Stirring Up Trouble(48)

Somehow, Jon had tricked her into disclosing the conditions of Alexander’s Will and had used it to his advantage. She wouldn’t have intentionally told him. Would she?





He left his office and walked through the kitchen, stopping when he heard moaning coming from the storage closet. His heart raced. Lola?



Christopher must have observed his apprehension because he held up his hand and shook his head. “It’s Stephan and Jenny. She was all over him and he’s been in love with the girl for years. Better in there than on the kitchen counters. That’s certainly not up to code.” He cracked a smile.



Stephan and Jenny? Good for them. If it took the bread for those two kids to get together, then at least something good came out of this mess.



“From now on, keep your girl out of my kitchen,” Christopher said. “Darn pheromone manipulation will close us down.” He winked at Braden and went back to work.



Braden didn’t know how Christopher had guessed it, but it didn’t surprise him. After all, he was from Greece. If anyone had encountered a Muse before, it would be him.



He continued on to the dining room, relieved to see it was business as usual. The lunch rush was over and only a few tables remained occupied. He spied Lola and Jon huddled together, speaking in hushed tones. He stayed along the wall, walking toward the front. Only a few feet away from Lola, he stepped behind a large plant.



“I’ll talk to him. Braden trusts me. He won’t suspect a thing. Just wait until I call you before you make your move, okay?”



Jon laughed and kissed Lola on the cheek. “I knew you’d come through for me. I’ve missed you.”



Braden’s chest tightened as he put the pieces of the puzzle together. That’s why she’d insisted on making the bread today. She’d set him up.



Lola said something else he couldn’t make out then Jon left. He slipped out from behind the plant and Lola turned around, her eyes widening and her hand going over her heart.





“Braden, you scared me.”



“How could you?” he spit out.



“What are you taking about?”



“You and Jon. You’ve been working with him.”



She moved closer to him, shaking her head. “No, it’s not what you think. I—”



He should’ve known better. He stepped back, not wanting her to touch him. Not trusting himself to stay strong when what he wanted to do was kiss the daylights out of her and pretend he didn’t know the truth. “I can’t believe I fell for it. You’re just like my mother. You’ll do anything to get what you want.”



Tears filled her eyes. “No, Braden. You don’t understand.”



How many times did his mother turn on the waterworks to manipulate her husbands? Too many times to count. “I understand. I understand better than you think. You might be like my mother, but I’m just like my father. I used you, too, Lola.”



Her beautiful skin turned pale as a ghost. “What?”



“I wanted the lease. I figured if I got you to fall in love with me you’d keep the property.”



She flinched. “Excuse me?”



“You heard me. But you got one over on me, too, didn’t you? You told Jon everything. That’s why you wanted to make the bread today. You set me up, taped it, and sent it to him. How else would he and the cops have gotten here so quickly?”



The tears dried and her face grew cold. “I don’t know, Braden. Why don’t you tell me?”



“You called Jon and told him,” he shouted, not caring that everyone could hear them. “It wasn’t enough he’d get the property. He had to ensure that I couldn’t open up another Acropolis down the street. Now he’s got me by the balls. It’s over and I have you to thank.” She opened her mouth to speak, but he didn’t want to hear more lies. He couldn’t stand to have her near. “I want your stuff out of my house by the time I get home tonight.”





Her lips trembled and she dragged her fingers through her hair. “For your information, I never betrayed you. But you’re incapable of trusting anyone. You want to believe the worst so you don’t have to take responsibility for your behavior. Well, bravo. I must be the Muse of Dramatics because you fooled me. You deserve an Academy Award. I thought we had something special, but the first time you’re tested, you fail. I’ll get my things out of that cold, lonely space that you call home.”



She stalked to the stage to grab her guitar, coat, and purse and then stomped back to him, fury blazing in her eyes. “You might want to ask yourself how I taped Jenny from the front when I was standing on the stage. Behind. Her.” She shook her head and stormed out the front door.