Page 90 of Vicious Sabotage

Ivy offered her a smile of appreciation for the nod to her skills. At the end of the table, Sean Gracey sat listening to the entire conversation, but he had very little to add. He reached out a hand and touched his daughter’s arm, and Ivy smiled at him, love and admiration back in her eyes toward the parent that she had lost hope in for a spell.

Meadow looked at both of her family members, her heart in her eyes too.

Livia was warmed by how the three Graceys had grown closer over the past week since they learned who would come to collect their money now. Smythe was behind bars, and this Eli Feldman was on their radar.

They were so much closer to putting an end to the attacks.

That didn’t help Livia’s distillery business, but after long thought, she wasn’t too upset about losing it. Ever since her discussion with Carver about the rum business, she had been thinking hard about her own hopes and dreams. Maybe it was a blessing she lost the distillery.

Livia squeezed Carver’s hand where it rested on her thigh. “If we’re finished here, Carver and I have someplace to be.”

He turned his head to stare at her. “We do?”

She nodded.

“You guys are good to go. We know where to find you.”

When Livia stood, she tugged on Carver’s hand. Meadow and Ivy threw her little waves of farewell and knowing grins.

As Livia led Carver out of the room, she paused next to Sean Gracey and gave him a pat on the shoulder. He lifted his hand and squeezed hers.

Once she and Carver made it to the front porch, he pulled her to a halt. “What is going on?”

“I’ll show you once we get to Badlands.”

His arched brow told her he wasn’t happy about not getting immediate answers.

She patted him on the chest to soothe the beast. “C’mon.”

His low growl brought a smile to her lips. Just to make him a little happier, she tossed him the keys. “You can drive.”

He gave her a flat look. “Now I’m even more worried. You always want to drive.”

Shooting him a smile, she bounced over to the passenger side and climbed in.

The drive to Eden was a scenic one with pretty fields and the pale blue sky dotted with wisps of white clouds. She let out a contented sigh.

“All right, Livvie. Tell me what’s going on.” He gripped the wheel tighter.

“Who said anything is going on?”

“I haven’t seen you smile like this. Ever.”

“Now that’s unfair. I smiled before my distillery burned down and my house almost did.”

He fixed her in his gaze. “You sound almost cheerful. What the hell is going on?”

She settled a hand on his arm, caressing the hard sinew. “The house fire was put out before it damaged the structure. The repairs will be finished soon and we can move back in.”

That brought a quirk to his lips. “Damn right we will.”

“And to be completely honest…I’m not too upset about the distillery.”

“You’ll get an insurance payout.”

“Right, and it will pay the loan I took for start-up costs. I’m thinking about what we talked about.” When he didn’t respond, she squeezed his hand. “I’ve been thinking about a brewery.”

His expression rippled with surprise. “Really?”

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