"I can't—"
"Why not?" Brianna asked through gritted teeth.
"Because I never signed the NDA."
Brianna stumbled back before rushing for the door of her home. It took her several minutes to unlock the door with her shaking hands before she could bolt down the hall to her office. Snatching the contract off of the corner of her desk, she ignored the first few pages that fluttered to the floor in her haste to flip to the NDA. Bile rose to the back of her throat at the name scrawled across the signature line of the NDA. "Oh, God … Father signed—"
"Exactly." Her grandmother sounded exhausted. "I never signed it. If I had, it would have rung alarm bells. Heck, when I saw you continue to play your sister after the contract was technically closed, I confronted Reginald. He said you chose to continue the role as it offered a small comfort to your mother—"
"But that's not true—"
"I know that now, hon, but not then. If I had pushed harder—"
Brianna swiped a hand across her mouth. "I don't want to start a relationship built on a lie. What do I do?"
"I've been thinking about that. Callie never signed anything, correct?"
"No. Father tried to force her to sign an NDA, but Callie flipped him off and told him to do his worst if he thought he could get her to sign jack shit—"
"She knows everything. If Jackson pushes for answers, send him to Callie. It's not the best solution, but it's the only one we have right now."
Brianna shook her head. It felt like a cop-out. Like she wasn't brave enough to tell him herself. "I should be the one—"
"If you breathe a word, Bri, and your father discovers it … he can take the farm."
"What?" Her mind scrabbled to find a way out, but she knew if her grandmother had quizzed those attorneys, and they said it couldn't be done, then where did that leave her? What man would want to get second-hand information because the woman he was seeing refused to tell him?
"That's the weird language we didn't understand. The farm isn't just tied into the main contract but into the NDA. Your father will get the farm if you discuss the details of the contract to anyone."
Straightening her shoulders, Brianna set the pages back on her desk after picking up the few off the ground. "How will he even know?"
"If Jackson accidentally lets it slip, that's how. Or if you two break up and it gets ugly. Emotions can run high, and he might break the confidence. And your father is vindictive enough to take that farm."
"I know," she whispered, shivering as the memory of passing over the notice of contract termination pushed into her mind. "I gave him the notice like you told me to … "
"And?"
"He said he better not find out you helped me since it would breach the contract."
He had said more, but Brianna had quit listening after that statement.
"That's what I thought."
"What am I going to do?"
"The best you can until we untangle this mess. The entertainment attorneys think even after the contract ends, the NDA will still be enforceable because there's no definitive end date."
She should have expected this. Her father would never want something like this getting out and embarrassing him and her mother.
"Before you think I'm giving up, the attorneys in California recorded each meeting, so they're getting a transcript typed up for Willoughby and me to review. And they are also combing through every line of the NDA to find a way out."
Relief flooded into her to have this woman on her side. "Thank you, Grandmother."
I'm so glad to have been so wrong about Grandmother. She'll never give up until I'm free.
"You're welcome, dear. Just hang in there a bit longer."
"One more thing." Brianna bit her lip as nerves churned in her stomach. "I wanted to talk to Mother's doctors about the contract ending since I know Father would never be honest with me."
"Oh?" Curiosity colored her grandmother's tone. "What did they say?"
"They didn't."
"I don't understand."
Brianna bit deeper into her lip before blurting the entire story out, laying more of Father's deceit at the woman's feet. "I couldn't remember who Mother was seeing, and I didn't want to disturb you. So, Ms. Williams got me a copy of Mother's schedule. I followed Mother on Tuesday when she was supposed to be at the psychiatrist. But…" Brianna trailed off, unsure how to continue.
"But what?" Her grandmother asked when she was silent too long.
"Mother went to the salon. It was the same for Thursday when she was supposed to be seeing the same doctor. Only that time she was at the club. Friday, she went to some the salon again when she was supposed to be having the reality-based therapy…"
A gasp drifted to Brianna's ear.
"You're telling me Bianca hasn't seen any of her doctors this week?"
Brianna replied in a shaky voice, "I had Ms. Williams get the doctors' names. It took her a few days, but… Grandmother, Mother hasn't been to any of them in years."
"Jesus."
"What do we do?"
There wasn't any way Bianca would be able to handle Brianna disappearing in sixty days. But her mother's mental health should not rest solely on Brianna's shoulders. The entire contract was meant to be temporary.
"Let me think about this. Can you send me the names and numbers of the doctors she last saw?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Okay. I'll call and tell them what we're planning. Then we'll go from there."
Relieved that she wasn't dealing with this along, Brianna slumped back into the chair. "Okay."
If anyone could entice the doctors to help, it would be Grandmother.
"Keep your dealings with your father to a minimum until we can get this sorted and get our ducks in a row."
"I'll do my best."
Grandmother ended the call, and Brianna tucked her cell back into her pocket.
She didn't want to live a lie anymore. But to lose the home she had longed for her entire life? She shivered at the thought.
The primary reason she even signed that stupid piece of paper was because of this farm.
Standing, Brianna set the contract back on her desk and strode from the office. Nothing was lost yet. She had formidable people on her side. Between her grandmother, Callie, and Derrick, Brianna knew they would find a way out. She just needed to trust them.
* * * *
"Bri, you up there," Callie shouted, the screen door slammed behind her.
Brianna's eyes darted from the pile of clothes on her bed to her mostly empty closet. Dressed only in her aqua-colored bra and matching underwear, Brianna tried to calm her racing heart. She had been in a near panic since Jackson had asked her out. It worsened when he actually had called her the next day to set the date and time.
And after the conversation with her grandmother and father, Brianna's mind churned with doubts. Should she call off the date? Would Jackson be willing to wait until everything was settled? And if the NDA proved to be unbreakable, then what would she do? The majority of her life could never be shared with any man she started a relationship with; otherwise, she could lose her farm.
"Bri?" Callie's voice faded in and out downstairs.
But Brianna wasn't ready yet to face her friend. She hadn't expected Jackson to actually follow through with setting up the date. Even after Callie talked with him, Brianna had still seen the hesitation in the depths of his gray eyes. When his voice drifted from her cellphone, Brianna had become mute in shock.
This was her chance to have a man of her own. A life separate from her parents' lives.
The attraction she felt for him was off the charts. She wanted him. She craved his touch again. Wondered what his lips would feel like. What his body looked like under all those clothes.
He was always in her thoughts. Her mind churned with so many questions she wanted to ask. The first being, why he was so skittish around her?
It couldn't all be about her assuming the role of Briony; there had to be more to
it. His anger felt personal as if she was lying to him even though she had dared to blurt the truth to him. The first time in ten years, she voiced her name on that property.
Her hand smoothed over the line of her throat. She growled in frustration and forced her arm down.
His outward appearance was exactly like the man she had built so many stories around when she was growing up. That wasn't possible because that man only existed in her head. But he was the kind of man who had always caught her attention. And now that he was looking back, she refused to blow it.
Pushing the doubts aside, Brianna lifted one of the dresses from her bed. The blue linen dress would be cool with how warm the weather had become, but with the gold accents, it was too formal for the local restaurants. Setting it aside, she lifted the black dress Callie had told her every woman needed.
Supposedly the simple black dress worked for every occasion. She had yet to wear it to anything. Brianna lifted it in front of her and turned toward the full-length mirror hanging off her closet door. Tipping her head to the side, she nodded and placed the dress in the maybe pile.
"Brianna Penelope Spencer! If you do not answer me this instance, I'm calling the cops!" Callie's shouted demand echoed throughout the house.
Brianna flinched as her gaze dropped to the stacks of clothes again. Did she have time to shove them back in her closet? Hearing her friend's roar, she knew she didn't.
Brianna had been trying on every piece of clothing she owned over the past two days. The fashion show had been crammed between work at the farm and veterinary calls. Spring and summer were always busy with births, riding accidents, and vaccinations.
"It's only you, right?"
"Yes," Callie answered, making Brianna jump and whirl around.
Brianna slapped a hand over her mouth hold in the screech. "Jesus, Callie, you know I hate when you do that."
"Then answer me next time." Her scowl morphed into an unrepentant smile as she tucked her black hair behind her ear. She pushed away from the doorjamb that led to the master bath. "Figured with your bedroom door being locked I should hurry before you had a chance to lock the bathroom door too."
The master bath connected to the hallway and her bedroom. It came in handy when Brianna came home after a long, dirty day delivering animals. She could wash up at the clinic, but she never felt clean until after a shower in her own bathroom.
By coming in across the hardwood floor in the hallway, she bypassed her bedroom entirely. She cringed at the thought of dragging dried blood or manure across her bedroom floor.
Brianna rubbed at her flushed face; her gaze took in the piles of clothes again. "I think I need help."
Callie laughed. "I'll say, but hey, at least you're getting your spring cleaning done this year."
"Not funny." She growled, laying a hand on her jumping stomach. "I'm a nervous wreck."
"I can see that." Callie stepped to the bed and flipped through several shirts before settling on a blue peasant-style blouse that left a lot of her shoulder exposed. "This and this." She held up an old pair of jeans.
Surprised, Brianna raised both brows. It was so casual. The peasant blouse she had never worn before because it made her feel exposed. Fingering the soft material, she gnawed on her lower lip. "Are you sure?"
"Yep. Now, let's get you ready."
The panic abated now that her best friend was there. Callie's take no prisoner's attitude helped calm Brianna better than a shot of whiskey could. "Have you talked to your father or grandmother lately?"
"Yes." Brianna filled Callie in while she dressed.
Then Callie shoved into the makeup chair in Brianna's master bath. The opulent bathroom was the one indulgence she had allowed herself.
She had taken the small attached bath and pulled in the smaller bedroom behind it to create one great escape. A garden tub was nestled under a large window that overlooked the paddocks and nearby lake. Next to it was an open frosted glass shower that could fit Callie, Brianna, and Callie's two boys easily. She should know since they had all helped her tile the thing with Derrick's guidance. On the opposite wall was the toilet with a half wall separating it from the long counter.
Brianna might have been optimistic with the light gray counter space since she'd had two sinks and a his and her vanity installed. Her vanity held a makeup station fit with a plush mint green stool that matched the lavender, green, and gray motif she had selected. Fluffy gray hand towels hung from slate-colored hooks.
It was her haven. Her small slice of calm before she was forced to leave to either help save animals, or pretend to be someone she despised. The rest of the house helped her relax, but her true indulgence was her master bath and her bedroom. She knew she could be herself fully in these two rooms without being judged.
A tug with a brush made her wince. "You do know my hair is attached to my head, right?" She narrowed her gaze on Callie.
"Shut up and let me work while I think about having to spill everything to Deputy Delish."
Brianna sighed. "I don't like it either."
"Feels skeevy, right?"
"Yeah."
"No worries, we'll figure out a way to get around it." Callie waved the brush over Brianna's head. "Between me, Derrick, you, and now your grandmother, we've got plenty of devious minds to think loops around your dad."
"I hope so."
"I know so. Now quit fidgeting so I can get this mane to do what I want." Callie ordered.
Brianna plucked at the blouse. "Do you think I look okay? I mean, what if he takes me somewhere nice?" What she wanted to ask was if this shirt showed too much skin? Or too much boob? She glanced in the mirror and cringed. "I don't want to look easy."
None of her dates had ever been this casual. Jeans? What was she thinking? Before she could stand, Callie gripped her shoulder in a hard hold. "You're dressed perfectly. And there is nothing easy about you, Bri. Get that asshat of a sister out of your head. You, my bestest friend, are going to wow him."
It was true. The easy comment had been one Briony often used on her. Anytime Brianna showed even a bit of skin. Yet, now that she looked back, it had been Briony who wore the tight clothes or plunging necklines to draw every bit of attention to herself she could. And most times, it was her sister who screwed her way to whatever she wanted.
"Briony hated competition. It's why she always tried to keep you down or under her thumb," Callie stated. "Now, I'm telling you for a fact, what you are wearing is perfect for where you're going. Trust me. I've never steered you wrong."
Brianna narrowed her eyes on her best friend. "You have steered me wrong quite a few times."
"Name one," Callie challenged.
"Mrs. Branson's Social Studies class Kevin Meyers."
"That doesn't count. I told you he would go out with you—"
"Right, if I pretended to be Briony."
Callie shrugged. "So? She was an easy lay. Why not use her to nab the hot basketball player?"
"He expected me to put out at the end of the date." Brianna shivered from that near miss. "He kept wondering if we were exactly the same and wanted to explore it in depth. With Briony."
"Ew." Callie wrinkled her nose. "You didn't tell me that."
"Because it was gross." She placed a finger in her mouth and gagged. "I still have nightmares. Luckily, when he found Briony at the bowling alley, she shoved me out of the way and told him she hated competition. But that she would give him a detailed map of the differences. Then she dragged him away."
"Gross. He went?"
"Duh. What fifteen-year-old boy is going to turn down that?"
It still stung how fast he'd dropped her to run off with her sister into one of the bathroom stalls. Of course, Brianna had gotten over it quickly when she saw several of Kevin's teammates follow them snickering about watching.
Beating down the memories of Briony, Brianna jerked away from Callie as her statement finally hit home. "Wait. You know where he's taking me."
Callie rolled her eyes, yanked
Brianna's head back in place, and grumbled about having to start over yet again. Brianna caught the exasperated expression in the mirror as her friend answered, "Of course, I do, I'm the one who suggested it." Callie smiled her shit-eating grin. "And it's somewhere none of the other jerks you dated have ever taken you."
That statement didn't settle the butterflies in Brianna's stomach. "Oh, God, please tell me it's not to the Talladega race track."
Callie snorted and shook her head as she ran the brush through Brianna's thick mane before snapping a band around the fistful of hair, then pulled the extra piece around the band and tucked it through it. She began winding chunks of Brianna's straight hair around the heated piece. When she released each section of hair thick, fat curls were left in their place.
Callie snorted. "That's what you come up with? You've got a weird mind of how a casual date should go. And you underestimate me if you ever think I'd let some guy take you to a race track."
Worn blue jeans that Brianna enjoyed wearing when hanging out with Callie, Derrick, and their kids slid soothingly across her palm as she swiped the sweat from it. The clothes spoke of comfort and relaxation. Not anything like what she would wear on a date.
"Now, your tennis shoes, and you'll be set."
Before she could second guess herself, Callie had her by the arm dragging her into the hallway, down the stairs, and to the small closet under the staircase. Shoes were stacked on shelves stretching top-to-bottom. The four uppermost shelves were dedicated to her 'Briony' persona. Strappy high heels, sedate sandals, and a few pairs of casual chic all in the latest styles and updated every year by a personal shopper on her mother's payroll.
The bottom shelf was all Brianna. She rarely wore them in public, preferring to err on the side of caution, and she always dressed as Briony in case she ran into her parents. The first time she had dressed as Brianna had been when she and Callie went to the Sheriff's Department. She had wanted nothing of Briony present if Jackson had asked her out. And he had.
That precious memory belonged solely to Brianna.
Now, she was dressing in her own clothes yet again and tempting fate, hoping she did not run into her mother or father. She trusted Callie. Her friend would never place Brianna in an untenable situation with her family. Never risk their small slice of heaven.
The Twin Contract (The Contract Series Book 1) Page 8