Page 13 of Gentle Fox

I swallowed my last bite and used the paper napkin to wipe my mouth, giving me an extra few seconds to remind myself I wasn't an idiot for not being prepared.

"I had set up appointments to look at two different places the same day as my interview with you, but I forgot to call and cancel them. The day before my interview was when my father's attorney read the will and notified me of the changes that were made. I was so consumed with what was happening that I let everything else slide away. That’s not something I would normally do, but it wasn't every day that I found out I was worthbillions plus had my life threatened by both my stepmother and stepbrother because they felt I influenced my father to change his will.” I tried to shrug it off but it still hurt.

To say I was a bit overwhelmed was like saying the ocean wasn't really that deep.

"Give me the locations and I'll see if they’re still available. My guess is they are, considering people aren't moving to Willow Creeks in droves."

I popped my eyebrow and Owen huffed. "The last two months don't count. My friends and I are the exception."

"Then there's me and your sister."

Owen waved me off. "Also the exception."

I merely chuckled. Let him think what he wants. I rattled off the two addresses, and before I was done talking, he had sent out a text to someone. I wasn't sure who.

"Did you have a plan for the meantime?"

"Yeah, to get a hotel room for as long as I need. Which, now that I think about it, sounds like an awful idea considering I don't want my stepbrother to know where I am.” I groaned and dropped my head into my hands.

Damn Dennis for making my life miserable. Here I was, in a brand-new town that just a week ago seemed perfect, but now was slightly tainted because it was a place I was seeking refuge, not a brand-new start.

I had one suitcase to my name, and even though I could afford to buy anything I wanted, I had to be careful how I went about it so I could keep my location secret.

People thought money solved problems but I begged to differ. From my experience, it created more headaches than it was worth.

"You can stay with me."

Owen's statement pulled me out of my depressing thoughts.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Owen cleared his throat. "You can stay with me. I'm sure one of the places you originally planned to look at is still open, so it won't be for long. Plus, like you said, a hotel is out of the question, so staying with me is the easiest solution."

Easiest. Sure.

Smartest? Not so sure about that.

But what choice did I have? Still, I questioned him. "What about your sister though? I thought she was coming down."

Owen waved the question off. "There's no way she'll get down here in the next few days. You'll be set up in your new place long before Gracie shows up."

I chewed on the side of my cheek. This had bad news written all over it, but I didn't have any other options. With a sigh, I answered, "Okay, yeah. Thank you."

How could it possibly be a mistake?

CHAPTER SEVEN

Owen

This was a mistake.

I knew it the moment the suggestion flew out of my mouth but there was no taking it back at that point. I was committed and I needed to find a way to make it work.

Annalee and I stared through the doorway of my second bedroom. For some stupid reason I didn't remember there being so many boxes I had yet to unpack.

"Did I mention I don't have a spare room for you to sleep in?" I ran my hands through my hair and scrubbed at the back of my head. Not sure what my plan was.

Oh I know. I didn't have one.

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