Free Dangerous Love by Ednah Walters, E. B. Walters Page B

She quickly explained what Barbs and her friends planned and why. “I want you to tell them to back off. They never listen to me, especially when my aunt is involved.”
    “I see.”
    Faith scowled, not liking his lackluster response. She’d expected him to be annoyed at their interference. “Look. They mean well, but their help is the last thing we want now. Someone videotaped your fight with Sean and posted it online.”
    Ken burst out laughing.
    Faith tried not to join him. “It’s not funny.”
    “Then why are you laughing? I can hear it in your voice. Pin-head deserves public humiliation.”
    He did. Still…   “There’s no telling what he’ll do once he sees that video. We must find whoever posted it and ask them to pull it down.”
    “Okay. I’ll see what I can do.” He sounded serious as he continued. “About your aunt’s friends. How many are they?”
    “Five. Why?”
    “Because I’m formulating a plan. What are their names?”
    She recited the names, totally confused. “What are you planning?”
    “Something. Can I talk to the lady behind this devious plan?”
    “Why?”
    Ken groaned. “For someone who came to me for help, you keep questioning everything I do. Don’t you trust me?”
      “I don’t. I mean, I don’t question everything, and yes, I do trust you. I hope you’re going to scare Barbs off because once she and her posse get immersed in anything, there’s no controlling them. Just be polite and really nice about it. These are powerful women in Hollywood, and I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”
    “Really?” Disbelief laced the word.
    “Yeah, really. Why did you ask it like that?”
    “You come across as a person who doesn’t ask anyone for help.”
    Funny how he reads her so well. “I came to you for help, didn’t I?”
    He chuckled. “You sure did. So? Can I talk to Barbs or what?”
    “Okay. Just be polite.” Inside the house, Faith followed the voices to a dining room with lovely crystal chandelier lighting and an antique china closet. Barbs held court at the head of the table. “Mr. Lambert would like to talk to you.”
    Once Barbs left the room with Faith’s phone, the others urged Faith to take a seat. The tangy aroma of spices from braised ribs made her stomach growl. It was served with polenta and parmesan cheese, vegetable salads, sautéed asparagus, and artichokes. Still, Faith’s palate couldn’t appreciate anything. Her gaze kept drifting to the door through which Barbs had disappeared.
    “Is everything okay?” Estelle asked.
    “He’s so unpredictable I’m not sure…,” Faith grimaced when she realized she’d voiced her thoughts out loud. She gave her aunt a tiny smile. “Yeah, I guess so. I didn’t come to you after Barbs told me about the gown because I didn’t want to bother you.”
    “You could never bother me, sweetheart.” She squeezed Faith’s hand. “You carry too much on your shoulders. Letting others help now and then isn’t a sign of weakness. It shows that you know your limitations. Ah, listen to me lecturing you now when things are looking up. Bring Kenneth to the house sometime for one of our Sunday picnics. I’d like to meet him in a less formal setting.”
    Not again. Faith needed to nip her aunt’s incessant meddling in the bud. In the past year, Estelle had gone all out to get her a husband. She sent eligible men to Faith’s store on baseless errands and enlisted her cousins’ help in inviting their friends over to the house for family dinners. No matter how often Faith explained she wasn’t ready to settle down, her aunt just brushed her protest off. ‘I want to see you happily married like Jade and Ashley,’ was often her response.
    Faith glanced at the others to make sure they were concentrating on their conversation and food, then leaned closer to the older woman.
    “I don’t know what you’ve heard, Aunt Estelle. Ken and I are not in a relationship. What we have is a business