Page 30 of Saving it with My Best Friend's Brother

For the first time all day, my brother smiled. “I might know someone who’d be interested in mysterious property acquisitions.”

“It’s risky,” Hunter warned, his hand finding mine. “They’ll know it was us.”

“They already know.” I squeezed his fingers. “At least this way we’re fighting back.”

A nurse appeared in the doorway. “Ms. Horton? Your father’s asking for you.”

I pulled away, but Hunter held fast. “I’m coming with you.”

“We both are,” Michael added, surprising me.

Dad looked marginally better. Some color had returned to his cheeks. His eyes focused on our joined hands as we entered.

“About time,” he said weakly.

“Dad?” I moved to his bedside, not letting go of Hunter.

“Been watching you two dance around each other since I noticed you at Taylor’s wedding.” Dad’s smile was tired but genuine. “Reminded me of how your mother and I started.”

“Arthur,” Hunter began, but Dad waved him off.

“Save it, son. Just... protect each other. These people...” He coughed, and monitors beeped in protest.

“Dad, you need to rest—“

“Need to tell you...” He grabbed my free hand, his grip surprisingly strong. “The resort... your mother’s letters... in the safe...”

“What letters?” But Dad’s eyes were closing, exhaustion winning out.

The nurse returned, shooing us out again.

In the hallway, I turned to Michael, my mind racing. “Did you know about any letters?”

Michael shook his head, his face troubled. “No, but... there was a lot Mom kept private, especially near the end.”

“The safe in her office?” Hunter suggested quietly, his arm steady around my waist.

“No,” Michael ran a hand through his hair. “There’s another one. Behind the painting in the study. I saw her there once, late at night, but she made me promise never to mention it.”

I looked between my brother and Hunter, seeing the same determination I felt. “Then that’s where we start.”

“We should be careful,” Hunter said, his voice low. “If these letters are what your father’s trying to protect you from...”

Michael nodded grimly. “He’s right. We don’t know who else might know about them. Or what they contain.”

I looked between the two men—my protective brother and the man I was rapidly falling for despite every warning. The weight of the morning pressed down: Dad’s attack, Hunter’s kiss, these mysterious letters that might hold everything.

“Wait,” I said suddenly, a cold realization hitting me. “The staff meeting this morning, before Dad collapsed... Sophie mentioned problems with the new hires.”

“The temp agency.” Hunter’s expression darkened, his protective hold on me tightening. “If someone wanted inside information...”

“They’d need someone on the inside,” Michael finished, his lawyer’s mind working. “Someone with access.”

The weight of it all settled heavily: the letters hidden in a secret safe, someone working against us from the inside, Dad trying to warn us before exhaustion claimed him. The morning’s joy of Hunter’s kiss seemed distant, overshadowed by growing danger.

They hadn’t just infiltrated Pine Haven.

They were already inside our lives.

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