Page 62 of Caught Up In You (The Monroes 2)

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“Keep your damn mouth shut,” Braxton warned. “Cora is not your concern.”

The back door slammed. “Such a warm welcome. I just love coming home.”

Braxton turned at the sound of Liam’s sarcastic tone . . . and that’s where he went wrong. Zach seized the opportunity and plowed his fist into Braxton’s gut. Doubled over, trying to take in much-needed air, Braxton braced his hand on the countertop.

“What could you two possibly be fighting about?” Liam asked, his tone worn and tired.

“Ask your brother, who is currently screwing the new masseuse.”

Braxton lifted his arm, fist raised. Liam snaked his arm around Braxton’s stomach and jerked him back. “Easy, killer. I’ve never seen you this worked up.”

Rage bubbled inside Braxton and he realized there was only one other woman in his life he’d ever wanted to defend so fiercely . . . his mother.

“Zach has something to tell you about the chef.”

Zach narrowed his eyes, one of which was starting to swell. Braxton couldn’t help but smile in return. He shrugged out of Liam’s hold. “I’m fine. I’m not going to kill him unless he says something else about Cora.”

As if to be safe, Liam stepped between the two. “Cora? We’ll get back to that later. What’s this about the chef?”

Zach continued to stare at Braxton. “She quit.”

Silence filled the kitchen and Braxton waited for another fight to break out. When he risked glancing at Liam, his brother was simply shaking his head.

“No. Don’t ask me, don’t even look my way.”

“We have no one else and the open house is next week. We open the week after,” Zach reminded him. “It’s only temporary.”

“Temporary? It will still interfere with my very not-temporary job in Atlanta.”

Now that he was able to pull in a full, deep breath, Braxton propped his hands on his hips and jumped on the begging wagon. “Listen, we all have had to sacrifice here, but we’re so close to fulfilling Chelsea’s dream. I took off a semester, surely you can take a month off. I’m sure we can find someone by then and if we get someone earlier, then you are free to go.”

“A month?” Liam lowered his head and sighed. “This is the busiest time of the year. I don’t even know if I can take off an entire month.”

Zach slapped Liam on the back. “Now that it’s settled, you can talk some sense into Braxton.”

“Nothing is settled,” Liam growled, and eased out from under Zach’s clutch. “And whatever Braxton is doing or not doing with Cora is none of our concern. If she quits because of him, then you can kill him and I’ll help you bury the body.”

The support was beyond comforting. “Why don’t we focus on getting this place ready for the open house next week? Liam is going to have to come up with a menu or work off the one the other chef was going to use.”

“I’ll make my own damn menu,” Liam grumbled.

A cell chirped and Zach reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and quickly read the screen. With a groan, he dropped the phone back into the pocket of his worn jeans.

“I need to meet Sophie at the tree lot and pick up the trees and wreaths. She’s going to have this place looking like the North Pole if I don’t keep her under control.”

Leaning against the center island, Braxton crossed his arms over his chest. “Let her do whatever she wants. She knows a hell of a lot more about decorating than you do. Besides, women love all that and isn’t catering to them the whole point?”

Zach raked a hand through his messy hair and glanced around the polished kitchen. “This going to work for you, Liam?”

Surveying the area, Liam walked around the island, checked out the double wall ovens, the industrial stove, the fridge camouflaged as more cabinets, and finally turned back around. “I’ll work on the menu tonight and run everything by Sophie.”

“I need to get Cora’s room finished,” Braxton chimed in. “I’ll be bringing over her equipment today and the items we ordered should be in tomorrow.”

Liam tipped his head, the scar on the side of his cheek facing away as always. “You going to screw this up with her and the resort?”

Braxton leveled his brother’s gaze. “No. Are we going to have a problem? Because get it all out of your system now. I plan on seeing Cora now and after we open.”

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