Page 65 of Saving it with My Best Friend's Brother

My stomach clenched at the words.

Van read the message over my shoulder, his jaw tightening. “Want a backup?”

“Always.”

The lawyers waiting in the lobby looked smug as winter wolves, their expensive suits at odds with Pine Haven’s rustic warmth. With Van beside me and Amelia’s hand slipping into mine, her touch steady and sure, I felt ready for anything.

I was wrong.

The lawyers’ paperwork landed on the conference room table with a heavy thud that seemed to echo off the pine walls. Amelia stood beside me, her shoulder brushing mine as we read the filing, her familiar scent of vanilla and coffee grounding me. Taylor sat across from us, while Van kept Chad occupied in the corner. The baby’s innocent gurgles were a stark contrast to the tension filling the room.

“They’re challenging Mom’s original ownership transfer,” Taylor said, her voice tight as she scanned the documents. “Claiming she wasn’t mentally competent after her accident.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Amelia’s voice was sharp, protective anger coloring her words. “Mrs. Horton ran this place successfully for years after—” She paused, realizing what she’d said as afternoon light caught the worry in her eyes.

I squeezed her hand, feeling her mother’s bracelet between our palms. “It’s okay. We need to talk about both our mothers now.”

The lead lawyer, Paula Hale, smiled thinly, her red lipstick perfect and predatory. “Yes, let’s talk about mothers. Particularly Mrs. Miller’s convenient reappearance.”

“Careful,” Van warned, his MLB star presence filling the room. Even Chad seemed to sense the tension, falling quiet in his father’s arms.

“We have evidence,” Hale continued, each word precise as a knife, “suggesting collusion between Margaret Horton and Katherine Miller. A conspiracy to defraud legitimate developers—”

“You mean Crystal Ridge?” Taylor interrupted, her voice carrying the same steel I remembered from childhood arguments. “The same developers currently under federal investigation?”

Hale’s smile didn’t waver, though something flickered in her eyes. “We’re prepared to offer a generous settlement. Given the... complicated family dynamics at play.”

The way she said it made my blood boil, but Amelia’s hand on my shoulder anchored me, her touch carrying quiet strength. Early afternoon light slanted through the windows, casting shadow patterns across the conference table like bars.

“What family dynamics?” I asked carefully, though dread pooled in my stomach.

“Well,” Hale’s voice dripped false sympathy, “a son whose mother abandoned him, now romantically involved with the daughter of her supposed co-conspirator? It raises questions about... motivations.”

“Get out.” Amelia’s voice was quiet but steel, reminding me of her mother’s strength. “Any communication goes through our lawyers now.”

“Ms. Horton—”

“She said get out.” Van stood, Chad secure in one arm, his professional athlete’s presence suddenly intimidating. Even Hale’s perfect composure cracked slightly.

After they left, their expensive perfume lingering like poison, Amelia turned to me. “They’re trying to use us against each other.”

“I know.” I touched her cheek, feeling her slight tremor. “It won’t work.”

“But they have a point,” she whispered, vulnerability showing in her eyes. “About how it looks...”

“Hey.” I tilted her chin, making her meet my gaze. “Look at me. What we have? It’s real. No amount of legal maneuvering changes that.”

Taylor cleared her throat, though her eyes were soft watching us. “As touching as this is, we should focus on their actual filing. These ownership claims...”

“Could shut us down within days,” Amelia finished, professional concern warring with personal worry. “The festival season is about to start. If we lose control of operations now—”

“You won’t.” Van’s voice was firm, Chad sleeping peacefully against his shoulder. “The Catch the Dream Foundation has contracts with Pine Haven for our summer programs. We’ll file as an interested party.”

“And I know some people at the Historic Preservation Society,” Taylor added, already pulling out her phone. “Let me make some calls.”

I watched my sister and best friend jump into action, their support wrapping around us like a shield. Amelia leaned into me slightly, her warmth steady against my side.

“I had forgotten how amazing your family is,” she murmured.

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