“Sure, she does. She’s marrying you, isn’t she?”
“Just because I suggested one time that we have Elvis marry us, she and her mother decided I should stay away from all wedding set-up or planning activities. It was a joke. They didn’t think it was funny.”
Probably not when everyone’s stressed out planning a wedding. “So, you show up and you do whatever they ask without comment, and they’ll be thrilled to have your help.”
His expression lightens, and I realize Brodie is possibly more sensitive than I ever realized. “You think so?”
“I do. Come on. Let’s show those ladies how helpful we can be.”
He swings a U-turn and heads back toward town. “Fine. If I get yelled at, I’m blaming you.”
“I’d expect nothing less.”
Chapter Eleven
Levi
We find Daphne and her sister-in-law at the spa. They’re with two staff members, and they seem upset.
“Hey, baby.” Brodie walks right over to Daphne and puts an arm around her robed shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Gentry,” Daphne says. “She ran off after—”
“What happened to Gentry?” I ask, my face going numb and my heart rising to pound in my ears. If anyone hurts her, I’ll kill them.
Daphne motions for me to come closer and takes both of my hands in hers. “She’s okay. She’s just really upset.”
I don’t like how she seems to be trying to break this to me gently. “What happened?”
Daphne’s smile slips. “I’m not sure. She got really upset during her massage and ran off. We don’t know if she got hurt or if she’s just embarrassed, but we can’t find her anywhere.”
“How do you not know if she’s hurt?” If some male masseur with big hands touched her inappropriately, I will destroy his life.
After I find Gentry and make sure she’s okay, of course.
Daphne glances at Brodie and winces. “I’m not sure she’d want me to say. Let’s just say it was her first time getting a massage, and the experience affected her emotionally.”
I am no less confused, and I’m getting more worried by the second. “Did a masseuse here touch her in a way she didn’t want to be touched?”
The staff member behind Daphne gasps. “Sir, I can assure you, all our masseuses are professional, and they would never—”
I glare at the man and turn my attention to Daphne. “I’m asking you.”
“No.” She squeezes my hands in reassurance, and I do feel oddly reassured. There’s something very calming about her. “It was nothing like that. Just find her and make sure she’s okay. She can tell you what happened.”
“Any ideas where I should look first?” I ask.
“She’d want to be alone,” Liza says. “Maybe the indoor botanical garden?”
“I’ll go with you,” Brodie says, looking concerned.
“You stay here,” I say. “She probably doesn’t want a crowd if she’s upset.” The truth is, I want to make sure Gentry’s okay, and I don’t want to be pushed to the side by her brother or anyone else who thinks they have more of a claim to her. Maybe it’s selfish, but I’m not feeling very generous right now.
Brodie hesitates, studying me like he’s trying to figure me out, like he still doesn’t get just how serious I am about his sister. “Text me,” he finally says, before turning all his focus on Daphne. “What happened to working on wedding favors?”
I hurry out of the spa before I hear Daphne’s answer.
It probably would have been smarter to ask Daphne where the indoor botanical garden is, but how hard can it be to find? If Gentry was upset when she ran out of here, she could be anywhere.
