Page 45 of Pretend for Me

Irushed into the cab after getting an urgent text from Holden. I had given my driver a much-needed break until—if—I decided to go back to work.

Meet me at Sonny's. ASAP!

Holden’s text had read.

When I tried calling Holden, the phone went right to voicemail, so I trekked all the way to the restaurant in the middle of the afternoon.Shouldn’t Holden be working?

Holden flagged me down as I made my way to the hostess stand, motioning for me to come over.

As I approached the table, I saw we weren’t alone. Inside the booth sat a casually dressed Holden, a smirking Bridget, and an older bearded suit-clad gentleman who I did not recognize.

I looked at Holden, questioningly, waiting for him to reveal why it was so important for me to rush down here. “Hey bro! Guess what?” Holden boomed. The table next to us gasped at his boisterous tone.

Bridget gave him a slap behind his head, motioning for me to sit. “Holden.”

Holden gushed, winking at his girlfriend. Then the strangest thing happened—Bridget giggled. Giggled. The Ice Queen giggled.Had Hell frozen over?

I rolled my eyes and stared down at the older man, skeptical of this stranger.

“Holden?” I raised my eyebrows, still hoping to get some answers as to why I was dragged down here under the guise of an emergency.

Holden and Bridget were nipping at each other’s lips, so I groaned, palming my forehead before cautiously sitting down beside them.

Holden turned his head sideways. “Oh right, we’re engaged!” Holden squealed like a twelve-year-old.

Bridget pursed her lips and looked a little apprehensive, even nervous.

I shook my head slightly and smiled at my crazy best friend and his bitchy fiancée. “Congratulations to you both. Cherish each other,” I cheered, genuinely happy for them. If Holden was happy, I was happy.

Hugs were exchanged as the older man sat, fiddling with his phone. I grew tired of waiting and asked bluntly, “Who’s that?” I crooked my thumb toward the older man sitting across from Holden.

Holden huffed and crossed his arms, looking at his fiancée.

Bridget wiped her mouth, lipstick smeared from her make out session with Holden, wearing a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin as she made introductions. “This is Silas Abernathy. He’s a private investigator and lawyer, specializing in corporations. He’s also my uncle.” Bridget looked at Silas tenderly. Bridget looked at someone besides herself tenderly. Yep, Hell had indeed frozen over. “Not by blood but in every way that counts. Sonny, my grandfather, who I named the restaurant after, was partners with Silas. My dad died when I was ten, and mymom worked two jobs trying to save money to send me to a good school. Uncle Silas picked up any slack,” Bridget gushed, adjusting the floral arrangement in the middle of the table.

I couldn’t believe my ears. Was Bridget actually trying to help with my predicament? I wanted to ask what was in it for her, but instead I kept silent. A private investigator would be useful in finding out more information about Wyatt and his alleged dirty dealings.

“We thought it would be best to have an outside perspective. Your lawyer is friends with Wyatt, right?” Holden inquired, taking a drink out of his coffee cup. I nodded. “I hope you don’t mind me telling Bee, but I can’t hide things from her.” Bridget and I exchanged a guilty glance, seeing as how I had Bridget hide Cassie’s sudden rehiring from Holden.

He continued his speech, narrowing his eyes at me. “It’s not a sound idea to be in contact with anybody from Adams Point. You need to find out the truth and help Parker before Wyatt puts this craziness into motion,” Holden informed, grabbing a box of files from the floor and sliding them to me. “Here’s everything Silas came up with so far. Oh, by the way, I quit.”

This revelation was shocking. “You quit? I thought you loved your job,” I surmised, looking over at Bridget to gauge her stance on all this. I wasn’t thrilled that Holden brought her into the fold, but if roles were reversed, I knew I would have done the same.

“Nah. I just stuck it out because I knew no woman would love me without being successful. But now that I’ve got my woman, I can pursue my real dream,” Holden announced, grabbing Bridget’s hand once more.

“Which is?” I prompted, my stomach grumbling. I looked around for a waitress, hoping to order something to tide me over. Of course, the waitress I was really looking for wasn’t there.

“Opening my own food truck, of course. It’s going to be an extension of Sonny's on 5th. Instead of steak, it’s going to be chicken and eggs. I’m thinking of naming it Sonny Side Up. Get it?!” He chuckled.

I nodded and forced out a smile despite the terrible name. After our talk in my office, I was attempting to be more supportive.

Bridget interjected, “The name needs some work, but the sentiment is great.” She smiled at Holden, threading her fingers through their already clasped hands.

As the two lovebirds got lost in future plans, Silas decided now would be a proper time to introduce himself. “Mr. Adams, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He outstretched his hand to shake mine.

“Thank you, sir. As you can imagine, this is a very delicate situation, but regardless of my familial association, I just want to know the truth. Also I need to do all that I can to prevent Parker going down for Wyatt,” I admitted. I had come to realize I couldn’t protect my family anymore. Especially when it was starting to look like they weren’t deserving of it.

Oddly enough, I also found I didn’t want to turn a blind eye and trust so freely. If Wyatt was in fact as corrupt as the files and his pompous attitude made him out to be, I would gladly stand by and watch as the authorities doled out the proper punishments.

---