This one said, I’m in control and don’t you forget it.

  Chase gestured to the cup he’d ordered and set on the other side of the table. “Nah, the coffee’s great. Even my mood’s not bad enough to spoil it.”

  “You sure about that?” Nate’s smile was measured as he took his seat.

  “It’s been a hell of a day.”

  “I am sorry about that,” Nate said, “I’m really not familiar with what you do, but I understand how important it is to you and I appreciate you including Sarah and I on the call earlier. A betrayal like that’s hard to take.”

  “You’re a part of this and you deserved to know like everyone else.” Chase took a sip of his coffee, the bitter brew oddly soothing. It matched the unpleasant taste he hadn’t been able to wash out of his mouth all day. “More than twenty years, Nate. She was with my father since he got big enough to need a real office manager and staff.”

  “And it allowed her to fly under the radar as a trusted employee.”

  “Every damn day for more than a decade she was stealing from us.” He set down his coffee for fear his grip would crush the paper cup. “More secrets.”

  “You’ve had to deal with far too many of them. Which is why I wanted to meet with you. I wanted to make sure you heard this from me and know it for truth.”

  Although they’d only met recently, Chase had felt an affinity for Nate from the start. Smart. Strong. Upstanding. And a man who held a clear willingness to do right by others.

  As Robert Colton’s oldest son, Chase took his responsibilities to his family seriously. And as Robert’s youngest son, Chase already knew Nate felt the exact same way.

  “We don’t want shares of the business, Chase.”

  “No, but you and Sarah are entitled to them. I’ve never questioned that, and I don’t believe anyone else has, either.”

  Nate took a sip of his coffee, considering. “It’s like we’ve both told you. Sarah and I don’t need or want shares. Our mother doesn’t believe us or agree with us, but I sure wish you would.”

  Although Chase knew precious little about his Aunt Jessie, Nate had mentioned the same early on. That Jessie had expressed heated, self-righteous fury that her children with Robert should be entitled to the same shares in Colton Properties as his six children with Jenny.

  Chase didn’t disagree they were entitled to something. But he recognized his brother and sister had their reasons.

  What he hadn’t expected was the steady layer of heat and vitriol Nate carried toward his mother.

  “What’s her reason for continuing to push it?”

  “I’m increasingly thinking it’s that damn Ever After group she’s a part of.”

  It was Nate’s turn to scowl and Chase knew it was for a number of reasons that didn’t include the coffee.

  “They call themselves a church,” Chase said.

  “Whatever else it is, church isn’t the right word. The founder spews a lot of angelic, beatific bull. But he seems deeply engaged with the financials and little else.”

  “How so?”

  “My mother’s let it slip once he asked her about her inheritance as well as mine and Sarah’s, then clammed up when I pressed her on it. It reinforces what I’ve heard rumor of. That the man has very little engagement with the souls of his flock, but a heck of a lot of it with their wallets.”

  “It has to be an expensive enterprise.” Chase considered it, trying not to jump to an immediate assumption of guilt. “Don’t they try to house their people, too? That takes money. Resources.”

  “More of what bothers me. Why can’t people go home each week and live their lives? What’s the point of having them all on the property like a commune?”

  Chase had really only looked at it through the lens of the property needs. But adding Nate’s description to the conversation he’d had the other day with Sloan, Chase had to admit things definitely sounded...off.

  “Has your mom said anything else?”

  “Nothing about that group she’s a part of. She’s been relentless with Sarah, though, pushing for her to take her inheritance. I think she’s given up on me.”

  Not for the first time, Chase struggled against the dark feelings that swirled inside of him for his aunt. He’d spent years simply practicing disdain when it came to the subject of his mother’s twin sister, but these past few months?

  Jessie Colton was a problem. Beyond the betrayal of her family, she somehow had a way of getting herself into bad situations.

  And now, to press her children over something they didn’t want?

  “I don’t think I realized how bad it was.”

  It was Nate’s turn to quiet down, and in the man’s stoic features, Chase saw a match for himself.

  “We’ll get through it. I never put much stock in my mother’s flighty ideas and neither does Sarah. In fact, my sister is the only reason I’m sticking close now. She shouldn’t have to bear the heat all by herself.”

  “We’re here for you. Both of you.”

  “I know and it makes all the difference.”

  Chase thought about his brother’s words on the drive back into Owl Creek.

  They were here for each other.

  Not out of duty or requirement, but by choice. As a family.

  And that mattered.

  Wasn’t that what Sloan had tried to impart to Sarah the other night at the barbecue? The Coltons were a family. No matter what their misguided parents had done to them, the children were rock-solid.

  His conversation with Nate had gone a long way toward reinforcing those feelings and he’d be damned if he was going to stop now. Whatever it took to ensure Nate and Sarah knew they had a family and that they belonged was his only goal.

  Which made the discussion about Jessie so troubling.

  Shouldn’t their mother be their biggest champion? A part of him believed that to be the case. That her focus on ensuring they get a piece of Robert Colton’s estate was, at its core, a mother’s desire for fairness.

  But why keep pushing if her children said they were fine?

  His father had provided for Nate and Sarah, both while he was still alive and in other property allocations he’d ensured would go to his children with Jessie. So really, her complaints that her kids were missing out were more tied to the settling of succession and the assets of Colton Properties instead of any real sense they’d been left out.

  Was it this church she was a part of?

  Sloan’s disdain had been a match for Nate’s. Even as an outsider, with minimal knowledge of the area, she’d keyed into how strange the Ever After Church was.

  Furthermore, how their practices didn’t seem to actually fit the mold of a church.

  And now that Nate had shared Jessie’s interest in the money, Chase had to wonder if he’d been too lax in his initial thinking.

  Especially when Sloan’s comments about his Aunt Jessie came winging back into his thoughts, like tumblers falling into a lock.

  One more choice in a long line of poor ones.

  Leaving her children... Putting on a married facade... Now she’s caught up in an entity...

  Those are some seriously questionable decisions.

  Whether it was his discussion with Nate, or the morning’s evidence that even people he thought he knew could make bad decisions, Chase wasn’t too sure. But Sloan’s comments from the other day had taken hold of his thoughts and he wasn’t ready to let this go.

  The vague thought he’d had the other day that he wanted to look into the Ever After Church had just gotten a lot clearer.

  All he needed to do now was ask Sloan if she was interested in joining him.

  * * *

  With pastel de nata cooking in the oven, her mother’s special recipe, Sloan tried to take solace in the comforting smells and off the still-roiling thoughts in her head.

  Hadn’t she grown up with this scent filling the kitchen? The rich custard tart her mom would sprinkle with cinnamon fresh out of the oven and then she’d eat it with a tall glass of milk. As she got older, her mother allowed her to make a latte to accompany the pastry.

  It was only in the last few years that she’d gotten into the way her parents ate the treats—with a shot of espresso accompanying the dessert.

  God, she missed her mom.

  They normally spoke every day, but her parents had gone to Portugal for a month on a family visit. If she tried to call her now her mother would only worry.

  The sweet treats would have to stand in for her soothing words and perfect hugs.

  It had taken a good portion of the afternoon, but Sloan had finally calmed down a bit.

  And had forced herself to honestly assess what had happened at Colton Properties.

  She had done the job she was asked to do, but once she’d seen the impact of that work, she’d fled. Not only did it not make sense, but it also wasn’t something she’d ever done before.

  Which had only left her with more questions.

  And the rapidly rising suspicion that she was far more attached to Chase Colton than she wanted to admit.

  They had an attraction, one they’d both admitted to this past weekend. But her unhappiness at seeing him dealing with the outcome of her investigation?

  It had cut shockingly deep.

  The timer went off just as the doorbell rang. Chase was the only person she knew, so she figured it would be him. But she took the few extra moments to pull out the tarts before heading for the door to check.

  And opened it to find Frannie and Ruby on the other side.

  “Oh, hello.”

  Both women smiled at her, but it was Ruby who instantly moved forward, her attention already focused on the kitchen. “What is that divine smell?”

  Frannie shrugged, but a smile twitched at the edges of her lips. “I’d like to say it’s because she’s pregnant, but Ruby likely would have done that, anyway.”

  “Well, come on in.” Sloan waved Chase’s other sister inside before turning for the kitchen. She’d just cleared the doorway when she let out a small cry at Ruby. “You’ll burn yourself!”

  Ruby stepped back, the hands wrapped around her pregnant belly quickly moved behind her back. “I’m not touching.”

  “You’re going to burn your nose if you get any closer,” Frannie admonished as she came into the already small kitchen and took a seat at the table. “Despite my big sister’s manners, we didn’t come here to eat.”

  “But we can once they cool!” Ruby quickly insisted.

  Frannie shot her a dark look before continuing. “We spoke with Chase earlier and figured the lunkhead still hadn’t come over to check on you.”

  “He’s been at work.”

  The two women exchanged glances before Ruby gave a firm nod, then took a seat of her own. “Stupid lunkhead.”

  “Isn’t that term a bit outdated?” Sloan asked before going to the fridge and pulling out a pitcher of iced tea. “It’s decaffeinated,” she added, directing her comment to Ruby, before crossing to get some glasses.

  “Lunkhead was all our mother allowed when we were kids and it sort of stuck,” Ruby said.

  Since she was an only child and woefully ignorant of sibling politics, Sloan just nodded at the answer and went back to pouring iced tea.

  “So what is that you just made?” Ruby asked.

  “They’re my mother’s recipe,” Sloan said as she set glasses on the table before each of Chase’s sisters. “Pastel de nata are traditional Portuguese pastries.”

  “They smell amazing.” Frannie shot a pointed look at her sister. “And I’m sure they’ll be delicious once they cool.”

  “We can have one in a few more minutes. In the meantime, why are you upset at Chase?”

  “We’re upset at his stupid behavior,” Ruby stressed.

  Frannie shot her a dark look but didn’t correct her sister, either. “We were just concerned. Chase called a family meeting after he’d finished speaking to his staff and we noticed you weren’t on the video call.”

  Although she didn’t have siblings, Sloan was absurdly touched at Ruby and Frannie’s concern. She was surprised they’d even noticed she wasn’t there.

  “I figured out who was stealing from Colton Properties and it was time to leave. Chase had things well in hand.”

  The look that passed between the two sisters didn’t give much, but it was enough to pique her curiosity. “You don’t agree?”

  “I think Chase has believed he has everything well in hand for a long time. And in business, he’s great. In real life?” Ruby rolled her eyes. “He’s spewed some ridiculous nonsense for years that he’s not cut out for a relationship.”

  “I’m not sure I can say one way or the other, to be honest. We’re not really dating.”

  “Yeah, he mentioned that, too, on the call.” Frannie waved a hand, the gesture more dismissive than Sloan would have expected. “No one’s buying it.”

  “I’m afraid it’s true. We needed a plausible excuse so I could be inside the offices at unexpected times. That was the story we used.”

  The two women exchanged glances once again and Sloan held up a hand of her own. “I don’t have any brothers and sisters, so forgive me if I’m missing what’s underneath all this. But can you please just tell me what you think?”

  Their loudly silent communication came to an abrupt halt as both women stared at her, guilty expressions lining their faces.

  “We think you’re perfect for him,” Ruby said.

  “And we love how the two of you are when you’re together,” Frannie added. “Watching each other when you think the other one doesn’t know.”

  Sloan abruptly jumped up from the table, hoping the delicious sweet treat of the pastels would divert some of the attention off her rapidly heating face.

  Because she did look at Chase when she thought he wasn’t watching.

  But to know he did, too?

  She put the tarts on a plate and dusted them lightly with cinnamon before returning to the table. “The traditional way to eat these is with coffee. I can make some if you’d like but I don’t have any decaf.”

  Both women brushed it off. “The iced tea is fine,” Frannie quickly assured her. And since neither of them kept on with tales of their brother, Sloan took her first easy breath as she set down the serving dish on the table and then passed out small dessert plates.

  It was only once everyone had taken a tart, Ruby already oohing and aahing around her first bite, that Sloan realized her mistake.

  She’d just taken a bite of her tart, the creamy egg custard filling her taste buds with the comforting memories of home, when Ruby spoke.

  “So tell us. What will it take to keep you here?”

  Chapter 12

  Chase pulled into a parking spot in front of Sloan’s building and saw what looked like his sister’s car a few spots away. He almost shook it off when something had him thinking better of it and he crossed over to the parking spot.

  Only to look in and see Ruby’s signature mess of doodads littering the cupholders.

  His first thought was to ask why his sister was here, rapidly followed by a mental curse that his sister had decided to pay Sloan a visit.

  “Why?” He moaned as he took the outer stairs up to Sloan’s floor. “Why, why, why was I given a meddling younger sister?”

  He nearly barreled through the door but stopped himself at the last minute and knocked.

  Only to find a flustered Sloan answer on the other side.

  She grabbed onto his arm and dragged him into the apartment without saying a word.

  “Hi, Chase!” Ruby’s voice filtered out of the kitchen, followed quickly by Frannie’s slightly lower register.

  “Hello, big brother!”

  “Both of them?” he asked Sloan.

  “Yep.”

  Since she didn’t elaborate, he figured his sisters’ arrival was both unexpected and, at minimum, slightly harrowing as Ruby and Frannie could be when they decided to gang up.

  Thank goodness, they hadn’t brought Lizzy along, too.

  Three Colton women all in one place, all on some mission of their own making, was the very definition of scary.

  “You have to try these!” Ruby said with her mouth full all while gesturing to her currently empty plate.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, attempting his stern-older-brother tone. It hadn’t worked on them when they were ten and six and he was sixteen, and it sure as hell wasn’t working twenty years later, but he gave it the old college try all the same.

  “They’re delicious,” Frannie added, completely ignoring his question.

  “Well, what are you eating?” he finally asked.

  “The most amazing Portuguese pastries.” Ruby gestured vaguely. “Tell him, Sloan.”

  Sloan already had a fresh plate out of the cabinet and had set it, along with a napkin, at the only empty spot at the table.

  “We’re eating pastel de nata.”

  He’d never eaten what looked to be dessert tarts but the kitchen smelled incredible, so he did what any sane man would do when faced with his nosy younger sisters, a woman he had increasingly strong feelings for and a plate full of pastries.

  He took one.

  And nearly fell off his chair as the subtly sweet, rich taste hit his tongue.

  He’d never considered himself a man led by his stomach, but in that moment, he could have gotten down on one knee and proposed to Sloan. Or to the dessert.

  At the exquisite taste exploding on his tongue, he wasn’t entirely sure any longer.

  “You made these?”

  “Well, yeah.” Sloan nodded.

  “Today?”