LEAD ME ON by Julie Ortolon (find a book to read TXT) 📕

had ended so abruptly. They’d all been braced to go to court and endure months of suits and countersuits. But that morning, Chance’s attorney called to say John wanted to settle in their favor. By afternoon, they’d agreed to an amount so huge it left all of them staggered.

When the glasses were filled, Chance held his up. “To success.”

“To brothers-in-law who know how to hire good lawyers,” Adrian countered.

“No.” Rory smiled. “To Marguerite for bringing us good luck.”

“To Marguerite,” Allison agreed.

Paige and Bobby, who had dropped by for an impromptu visit and been drawn into the celebration, lifted their glasses as well.

“Congratulations,” Paige said. “I know how much this inn means to all of you. Although I wonder what made John LeRoche change his mind.”

“I asked Malcolm that very question,” Chance said, referring to their attorney. His gaze flickered toward Allison, then away. “Apparently we have Scott to thank.”

Allison went still at the mention of his name. The mood in the room dimmed as everyone glanced at her. “It’s okay.” She forced a smile, tired of people walking on eggshells around her. “I can handle talking about him.”

Although nothing could be further from the truth. Just the sound of his name tore at her heart.

“Well,” Chance said cautiously, “when it was over, Malcolm chatted a bit with the opposition, hoping he could wheedle out some hint of what made John cave so unexpectedly. The other attorney, who’s dropping LeRoche Enterprises from their client list, by the way, came right out and told him Scott called several times last month, carrying on a heated argument with his father through the law firm.”

“He passes messages to his father through an attorney?” Rory asked, clearly stunned while Allison digested the news that Scott had been making these calls while staying at the inn. At least that explained why he frequently closed the door to the office while on the phone.

“Apparently that’s the only way they’ve communicated for the past ten years,” Chance explained. “This particular argument ended when Scott threatened to cause a public relations nightmare for LeRoche Enterprises by depicting the shipping company as environmental rapists in one of his books if John didn’t settle favorably with us. John threatened to sue him if he did. So for the past month, John’s lawyers have been convincing him that with the financial problems he’s been having lately he was better off losing the suit to us now than risking bankruptcy down the road.”

Allison stared at the counter, remembering how she’d accused Scott of spying on them to help John win the house back. But the opposite was true. He’d been fighting for them, choosing them over his own family.

Hope tried to open her heart, but past pain slammed it closed. If only he’d been honest earlier... She understood the initial deception, but not how long he’d let it continue.

Adrian draped his arm over her shoulder in a reassuring hug. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.” She summoned a smile and lifted her glass. “I suppose we should make one more toast. To Scott Lawrence, for proving that the pen really is mightier than the sword.”

“To Scott,” the others echoed awkwardly and drank.

Lauren began to fuss from her carrier on the sofa and Rory went to check on her. The others followed and talk turned to the bungalows they could now build with the money from the settlement. Rory, as usual, had big plans and visions for turning the island into a full resort, not just a place to stay while visiting Galveston, but a destination in and of itself. For once, Chance didn’t play devil’s advocate. He just watched his wife with the bemused expression he sometimes got, as if he’d been hit by a happy truck.

Allison sat slightly apart from the others, struggling with confusion. For weeks, she’d been devastated by the pain of Scott’s betrayal. Yet, beneath the shock, the longing remained, pulling her under until she feared she’d drown in sorrow. She missed him, dammit. She missed Scott Lawrence.

But she missed a man who wasn’t real.

Or was he?

If only she knew what to think.

Enough, she told herself with a little shake. Nothing changed the fact that he’d continued to lie even when he learned how she felt about such things. She could never bring herself to trust him now.

But was that really why she’d sent him away? Or had she jumped on the first excuse to play the coward?

Whatever the answer, it was done and she needed to get on with her life—a life that would now be filled with the security she’d always wanted. She should be happy.

Although turning her attention back to Rory, who sat on the sofa bouncing Lauren on her shoulder with Chance at her side, she felt only the gaping hole of emptiness inside her. For one brief, shining moment, she’d thought she had the opportunity for that with Scott. She thought she’d found something worth risking her heart, risking hurt, risking everything for.

Needing a little space to herself, she headed for her bedroom on the pretext of working on her bridesmaid dress. Rory’s wedding was a ways off, but working on the plans gave her something to think about other than Scott.

Rather than go for a full bridal gown confection, complete with acres of gauzy net, Rory had wanted something more personal and understated. So Alli had gone with her over to the Bouchard cottage and hauled down boxes from the attic. Together they’d picked out two of their grandmother’s dresses from the 1920s. For Rory they’d selected a tea-length gown made of dusky pink silk covered in ecru lace. For Alli they’d picked a lavender dress in a similar drop-waist style, but without the lace.

Lifting the lavender gown off the end of her bed, she took a seat in the chair beneath the window with Sadie curled up at her feet. She’d barely taken a stitch on altering the hem when Paige knocked on the frame of the open door. “May I come in?”

“Of course.”

Paige came