If she could stay in this place forever, she would. But she knew in her soul her days were limited. She wouldn’t stay in a town where half the population wanted her gone. And it was time to put her mate first above everyone else.
The front door opened, and her mother stepped out. “You okay, honey?”
“Yeah, just catching my breath.” Joselyn pulled her coat tighter around her and stuffed her hands in her pockets as if that would ward off the coming storm.
Rosanne smiled, cupping her daughter’s head and pulling her in for a hug. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. I can’t imagine what you’re going through, or what you’ve been through for the last several years. You’ve made some tough choices, and I feel bad I wasn’t able to help you.”
“Not your fault, Mom. You didn’t know, and there was no way I could tell you. I never told a soul. For good reason.”
“I know.” Rosanne rubbed a hand down Joselyn’s back. “Come inside. We’re discussing strategy.”
Joselyn followed her mother inside, feeling the warmth from both the heat and the occupants. Everyone in the house was on her side in this battle.
Her favorite aunt, Josephine, rushed over to give her a hug. “We love you, honey.”
Joselyn fought against the lump in her throat. She coughed to clear the emotion away and shrugged out of her coat while she joined her family sitting around the living room. It seemed her mother and father had been discussing the situation with her aunt and uncle for a while. Several mugs littered the coffee table.
Bernard lifted his gaze. His expression was serious. He hadn’t slept. His eyes were dark and tired.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” she said as she took a seat in an open armchair. “I never meant for this to happen.”
“I know, Jos. No one blames you.”
She lifted a brow, almost laughing.
He smirked. “Okay. No one in this room blames you.”
At least there was that.
“Did Uncle Carroll and Uncle Jaren insist on a vote yesterday? They can’t really force you to step down as CEO, can they?”
Bernard shook his head. “No votes were taken yesterday, but unfortunately yes. If they get enough support, they could take over the brewery.”
She wanted to scream. “And how would this be helpful? Neither of them ever showed an interest in running the brewery. I don’t think they’re capable. They would run it into the ground within months.”
Marlin sighed. “That’s what we’re afraid of.”
His mate looked toward Joselyn. “We’re hoping it won’t come to that.”
“Did you make any headway yesterday figuring out who might have leaked information?”
Her mother shook her head. “No. Nothing but a dead end. And more importantly, we can’t even come up with a plausible motive. Why would anyone in the pack intentionally undermine our own brewery?”
Joselyn pinched the bridge of her nose. “I can tell you what they shared was simple. Someone gave Mountain Peak early mockups of our ad. They didn’t need more than that. They had dates and pictures of the products. That was more than enough to hurry through the process, come up with a duplicate product, and set a launch date that was a week before ours.”
“Why, though?” Marlin asked rhetorically.
“I’ll resign,” Joselyn suddenly stated, knowing it was the only option at the same moment she spoke the words.
Her father groaned. “I don’t want it to come to that.”
“It’s the only choice. No matter what happens, half the company will always be pissed at me. Besides, I’m the prime suspect. There will be no way to convince anyone I’m not the leak without proving who did this. It’s possible you’ll never know.”
“Honey…” her mother began.
Joselyn sat up straighter. “I need to focus on my relationship now, anyway. Alton and I can’t continue this farce. We’ve wasted too many years. We can’t work for competing breweries without someone always being suspicious of what we share with each other. It’s understandable. Even if this was a normal human arrangement, one of us would need to resign.”
For the first time in days, she knew this was the right decision. It was time to move on. It would soothe relations among her pack and ease tensions.
“I don’t like it,” Marlin stated. “It’s not fair.”
Joselyn smiled. She felt like a weight had been lifted.
Why did she ever put so much importance in her job? She could get another one.
If she were honest, however, this never had anything to do with her job. It had to do with her family. Even her immediate family. Outing her relationship had always been something she knew would alter the course of her life.
But it was time to make those changes. Starting immediately.
»»•««
Two hours later, Joselyn stood at the entrance to her childhood bedroom and let her gaze roam over the space. It would be a while before she saw it again. So many memories.
She thought of all the nights she’d lain awake in her bed talking quietly on her cell phone with Alton. So many nights when she should have been in his bed.
Would it have changed the course of events if the two of them had left U of C together and forged a new life somewhere else instead of returning to Silvertip?
There was no way to be certain the exact same rift wouldn’t have formed even in her absence. After all, she hadn’t been the one to come up with the product launch in the first place. She had simply been the brains behind the scene who planned for publicity and advertisements. Another marketing director could have done the same thing.
The feud between her family and Alton’s had divided the entire town for decades. Joselyn couldn’t take the blame for perpetuating it.
What she could do now, however, was leave and let her family figure out what to do next without her presence hovering over the entire pack like a dark cloud. There was always the chance that if she left town, tensions would ease, and the angry, bitter half of the pack who blamed her for the leak would cease this incessant need to vote her father out of his position as CEO and even pack leader.
Everyone had left for the office. She was alone in the house. It was a relief to have the chance to wander around and say goodbye in her own way.
She had boxed up her mementos and left a note for her mother to hold them for her. Everything else she hadn’t already moved to Alton’s, she loaded in her car.
She was ready. She was a stronger woman than she had been two years ago. She would leave Silvertip knowing her parents loved her and supported her. Same thing for Alton. His parents had also welcomed them with open arms. To hell with the rest of their packs. They could stuff their hatred where the sun didn’t shine.
As she left the house and got in her car, she reached out to Alton. “How’s it going at Mountain Peak?”
“About what you would expect. I need to stick around here a bit longer. I don’t like the vibe I’m getting. I might be useful in some way. My damn cousin Vinson is MIA again today, which puts a bad taste in my mouth. I know in my gut he’s involved in this. As well as his father.”
Joselyn started the engine and headed down the long driveway, aiming for the main road. “I’ll swing by the apartment and pack a few things. Load up my car. Clean out your fridge.”
“Thanks, babe. Appreciate that. I’ll get there as soon as possible.”
She broke the connection and focused on driving. It didn’t take too long to get to Alton’s apartment, and an hour later she had the kitchen clean and her belongings back in the car. She hadn’t even unpacked the stuff she’d brought yesterday, so it wasn’t difficult to load it back up.
Her skin crawled with the need to get out of Silvertip. Why did it have to be like this?
She dropped onto his couch and stared at the ceiling when she ran out of things to do. She would let him pack up his own clothes and toiletries. Besides, her Honda Accord was stuffed full. They needed his SUV for anything else they wanted to take.
She glanced around. He didn’t have much. The place was small, and she doubted he was particularly attached to the furniture or knickknacks. The idea they might not return at all was never far from her mind. She wondered if he was having the same thoughts.
She didn’t want to interrupt him. Most likely he was in an extremely stressful environment having to defend himself to his pack and searching for answers. She was relieved she never made it to her own family’s brewery. It might have pushed her over the edge.
Her leg bounced up and down as she glanced at her watch for the millionth time. It was three o’clock. It had also been a while since she heard from Alton. She considered her options and decided she would get a head start and leave town without him.
“Alton? Do you have sec?”
“Yeah, baby. I’m so sorry. Time keeps getting away from me. I feel like police in an interrogation room.”
“I’m sure. Sorry you have to deal with that. Do you mind if I start driving? I’ll head toward Calgary and find someplace between here and there to stop for the night.”
He chuckled into her mind. “Is my apartment lonely without me?”
“This entire town is giving me the heebie-jeebies. I feel like I’m suffocating.”
“Go ahead, then. I’ll catch up. I’m trying to wrap things up now. But it might take me a few more hours.”
“Okay. I’ll let you know where I decide to stop and get us a room.”
“Love you.”
“Love you too.” Relieved, she stood and headed for the door. The idea of getting on the road and putting some distance between herself and the insanity that was her family’s rivalry helped her breathe easier. As soon as she was totally out of town, she would relax her shoulders and inhale fully.
Chapter Twenty-One
Joselyn drove two hours before she decided to stop. She was exhausted from not getting enough sleep for the past several days. She hadn’t heard from Alton yet, but she didn’t want to bother him again. If he hadn’t contacted her, then he most likely also hadn’t left the office yet.
She chose a hotel she was familiar with. They’d met at this one once a few months ago.
She smiled to herself as thoughts of the two of them catching fleeting nights together flitted through her mind.
Never again.
Never again would she spend the night without him.
Never again would she huddle under the covers in a different house, calming herself to sleep over the phone instead of by his side.
Never again would she have to masturbate to thoughts of the next time she would see him in person.
Never again would she experience the rushed desire to fuck as many times as possible without speaking because she needed to get back home before anyone questioned her absence.
Never again.
She felt lighter, her heart freer as she headed for the front desk. Five minutes later she was in the room, dropping her overnight bag on the bed and shrugging out of her coat.
When a knock sounded at the door, she spun around confused. A smile spread across her face. Alton must have been right on her heels. Inhaling deeply, she furrowed her brow. It wasn’t Alton.
She whipped open the door and then took a step back in shock. “Liddie?” Joselyn opened the door wider. “What are you doing here?”
Liddie stepped inside before Joselyn had enough time to question how the hell her brewery’s receptionist was in this hotel two hours from Silvertip.
Liddie smiled too broadly. “I followed you.”
“Why?” Joselyn shut the door but remained standing near it as Liddie wandered farther into the room.
When Liddie turned around and took a seat in the only chair in the room, she looked nervous. “I need your help.”
“With what?” Joselyn’s hair stood on end. Something was not right about this situation. She took a few steps forward before stopping again. It seemed prudent to keep her distance.
“You and your mate have messed up my plans. I need you to fix things.”
Oh, yeah. This was not good. She considered reaching out to Alton but then thought better of it. Something told her it would be best if he didn’t know what was happening yet.
Joselyn played along, pretending to be curious as she padded across the room and sat on the edge of the bed. “What did Alton and I do?”
Liddie cackled.
Joselyn had never heard that tone from her.
“Bad timing. I know you didn’t mean to interfere in my relationship, but your binding commitment to Alton Tarben this week was inconvenient. And now I need your mate to help me reunite with mine.”
Joselyn nodded as if in agreement. “And who is your mate?”
“Vinson Tarben.” Liddie beamed. “You’re not the only one in a relationship with a Tarben.” She giggled next. “Doesn’t it make you feel exhilarated sneaking around?”
Joselyn realized the girl thought they had something in common. Was that why she came to Joselyn for help? Joselyn was glad she hadn’t reached out to Alton yet because she had no intention of involving him in this if things went south. He didn’t need that kind of added stress when he was still two hours away or on the road driving. “What can I do to help?”
“I don’t know where Vinson is. He left town two days ago right after the launch. And he hasn’t contacted me.”
Joselyn nodded again, trying to seem eager. Vinson. Interesting. Alton’s not-so-mysteriously-missing cousin. “That sucks. He didn’t tell you where he was going?”
Liddie shook her head. “No. He was supposed to take me with him. We had planned to bind and start a new life somewhere else where our packs weren’t feuding, but I imagine he had to leave abruptly. I assume the Tarbens are hiding him.”
Joselyn narrowed her gaze, trying to follow Liddie’s line of thinking. “You think the Tarbens are hiding Vinson?”
“Yes. Of course.” She looked confused, as if the idea weren’t preposterous.
On second thought, what did Joselyn know? Maybe the Tarbens were hiding Vinson. If their pack was anywhere as close to imploding as the Arthur pack, anything was possible. “Why would they do that?” She needed to get deeper into Liddie’s head.
She shrugged. “How should I know? Probably because the Arthurs got all upset with the release and thought they needed to blame someone.”
“You don’t think the Tarbens are responsible?” This was truly weird.
Liddie shook her head. “Just a coincidence is all. So what if they developed a similar product? It happens.” She shrugged.
Joselyn licked her lips. “When did you meet Vinson?”
Liddie rambled on. “We’ve been together for months. We were going to bind as soon as this damn launch fiasco was over. Vinson’s been working long hours to see the project to completion. I hardly ever get to see him anymore. He said as soon as this was over we would leave town.”
“I see. That’s exciting.” Joselyn felt anything but excited. What she felt was concern over the mental stability of Liddie. She’d known Liddie for ten years, ever since the preteen had been taken into the pack when her parents died. She’d had no other family, and they’d been living in the area. As far as Joselyn knew, no one had ever had a single problem with Liddie.
But sometimes people made strange choices, especially if they thought they were in love.
Joselyn began to piece things together. “When exactly did you start seeing Vinson?” she asked, hoping she sounded genuinely curious.
Liddie glanced up and to the left, tapping her lips. “It was the day the first batch of Glacial Lemon was tested. I ran into him in town. He was so sexy. I had seen him before, but every time I saw him, I stammered over my words.” She giggled at the memory.
Joselyn gave her a fake smile. “Where did you run into him?”
“Tipsy’s. I was in line for the bathroom in the back hallway when he ran into me, causing me to stumble. He was so sweet, grabbing my shoulders to keep me from falling. I was a little tipsy myself.” She sighed.
Luckily, Liddie continued. “I took the chance to speak to him since I’d had enough to drink that my tongue was looser.”
Joselyn could see where this was going. Somehow she was certain Liddie’s loose tongue was the cause of all the commotion. “Were you drinking Glacial Lemon before you went to the bar?”
“Yes.” Liddie’s eyes danced. “And I loved it.” She leaned forward, seeming almost as drunk now as she must have that night. “I might have mentioned it to Vinson.” She scrunched up her nose. “I didn’t think it would cause all this craziness just telling him the Arthurs were developing a new drink. Who cares?”
Just everyone in the pack, that’s all. Joselyn fought the urge to strangle the stupid girl.
“For the first time in my life, a man was interested in me. And not just any man. A sexy god of a man.”
“So you started dating?”
Liddie nodded. “In secret, of course. Though I think it’s ridiculous how ingrained this weird feud is between the two packs.”
At least they could agree on that point.
“Did you give him the mockup pictures for the launch ad?” Joselyn decided it was time to get blunt.
“Yeah. I probably shouldn’t have done that, but it didn’t matter. His brewery was already working on the same product. He told me so. He just wanted to see if our art looked as good as theirs.”
I’ll bet he did. How could any one person be so stupid as to fall for all this shit? Did Liddie honestly believe she could share trade secrets with her lover and Vinson wouldn’t rush back to his pack to develop the same product at warp speed to beat Glacial to the finish line?
“Now everyone is acting like it’s some big deal, screaming and yelling about a leak inside Glacial that helped Mountain Peak copy our drink.” She laughed sardonically. “Lemon Peak. It’s also delicious, by the way.” She licked her lips and moaned around the imagined beverage.
Grizzly Secret (Arcadian Bears Book 3) Page 22