Page 59 of Meet Dare

If you want to keep secrets, don’t move to a small town where being a busybody is celebrated ~ Cassie’s rules for surviving this thing called life

“Aha!” Elizabeth exclaims as she entersElectric Vibeswith Gabrielle.

I sigh. I should have known I couldn’t get away with signing the lease for the bar and buying the business from Lennon without my family finding out.

I stand from the table where I was sitting with Daniel West, the town’s attorney, to discuss the finalizing of the contracts to confront my sisters.

“Who told?”

“Who told?” Elizabeth shrieks. “Who cares who told?”

“I do.”

“Who told is not the issue,” she continues her rant. “The issue is you didn’t tell us. Your sisters.”

“And brother,” Beckett adds as he hobbles inside with Lilac.

I point a finger at my brother’s fiancée and the daughter of Daniel West. “You are dead to me.”

She just moved to the top spot of my ‘people to prank’ list. Not only did she tattle to my family about my business dealings, but I’m too annoyed now to make fun of Beckett trying to move around on crutches. She’s stolen all my fun!

Her brow wrinkles. “Dead to you? It’s impossible for me to be dead to you when I am very much alive.”

“You know what I meant,” I snarl. Sometimes, I hate how literal Lilac is. She’s entitled to her own brand of crazy, but I’m entitled to be annoyed to within an inch of my life about it. “Mr. West told you about today.”

She rolls her eyes. “No, Dad didn’t tell me.”

“Hey, baby girl,” Mr. West greets her and my stomach churns with jealousy.

I want what Lilac has. A dad who supports me. Who uses a term of endearment when he speaks to me. Who loves me no matter what.

But I can’t have it because my parents are gone. And it’s all my fault. I force those thoughts out of my mind. I can wallow in my guilt later. I’ve got a score to settle right now.

“How did you find out if Mr. West didn’t tell you?” I demand of Lilac.

“Call me Daniel.”

I nod at Lilac’s father. “If Daniel didn’t tell you, how did you find out?”

She doesn’t hesitate to answer. “I’m on the committee, which approves all new business owners on Main Street.”

Elizabeth crosses her arms over her chest and taps her foot. “Enough of this. Tell us why you kept this secret from us.”

“Yeah,” Gabrielle adds. Her cheeks darken – questioning anyone is way outside of her comfort zone – but she powers on. “Why did you keep this secret from us?”

“Who says it’s a secret?”

“A secret is information you mean to—”

I thrust my hand in front of Lilac’s face. “Everyone here knows the definition of a secret.”

She cocks an eyebrow. “They do? Because you seem to be confused.”

“Are you seriously being sarcastic with me now?”

Beckett wraps an arm around her waist and draws her near. He kisses her hair. “Proud of you, honey.”

Lilac’s nose wrinkles. “You’re proud of me for being sarcastic? You do know I have a PhD and I’m the CTO of a company?”

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