Page 120 of A Secret to Die For

I hung up in a daze, and Garrett reached across the table for my hand. “Tell me.”

I repeated what Luca had said, and saying the words out loud didn’t make it any more real. EJ had hired Seth Harless to kill my parents? But what about the videos? What about Mandell? What about the letter from my mom?

“Do you believe it?” Garrett asked.

“No. No, I don’t think I do. What does this mean? Congressman Mandell gets away with everything?”

The waiter arrived with the champagne, looked at Garrett’s frown and then my tight expression, and hesitated with his hand on the cork.

“Sir, do you still want this?”

“Ask the lady.”

Harless was in jail. It was a victory, just a smaller one than I’d hoped for. And if ever there was news that called for alcohol, it was today’s revelation.

“Pour away.”

Once the waiter had departed, Garrett squeezed my hand and took a sip from his glass. “What does it mean? It means we have to be patient.”

With Harless out of the picture, we decided to return to Baldwin’s Shore. Parker had been left in the lurch at Baldwin Estates, and I agreed to help out in the office while he interviewed a handyman to replace EJ. The judge had deemed my uncle a flight risk, so he was still sitting in the county jail, awaiting trial on murder in the first degree for soliciting Harless to run my parents off the road.

Garrett and I moved into our little home overlooking the ocean, and I kept myself busy planning Kiki’s birthday party and a handful of other events. I didn’t need to worry about marketing. Plenty of people wanted to curry favour with the Dorsey family, and what better way to do that than to hire Garrett’s new girlfriend to plan their next shindig? It all felt slightly nepotistic, but at the same time, I wasn’t going to turn down work. Soon, I’d need to hire more staff, but for now, I was being picky over which clients I took on. No spoiled brats, no bridezillas, no frat boys. Today, I was working from the terrace at the Peninsula while I waited for Brooke, Addy, Blue, and Brie to arrive for lunch. Living the dream rather than the nightmare.

My phone pinged as I sifted through résumés and email enquiries.

Parker

I found a replacement for EJ.

When is he starting?

Parker

Next week. And he’s a she.

Oh, really? I had a hundred questions.

Meet for lunch tomorrow?

Parker

Coffee House at 1 p.m.

With EJ safely out of the way, there was no need for us to drive to Coos Bay anymore, and the twins were keeping a low profile. LKB Events was imploding thanks to Peanutgate—the victim’s husband had told just about everyone in the county what happened to his wife.

Brie

Running a few minutes late. Can you order me a house salad?

Brooke slid into the seat opposite, and Addy sat stiffly beside her. Thanks to the drama with Nico’s girlfriend, she’d spent a while in the hospital, and although she was putting a brave face on things, the pain was obvious when she let her guard down. I didn’t dare to give her a hug, so I offered a smile instead.

“How are you feeling?”

“Great!”

“Really?”

Brooke shook her head. “She’s just saying that so her mom will let her move back home.”

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