Another loud, banging knock sounded at his door. “I’m coming!”
He swung his door open wide to find his entire family standing outside. With a groan, the reasons for his hangover came flooding back.
Two days ago, he’d found the diamonds. Then Lauren had made the connection between the jewels and the Corwin Curse and she’d immediately called Clara to come over. Clara, with her otherworldly wisdom, had revealed that the offering-in this case the diamonds-was the key to breaking the curse. It was up to Lauren Perkins to figure out how.
Lauren had figured it out immediately. She’d turned the jewels over to the Corwin family, giving the offering to the cursed family and thereby breaking the curse forever, at least according to Clara.
All good news until in the midst of the chaos, Lauren had snuck out, leaving his family to celebrate and Jason with a note. I hope you find what you’re searching for. Love, Lauren. To add insult to injury, she’d asked Sharon to look after her cat while she was in Paris. Not Jason.
Which brought him back to his current hangover.
And his family who’d followed him inside his house.
“Tell me why I can’t get any peace in my own home?” Jason asked.
“It’s not your home, it’s mine. You just live here,” Hank said, stepping forward.
“Nice, Uncle Hank.” Jason glanced around, waiting for his father or another relative to step up and support him.
The way they’d done for Lauren.
But his entire family stood by and let Hank abuse him.
Jason groaned. “Okay, why are you all here?”
Thomas straightened his tie and grinned. “To tell you those diamonds were worth a fortune. Split among the three families, we’re not broke anymore!”
“We weren’t broke before,” Jason reminded him. And Lauren needed the money a lot more than he did.
“Neither were we,” Derek said, glancing lovingly at his wife, whose books sold well.
“The point is, we have a nest egg now,” Thomas said. “Jason, you’ll get your share, too.”
Jason would make sure his share went to Lauren.
“Even Edward said he would accept the money,” his father added.
“Because his medication and therapy are working.” Gabrielle turned to Jason. “Maybe we could put you on the same regimen and you’ll come to your senses, too.” Her pregnant belly protruding from beneath her jacket, she poked Jason in the shoulder.
“Hey, what was that for?” he asked.
“After all our hard work getting you two together, you let Lauren just pick up and leave!” Amber said, obviously upset.
The two women were like a tag team. “I’d call it meddling, not work,” Jason muttered.
“He does have a point,” Mike said.
Amber hit her husband in the arm.
“Let’s not forget, if it wasn’t for the mice we brought over, you wouldn’t have found the diamonds, so I’d quit complaining about our so-called meddling.” Gabrielle eyed Jason with frustration.
“Leave it to the women to t
wist things,” Derek said, stepping out of his own wife’s reach.
Jason rubbed his burning eyes. “They happen to have a point about the mice and the diamonds.” Even Jason knew when it was smart to concede defeat. “As for Lauren, it’s more complicated than it seems.” And he didn’t intend to discuss this with his entire family. “Can everyone go home and let me deal with my own life?”
Gabrielle frowned. “Fine. Amber and I will go with Hank and Thomas back to their house. I’ll let your cousins knock some sense into you.”