Two Bar Mitzvahs (No Weddings #3)(40)

She shook her head. “So she’s stepping up the attacks.” There was no question in Hannah’s tone. Little room for doubt in my mind either, even though I’d tried to give Madison the benefit of it. Two hits in one day: Hannah’s biz and mine? Even if it made no sense whatsoever, someone was out to hurt me and Hannah. A jealous ex was the most likely explanation. Could it be another ex of mine or Hannah’s? Sure. But Madison was the only ex in play. “Apparently. Now she’s going after our businesses.”

“What’s next?” She let out a dry laugh. “An IRS audit?”

“Bite your tongue, woman. That would be a nightmare.”

She crossed her arms. “Maybe we should send the inspectors and auditors crawling up her ass. Two can play at her game.”

I exhaled out a breath, grinning at the fight Hannah had in her. “I like the advice our inspector gave this morning. Keep doing our thing as well as we’ve been doing it, and let her waste her time.”

She stared at me for a few beats. “You always take the high road. Is it only me that wants to punch her lights out?”

I coughed out a laugh. “Oh no. I’d love to give her a piece of my mind. But I won’t battle it out on her level. Let her exhaust and frustrate herself. Our time will come.”

On a heavy sigh, Hannah crossed her arms. “Days on end of being busy and then being randomly hit by her unnecessary drama is stressing me out. I can’t wait for all of this to be over.”

I fought a smile. “Look in the center console.”

Hannah tilted her head. “Nice segue.”

“Just open it. Trust me, it’ll help.”

She narrowed her eyes, but leaned over and opened the lid backward. Ava stuck her snout into the opening.

“No, no, girl.” Hannah laughed and gently tugged on her collar. Then she reached in and pulled out the envelope I’d stashed in there.

“What is it?”

“Are you always this bad with surprises? This one’s good for a change.”

She stared at the envelope.

I snorted, amused with her suspicion. “Open it.”

Finally, she lifted the flap and pulled out the two airline tickets. She gave a couple of heavy blinks and stared at the tickets. “We going somewhere?”

I smiled, returning my gaze back to the road. “We did talk about private-island therapy. I booked us a week-long vacation in the Seychelles.”

“Oh my God!” She squealed and Ava barked.

“So I guess that’s a ‘yes?’”

“Yes!”

The tension in the car dissipated almost immediately. Amazing what the promise of ocean and sand will do for a person. I wasn’t the only one in the car who needed a complete break, away from the stress.

I frowned. “Wait. Do you have a passport?”

She nodded. “We traveled abroad to France during a cooking internship.”

“Really? What was that like?”

“Incredible. We were there for two weeks. Lived in the homes of our host chefs.”

The conversation went into the experience she had during her internship and all the things we planned to do on our upcoming vacation.

The last few miles of the trip drifted into a comfortable silence. I glanced over at her.

She stared out the front window with a faraway gaze.

My brows furrowed. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Just a little nervous, I guess.”

“You’ve been around my sisters a lot. And my parents a few times now.”

She shrugged. “I know. But this is bigger. I won’t be around your parents and friends in your house for only few hours. This is their house and their friends for a whole weekend.”

I shook my head. “Don’t worry. This afternoon we’ll be busy setting up for tomorrow. Tonight will be laid back, and I’ll be with you the whole time. Tomorrow, we’ll be up to our eyeballs with party details.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Guess it just helps to talk about it. I made it bigger in my head than it needed to be.”

I gave her a pointed look. “Don’t. My family shouldn’t be a cause of stress. They’re all human, and they love me. By extension, my parents love you. And my sisters already do. Hell, I don’t even know what I’m saying. You’re already one of the family: Michaelson by adoption.”

She smiled, happiness replacing the concerned expression she’d had only moments ago.

A few minutes later, we pulled up to the gate, then continued through, curving along the driveway. I didn’t say a word, wanting her to experience the estate for herself. But when I glanced over, her eyes had widened. She rolled the window down and leaned forward to stick her head partially out, forcing Ava off her lap and scrambling into the back seat.

Hannah’s mouth slowly dropped open as we pulled under the portico. Even though I’d grown up here, the grounds still took my breath away too. Well aware of what others lacked and we had in abundance, it always humbled and amazed me to take in the beauty of our home.

Built along the lines of a stately mansion, the front had four columns and wings that sprawled out on either side. Wider than it was deep, the house had an imposing presence to a visitor unused to the architectural style.

Eyes wide and blinking rapidly, Hannah opened her door, stepped out, and craned her neck, sweeping her gaze across the east wing.