hotel. But I felt as if this affected the whole Maxwell legacy. I couldn't imagine telling everyone at once. But if I told them separately, I'd have to relay the story several times, and I didn’t have it in me.

"Knock, knock. You here?" Kimberly asked.

"Hey, how long have you been standing there, staring at me like a creep?"

"Just a few minutes. Everything okay?"

Everything was decidedly not okay. I leaned back in my chair.

Her eyes widened. "Oh shit. What happened?"

"Think we can get the family together for a dinner?"

Kimberly stilled. "Reese, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"

"I have some things to share with everyone."

She practically ran across the office and sat in front of me. "I need to know now."

"Look, don't worry. It's just not something I want to keep repeating over and over again. That's why it's best if I rip off the Band-Aid when I tell everyone at the same time."

"It's about Malcolm, isn't it?"

I winced. "How did you know?"

"Because it's the only time you get all cagey, and I can practically see you shrinking in front of me."

I sighed. "Every time I think I've gotten rid of him, I'm wrong."

She stood up abruptly, nodding. "I'll get the family together, but not at your place. There's no space for everyone to sit down. I'll call Aunt Lena. I’m sure she’d love to have everyone for dinner.”

"Thanks, Kimberly," I said.

"And I heard through the grapevine that a hunk picked you up from the office the other day."

My face lit up. I could practically feel my features going from stressed to relaxed and then to happy. "Yes, he did. And you’re going to get the details about that, just not right now."

She scoffed. "What's the point of working together if we can't gossip whenever we want to? I have some time now."

"Me too. My next meeting isn't until ten."

"Perfect. I'll bring coffee."

I stood from my desk chair. "I'll come with you to the kitchen, see if we have any sweets."

"We don't. Trust me. I already checked." She paused for a moment, obviously thinking about something. "Maybe we could make a contract with Liz or something that she could supply us with goodies twice a week."

"Hey, that would be cool," I said. "We love sweet treats, and it would mean more business for her.

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