Page 144 of Family Bonds- Kelsey & Van

She put Frankie down on the floor and would use that as an excuse to go into Van’s office.

Frankie took off like she knew he would to search out Van, but instead was in the office barking at Christian.

She rushed in. “Sorry,” she said.

“Kelsey,” Van said, his eyes not saying how calm he was acting.

She shrugged. “I’ll go put him in your room.”

“Go,” he said.

No way she was leaving, but she wasn’t going to let Christian know that.

She put Frankie in Van’s room and shut the door and then snuck back toward the office and hid outside the door.

“What was it that you needed to meet about?” Christian said. “That you couldn’t tell me over the phone?”

“I’d like to know why you broke into my house, Christian. What are you looking for?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Christian said. “Why would I do that?”

Kelsey almost snorted over how innocent he sounded.

“That’s my question too, Christian. But then I got thinking. You’ve said more than once that you were close with Barry. He watched you grow up. Maybe you thought you’d get something when he died and you didn’t. You were shocked when I showed up too.”

“Barry and I were close,” Christian said. “But I never expected anything.”

“Are you so sure of that?” he asked. “My lawyer said that you tried to contest the will.”

Her jaw dropped. She hadn’t known that. Why wouldn’t Van have told her that?

“I’d have no grounds to do that,” Christian said.

“That’s what you were told,” he said.

“I think you’re reaching for straws over some things that have happened recently. It seems to me you’re just out of your element here. You handled things wrong with Carl and that came back on you. Or rather Kelsey. Neither of you know the first thing about dealing with the public, but if you’d listen to me you could learn.”

She started to grind her teeth. “Mr. Franklin,” she mumbled to herself.

“You and I both know that has nothing to do with someone breaking into two of my properties. The funny thing is, I didn’t put it together until I saw some pictures of my mother at another property as a kid.”

Christian shrugged. “I’m not sure what one has to do with the other.”

This was just pissing her off.

She turned the corner and stood in the doorway. Van rolled his eyes and Christian turned to look at her.

“Don’t be a dick,” she said. “We all know you were the one that broke into the house.”

Christian laughed at her. She hated when someone laughed at her like she didn’t know what she was talking about.

“You two have something going on and that is all fine, but don’t get me involved in your conspiracy theories.”

“Frankie snarled and growled at you because you were in the house when he was locked up. You scared him.”

“The only time I’ve seen that dog is when you were in the hotel,” Christian said.

“You can keep lying,” Van said. “But Miles already rolled on you. Said you hired him to break into the first house.”

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