Page 84 of Beneficial Misfortune

His words sound innocent enough, but I know better. With Alex and Desmond, everything has a double meaning, a dirty meaning.

Ruby barks and runs near my feet, mistaking my running for playing with her, and I almost wipe out.

“Go get Alex Ruby!” I pant, pointing him back toward Alex, making a mental note to get him a special treat when he changes direction.

“Run, Mommy!” Addison’s little shout rings out around the yard, and I dart my gaze to the second sliding glass door further down the house near the play structure. Des and her stand just outside the door, watching us with smiles on their faces as Addison cheers me on, and I swear my cheeks hurt from smiling.

“Sending the dog after me was cheap, Cherry,” Alex tsks, and I startle at how close his voice is.

When the hell did he get so close?

Not giving myself enough time to overthink, I turn toward Des and Addy and take full advantage of the door they left open.

I run in so fast I almost topple over the back of the couch. I don’t know every bit of the house one hundred percent yet, and while I’ve been in this room, I don’t spend much time in here.

Tripping over myself, I manage to keep myself upright and get back out into the foyer before I dare glance back, only to watch Alex leap the couch as if it’s nothing.

Fuck.

Note to self: Alex isn’t old.

And I might not mind being chased, either. I realize as his eyes meet mine, and I feel my blood heat.

I know for a fact he’s going to catch me, and I should probably just give up and beg for mercy. Before I can, a strong arm bands around my waist, spinning me around as my feet come off the ground, and I come face to face with Vince.

“Apologies, Kat, but I don’t think you would have appreciated running into me,” he says as I look up at him, and I swear I see a hint of mischief in his eyes.

He’s not wrong, though. If I’d run into him, I would have been on my ass for sure. Not to mention, I might have actually hurtmyself. The guy is built. I probably would have been better off hitting the wall if I’m being honest.

“Ugh, no. I, um…” I struggle to get words out, taken by surprise by his presence and by how close we are right now.

His lips ticks up in a smirk as he sets me back on the ground before taking a step back, and I furrow my brows in confusion.

I thought Vince left…

“Daddy!” Addison yells, and I turn to find Nathan a few feet away, his eyes on me and Vince until the last moment when he scoops Addison up.

“I thought you were going to be at the office late today?” Alex asks from behind me, and I turn to find him leaning against the banister, the picture of ease. He winks at me, but other than that, you wouldn’t know he just damn near chased me through the whole house.

Well, I guess the whole house is an exaggeration. There’s a lot of house here, after all.

“I intended to be, but Vince said there was an issue.” Nathan’s words have me turning back to him in confusion.

What issue?

“Princess, why don’t you go and find Oli and see what we’re doing for dinner tonight?” He sets her down, and she quickly runs up the stairs in search of her cousin.

“What issue?” Alex asks, sounding as lost as I feel, and I’m grateful I’m not the only one.

I take a step back away from Vince and toward the stairs myself, feeling as if I shouldn’t be here. Whatever it is they're talking about, I’m sure it’s none of my business.

“Katherine.”

Four sets of eyes turn toward me, and suddenly, I wish I’d left with Addison. Even Oliver’s cold shoulder would be better than this because I have a very good idea of what the issue might be.

I whip back to face Vince, and despite his blank expression, I’d bet my paycheck he had more than a little something to do with this.

“I knew something was wrong earlier,” Desmond says, and I look down at the floor.

---