Page 58 of Unmistakably Us

Looking at her father for the first time, January realized he was truly an unwilling party, but he was also too weak-willed to even help his daughters. He had done her mother’s bidding for so long, he wasn’t even his own person anymore, just a shell, a puppet Melody controlled. Exactly what Augusta had warned her about when she left home for good and again touched on when January was in Florida.

Melody Thorne destroyed people by any means necessary, turned them into husks of human beings. She watched the husk and the bitch head down the hall. In a superior voice, her mother called out, “Good night, darling.”

January had been really looking forward to tomorrow. After speaking with Andy, she was ready to turn Monday into a circus…after she tried on a few dresses she’d dreamed of, but now, not so much.

With the threat to Gus even bolder, January would remain totally compliant tomorrow. Even smile and blush for the camera that would catch her so unaware in an off the rack not designer gown. But damn it, she would leave as soon as damage control for Gus was in place.

She didn’t give two shits about being buried under her own stupid contract and a mountain of debt for it. Hell, a lot of jobs paid under the table so she could manage even if the courts awarded her parents a settlement.

Gus was a different matter. No one deserved their business to be broadcast in the streets. Besides, mental issues were nothing to be ashamed of, damn it. Everyone needs someone to talk to now and then. The stigma around it made January sick. Forcing people to wear a badge of shame if they didn’t process things the same way as everyone else. So for her mother to out and out threaten to expose that just proved to January the flawed attitude toward a very real issue. The added threat to tell the world about Gus’ abortion just proved that her mother had less than zero love for anyone.

After closing herself in her room, January removed her phone and swiped to stop the application that was open. “Yes.” She quickly dialed Andy and gave him the rundown.

“Is there a possibility that someone other than you or your father heard this exchange? A housekeeper, perhaps?”

“No, just us.”

“January, this is important. You’re sure your mother actually threatened to release private medical information of another individual? Not just hinted?”

“Um hmm.” January was unsure why that was the most important part, but Andy was the lawyer. “Positive, you can hear it for yourself if we Skype.”

“What?”

“I recorded it. On my phone.”

The laughter that shot through the phone like a rocket took her by surprise.

“Oh January, you clever, clever girl. Send me a copy via secure email, and then do me a favor. Make another copy then turn off your phone and secure it. It can’t hurt to have the original audio file, uncompressed and unedited.”

Finally, something going my way.

“What’s the address of the bridal shop?”

January didn’t know why that question made her uncomfortable, but it did. “Why?”

“Because, I plan to serve your mother with some legal paperwork before close of business. If she won’t be home, I need to know where she will be. Besides, the more public she is served, the better for us since her social perception seems all important to her. She can’t very well say she didn’t read them, receive them, understand them, etcetera. Her comprehension will be witnessed.”

They said their goodbyes for a second time, and January did as instructed, sending the file and securing her phone, but not before texting Logan.

She typed and retyped before settling on a generic text to save face and to save Logan any further heartache if things didn’t go as planned as swiftly as they’d hoped.

JANUARY:I hope you give me a chance to explain. But even if you don’t, please know I never meant to hurt you.

* * *

Spendingtime with the Reids without that looming deception was…nice. Most people saw nice as an inadequate or average description for things, but to Logan, it was beyond that. Many nights, he prayed for nice. Growing up, nice would’ve been a hell of an upgrade.

Logan felt like a real part of the family. The January situation was still tearing him up. Funny, I had everything I could have ever wanted and couldn’t see it in time to keep it all. He had January but when he got greedy, thought to have a family too, and he reached for one, he lost the other.

That line of thinking served no purpose except to torture him beyond measure. Logan dug the heels of his hands into his gritty eyes. Even though he had made a run to the hotel to shower and change and grab a power nap, it wasn’t enough. He had never been emotionally drained before, not like this. No amount of hot water, clean clothes, or vile chicory was going to help.

Almost everyone had shown back up over at Michael’s and most were in the kitchen making a brunch worthy of high society. Logan was all about the French toast he could smell. A few more memories surfaced of his mom, and as soon as he shared the powdered sugar pancake story with Michael, it was on.

The flurry of activity slowed when Andrew arrived. Stacy came bounding out of the kitchen, clapping her hands like a child. “Can I tell ‘em? Please, let me fucking tell ‘em.”

Stacy didn’t wait for Andrew’s permission before grabbing her briefcase and setting it on the coffee table. Andy did the same, and they both sat after calling the entire family to the living room.

“First thing’s first, I am speaking to you all now as experts.” The confusion and scoffing was disruptive.

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