Trusting You (Second Chances #2)(43)
Brett’s eyes went wide and he snarled, his voice laced with animosity, “That’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard. You do realize what you would be putting yourself through, right? Not to mention what it would be doing to me.”
I swallowed hard and nodded. “It won’t be for long. If I can just make him believe me, then I can see what he’s really up to. I could definitely lower his guard.”
Mason spoke up, “I loathe the idea of this, but Mel has a point. It could work.”
Aggravated, Brett tugged at his tousled hair and growled, “What about California? I’m still going out there with you no matter what. How are you going to get away with that?”
Brett was like a ticking time bomb: angry and on the verge of exploding. Taking his hand, I lifted his palm and laid a calming kiss to the center. His breathing slowed just a bit, but he was still coiled tight like a snake.
Softly, I murmured, “All I have to do is tell Daniel that I’m going to Kori’s cabin in the mountains for a few days if he calls me. I’m pretty sure that we’ll get our answers when we go to California. Besides, I’m sure he isn’t going to be making any appearances for a few days with his face the way it is. I hit him pretty hard.”
Galen’s voice boomed throughout the room, “Then it’s settled.” Next he spoke to Brett, “This isn’t going to be easy, but we all know you can do it. When you feel ready, I want you to call Daniel. Tell him about how you want to get started on the planning and that you want to make a trip to California as soon as possible.”
“Also,” I stated, “try to sound angry and upset since we just broke up. Tell him that the reason why you want to get started is so you can get away for a while. Daniel will eat it up.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about me not sounding angry and upset, firecracker,” Brett said.
Rolling my eyes, I lifted up on my toes and kissed his lips. “We’ll get through this … I promise.”
Sighing, Brett pulled me close. “Yes we will, and we might as well start now.”
Twenty-Four
We had decided to wait an extra day for Brett to get his head straight before calling Daniel to set up his plans to visit California. Since the weekend was almost over, I called and informed the principal of my school that an emergency had come up and I would need my substitute for the next week, apologizing whole-heartedly. Thankfully, he understood and told me not to worry about it.
Brett was adamant on not letting me stay alone in my house, so he opted to ride with me in my car instead of driving his Jeep. He was going to call Daniel as soon as we got there and the closer we got, the antsier he became.
“You know, I think we deserve a vacation,” I muttered playfully, hoping to get his mind in a better place.
Even though he hadn’t talked to him yet, he had his flight all scheduled for the next morning to head to California. Mason and I had ours scheduled for the day after that. We did it so if Daniel got suspicious he would see that I was still in town while Brett was gone.
Brett smirked. “Yes, a vacation would be great. If we didn’t have to hide out right now and pretend we weren’t together it might actually be possible,” he remarked dryly. His abrasiveness had me taken aback, and when he noticed my scowl he sighed and patted my leg. “I’m sorry, firecracker. I don’t mean to be this way it’s just … the thought of hearing his voice and trying to stay calm isn’t going to be easy. Not to mention the fact that you’re going to pretend to get back together with him. It makes me so goddamn sick I can’t think straight.”
I took his hand in mine and squeezed. “I know, babe. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can let him go and expose him for what he truly is.”
All he did was nod, remaining quiet for the rest of the ride back home. As soon as we got inside of the house, he pulled out his phone and stared at it. “Be prepared for him to call you as soon as I get off the phone with him. The second he thinks you and I aren’t together he’s going to pounce on you.”
“Yeah, I know,” I replied, fully aware that Daniel would call me soon afterward.
Not wasting any more of our precious time, Brett dialed Daniel’s number, placing it on speakerphone, and sat there. It was eight o’clock on a Saturday so there was no telling if he would even answer. When I heard Daniel’s voice come over the phone, Brett tensed and I held my breath, waiting.
“I see you made it back from Texas in one piece,” Daniel said happily, sounding tipsy. There was a commotion in the background and it was most likely a party. A drunk Daniel was not a good thing.
Brett clenched his teeth and muttered, “Yeah, I got back late the other night. Hey, listen … I wanted to see if it was okay if I flew to California to take a look at the property. You mentioned something about starting early, and it just so happens that I can this week.”
Daniel hooted and hollered in excitement. “Hell yeah, you can go out there. That would be great.”
“Good,” Brett replied hastily. His hands were shaking with anger, so I went over to him and knelt down, clasping his fingers with mine. “I have all your information so I’ll be leaving first thing tomorrow to check everything out.”
“That’s wonderful news,” Daniel slurred. “Why don’t you come over and celebrate with us then? I’m having a party and I’m sure you’d enjoy it.”