“In Molly’s hotel room,” I add. “After two a.m.”
All eyes go to Brayden, who’s stiffened at the mention of Molly’s name.
We all like Molly. She’s been a great asset to the family business. We’re going to open a tasting room and banquet facility in Jackson Harbor, and she’s moving home for the first time in years to run it for us. We know she’ll make it a success. We all like Molly and appreciate what she does for our business.
But Brayden’s appreciation for Colton’s stepsister extends beyond the realm of the professional and into the realm of unrequited infatuation. One night in New York, they drank too much, and one thing led to another. The night did something to Brayden.
“Did you see them together?” Brayden asks, keeping his eyes on his plate.
“No, but I believe Ellie. She’s not one to fabricate shit like that.”
“It’s not what she thinks,” Ava says.
I arch a brow. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Did you miss the after two a.m. part?” Shay asks.
“Or the in her hotel room part?” Carter mutters.
“Ava,” Shay says, “you’re sweet to assume the best, but your brother is no saint.”
Ava looks at Jake again, and he shakes his head. They hold each other’s gaze for a long time, having some sort of silent argument before he closes his eyes and shrugs in defeat. She turns to me. “We should talk, Levi. Go outside with me for a minute?”
“Sure.”
She takes my arm and drags me out. It’s scorching today. It’s barely past ten and the sun is blazing. The air is thick with humidity, and I immediately miss the sweet chill of the air conditioning. “Don’t jump to conclusions,” Ava says.
“What does it matter what conclusions I jump to? I’m not part of their relationship.”
She shakes her head. “I can just see you and Colton going at each other over this, but you don’t have the full story.”
“Of course I don’t, Ava. Nobody has the full story. That’s the way shit like this works. But the fact of the matter is he was with Molly last night. When Ellie texted to ask where he was, he said he was crashing at Jake’s.”
She winces. “I know the lying is a problem,” she says softly. “You know Colton’s never been a fan of the truth if a lie was easier.”
“And it’s an even bigger problem in the context of Ellie seeing Molly in Colton’s arms.”
“Were they making out or just hugging?”
I throw up my hands. “What the fuck do I know? Does it really matter?”
“Yes, it matters. Molly has a kid, you know.”
“I’m well aware of that.” That little bomb was dropped a few months back when Molly started working for our company and enrolled her son, Noah, into our health insurance plan. The fact that she was a single mother wouldn’t have been a big deal, except that prior to that she’d kept her son a secret from everyone in this town. Including her stepsiblings.
“Have you seen him?”
“Colton?”
“No.” She smacks my arm, as if I’m being deliberately obtuse. “Have you seen Molly’s son?”
I frown. I’m not sure I like where she’s going with this. “I haven’t.”
“Colton and Molly have old business they need to sort out.” She pulls her phone from the pocket of her jeans and taps the screen a few times. When she turns the phone to face me, a little boy with wild, dark hair smiles back at me with dimples that look just like Colton’s.