Page 348 of A Merry Mountain Christmas

“But you said I needed to be the one to tell them,” Lee said, slurring his words. “The FBI agent thought so too.”

Addy gasped. “Lee, are you introuble?”

“He’s going to be in trouble if he ruins Georgie and River’s party,” Maisie said, sweeping in. She gently pushed Addy out of the way and took Lee’s arm in a tight grip. “I’m having a severe case of déjà vu. Jack, what do you say we take your brother outside to get some fresh air before he wrecks another pair of innocent shoes?”

His heart rate had picked up, and even though his focus should have been on Lee and the unfolding chaos, he couldn’t help but be excited that Maisie had come over to help.

“Addy,” Maisie said, “can you get your brother a cup of black coffee?”

“Already on it,” Jack said.

Maisie gave him a dark grin, then turned to Adalia. “Jack and I have Lee covered. You make sure your dad and Vic-tor-ia don’t ruin the party over this.” When Adalia hesitated, Maisie said, “We know what’s going on. He’s okay. Trust us?”

“Okay,” Adalia said reluctantly.

The fear in her eyes ripped a hole in Jack’s heart. He wanted to reassure her, but he couldn’t. The situationwasas bad as she was imagining. For now, the less he said, the better.

Jack and Maisie escorted Lee out the back door and into the alley.

“It stinks out here,” Lee said, his nose wrinkling.

“Yeah,” Maisie said. “Kind of like you. I take it from the fact you’re wearing the clothes you had on last night that you haven’t had a shower today?”

“No time,” he mumbled, then pulled away from them, pacing in anxious circles near the dumpster.

“You’re going to fall, Lee,” Jack said. “Why don’t you sit down for a minute or just lean up against the wall?”

Lee shook his head. “No. I have to talk to Georgie and Addy. I have to warn them about the FBI.”

“You talked to the FBI?” Maisie asked, her eyes wide.

“I called them.” Lee held up his hand, using his thumb and index finger to mimic a phone. “They were super eager to talk to me. Flew right down even.”

Jack’s stomach dropped. “Oh shit.”

This must be really bad.

“I made a deal,” Lee said with a laugh. “If you’d told me yesterday whether I’d be making a deal with the FBI to turn on my father, I would have called you a lying asshole.”

“You actually did call me an asshole,” Jack said dryly.

Lee stopped and gave him a blank look. “Oh, yeah. Huh.”

“We need to get him home,” Maisie said under her breath. She was shivering from the cold. “Or at least to the Buchanan house.”

“Good idea,” Jack said. “You’re freezing, so you go inside and I’ll take him.”

“They need you inside,” she said. “You’re the man who planned all of this.” She waved back at the brewery. “I’m expendable.”

“You’re not expendable, Maisie,” he said, his voice breaking. There was so much he wanted to tell her, but he didn’t want to get into it with Drunk Lee about to barf again. “I’ll deal with this mess.”

“Alone?” she asked in an accusatory tone.

“You look way too gorgeous in that sexier-than-hell dress to be dealing with a drunk, but Idowant to talk about what happened. Look, Maisie, I’ve been—”

He was about to say miserable, but Chelsea opened the back door carrying a tray with a carafe and several coffee cups.

“Adalia told me you were back here. I have your coffee,” she said as she glanced around as though trying to decide what the hell was happening and if she should set it on the ground or on the dumpster.

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