Page 29 of Billionaire Unexplained: Kaleb

Her exhaustion from a recent music tour.

She was even open about her grief, but she left out the part about her mental meltdown after her last concert. Probably because she was still confused about that episode herself.

Personally, I didn’t find that meltdown strange at all considering how much she’d had on her plate at the time and the grief she was going through.

However, I wasn’t surprised that she didn’t want to share that kind of vulnerability with two men she didn’t know.

“God, Anna, I’m so sorry,” Tanner said in a genuine tone. “We were all broken after we lost our father. I can’t imagine losing both of my parents at the same time. Somebody needs to shut your agent down. You could use some peace and privacy after what happened.”

“I didn’t take much time off after my parents died,” she explained. “Work was really all I had left. I have no other close family. I think I’m just mentally drained.”

“We’ll keep your secret,” Devon vowed.

“Mom is going to find out,” Tanner added. “But she knows how to keep a secret.”

“I’m excited to meet her,” Anna said enthusiastically. “I’m a huge fan of her art.”

“The first thing she’s going to ask is if you and Kaleb are dating,” Tanner warned.

“Are you?” Devon asked.

“No, we aren’t,” I snapped. “Anna is a…friend. She’s an international pop star. Do you honestly think the two of us would be dating?”

Devon shook his head slowly. “You’re a billionaire, and it’s not like you’re that much older than her. It was an obvious assumption.”

“The last thing she needs is a relationship with anyone,” I rumbled, hoping that Devon got the message not to mess with Anna. “She’s here to relax. After I wrap some things up at the office tomorrow, I’m taking some time off to do the same.”

Tanner’s head jerked abruptly in my direction, his expression shocked. “Seriously? You’re actually going to take some kind of vacation?”

“I know it’s been a while—”

“A while?” Devon interrupted. “You never take any time off for yourself.”

“I’m trying to change that,” I replied defensively.

“About time,” Tanner said. “What can we do to try to keep Anna’s presence a secret?”

“Do you know where I can get a pair of fake glasses?” Anna asked jokingly.

“I can wrangle some up if you need them. Are you going to try to go into town?” Tanner asked.

“I’m not sure,” Anna answered. “I’d love to see Crystal Fork, but I don’t want to bring the press here. That would be miserable for everyone.”

“We’ll decide later,” I told Tanner. “Let’s see how things go.”

“You do realize that the town’s spring fundraiser is Sunday, right?” Devon questioned. “Mom is in charge of it this year, and we all volunteered to help.”

“Fuck!” I cursed, irritated. “I did forget. We donate a small fortune to the town every year. I don’t know why they still have to do the fundraiser.”

“What is it?” Anna asked curiously.

“It’s a yearly event,” Tanner explained. “And they still do it because it’s a tradition. It’s not really about the money anymore. People love the baked goods, the food, the things for sale, and the auction. It’s more of a social event for the whole town than a fundraiser. The proceeds go to our small library, the fire department, and the police department.”

“That sounds amazing,” Anna said excitedly.

“Maybe the event will get rained out,” I said hopefully.

Generally, I liked helping with the spring fundraiser. The town did love the event, and my whole family had been pitching in to help as long as I could remember. But I really didn’t want to take off for the day so soon after her arrival and leave Anna kicking around on her own until after dinner.

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