♤DEALS♤

Chapter 15 - 'Seven Cruel Hours Of Our Lives'

Never underestimate the power of family and loyalty in one sentence.

-THEO

Caleb Parks POV

After a hard day of singing and dancing, Jack, Jacob and I are lounging around by the lobby, where Jacob is practising lines he will use on Peyton when we get back to the penthouse.

Speaking of the silver-blue-eyed girl, our moment this morning is still ringing in my head. Sure she cursed me out like a sailor, but you have to agree that when she sat down and started feeding Gail her breakfast earlier. I felt something tingle at my heartstrings.

I'll put this feeling at the back of my heart and these thoughts at the back of my head because whatever it is I'm thinking of, I know deep within me that it's a lost cause.

"Do you come here often? If not, let me show you around." Jacob said to a woman in a pants suit that was walking by. Her reply had more colours than the rainbow.

"Jacob, I once said you suffered brain rot as a child. Now I'm not sure if you ever had one, to begin with." Marcel walks in looking dishevelled; sweat stains on his blue dress shirt and red tie undone. He was a contrast to the sun-kissed woman that walked right past him.

In a fitted black dress, Mrs Dinah Wellington was a sight for sore eyes and hated whenever Marcel insulted anyone. That may have been why they split up.

The bottom line is when she walked in on Marcel's comment about Jacob's brain. Her hand connected with the back of his head, and I can assure you that the handprint left could rival the redness of a fire truck.

"What was that for?" Marcel grunted, irritation clear as day on his face.

"I thought that after a couple of years, you would stop having the IQ of a five-year-old kid. Then I remembered, you're supposed to dream big and not think stupid."

I said she hated when Marcel insults people. I never said she would hesitate to return a favour.

"How was the workout you two did?" Jacob grins at the stellar couple.

"As stressful as trying to understand what comes out of your mouth," Dinah says with a playful grin.

"So the verdict of the trip to Mexico?" Jack asks Marcel.

Marcel wipes the sweat on his forehead before replying, "We leave Friday night, just us three and Shawn."

He stared at me. As if daring me to question his decision on the flight arrangements. I knew deep inside it would be a futile argument because now that Gail now has a sitter, there is no need for her to tag along.

"What of Marci?" I say instead of as I turn my focus from Marcel's heated gaze.

"She is coming to spend some girl time with me." Dinah answers while resting on the wall opposite us.

"So only Peyton and Abigail will be in the penthouse this weekend?" Jack asks. He looked around as if we had grown extra body parts.

"So?" Like a true parent of Marci, Dinah rolls her eyes and examines her nails. "I once worked with a woman named Mrs Sandel back in the Bahamas. Her daughter's best friend is Peyton Griffin. If I could describe her in one word, I would say, well-grounded."

"Interesting, we now know that you have friends in your field of work." Marcel yawns as sarcasm drip from his tone, "How does that help us know if she won't kidnap Gail and run out of town?" He asked the question that burned in my mind.