Peyton Brooks becomes friends with Morgan Stone, a vivacious and fun young woman. Morgan takes Peyton to the Hamptons, where her family owns a gorgeous house. Morgan's brother, a casanova with a lot of baggage, and Peyton don't get along initially...
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We stopped by Peyton's place, so she could check her mailbox, water her plants and fetch an outfit for going out. While I waited for her, I scrolled on my phone and answered a couple of emails for work. There was a knock on her door, but she didn't hear it, so I went to open it.
"Hello," I said to the man standing in front of me. I'd never seen him before, and I wasn't sure whether he had gone to the wrong address.
"Hello. Is this the residence of Miss Peyton Brooks?" He read the name from an envelope in his hand.
"It is, who's asking?" I felt very protective of her.
The man reached into his pocket and handed me a card. He was a professional process server, and he was there to deliver legal documents. Peyton came into the room with her things, ready to go, just as the man was about to speak. He looked at her and nodded kindly.
"Ah, this must be Miss Brooks?" He said to Peyton.
She nodded and smiled, but I very clearly got a defensive vibe from her. "Yes, I'm Peyton Brooks. What can I do for you?" She walked up next to me and read his card, as I handed it to her.
"Peyton Grace Brooks?" He asked to make sure, before he handed her the envelope. "This is a summoning for a court hearing concerning your petition for a restraining order against Mr. Ethan Oliver Hale."
"A court hearing?" She asked as she signed for the letter he was handing her.
The man nodded and smiled at her. "It's standard procedure when issuing a restraining order. You and the respondent both get to present your case and then the judge will make their decision whether to issue a permanent or a long-term restraining order."
"So Mr. Hale will be present for the same hearing?" she asked and stepped a little closer to me. I put an arm around her waist and sent her a reassuring smile. I was going to be there with her, she didn't need to worry about it.
The process server nodded and thanked her for her signature, before he wished us a nice weekend and left again. As the door closed, Peyton handed me the letter. "Will you open it?" Her hands were a little shaky, her nerves regarding Ethan evident. I nodded and opened the envelope.
"It's just a notice for the hearing. It's on Wednesday at 10AM," I shoved the letter back in the envelope and put it in her bag. "I'm going to be right there with you. I promise."
She smiled and stepped closer, wrapping her arms around my waist, leaning her cheek against my chest. "Thank you," she said in a small voice. "That means a lot to me. I don't feel good about facing Ethan. He wouldn't say or do anything, I know, but there's still a little part of me that doesn't truly know what he's capable of."
"Of course," I said into her hair and pressed a kiss against the top of her head. "I'll gladly go with you. Now are you ready to go back to the penthouse?"
