Secrets of Meadowbrook Read online

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Epilogue

  Secrets of Meadowbrook

  Text Copyright © 2017 by Alexis Davie

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First printing, 2017

  Publisher

  Secret Woods Books

  [email protected]

  www.SecretWoodsBooks.com

  Secrets of Meadowbrook

  By: Alexis Davie

  Table of Contents

  Secrets of Meadowbrook

  Secrets of Meadowbrook

  Chapter 1

  Chloe Woods couldn’t shake the ominous feeling she’d had. Something about Meadowbrook, North Dakota was amiss. Even though it was a small town with few employment opportunities, the residents thrived financially. It even had a small airport, where more than a dozen private planes and jets took off regularly. The town was always full of activity. It wasn’t the quiet, sleepy town Chloe thought it would be.

  The residents drove expensive cars, the homes were bigger than she’d expected, and even though the town was in the middle of nowhere, it was home to two upscale restaurants, a spa, and designer boutiques. Meadowbrook had a big city feel, but it wasn’t a big city. The town was located two hours west of Fargo with a population of less than ten thousand people. The town was odd, as were its residents, but it was also Chloe’s new home. She made the decision to relocate, and there was no turning back.

  After finally unpacking, Chloe hung her last shirt in the closet. She sat back and admired her new apartment. She finally had a home of her own. She didn’t have to deal with roommates, which meant not worrying about splitting bills or someone stealing her food. The apartment was pretty bare, but Chloe didn’t care. Everything was hers. Soon enough, she would fill it with furniture and décor to make her house a home.

  At twenty-two years old, she just graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in marketing and didn’t have a lot of possessions, so she made do with what she brought with her from her college apartment. A green microfiber couch sat in her living room, and framed art prints of Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn adorned the walls. She had always appreciated the classic glamor of those two women.

  The bedroom was decorated with a simple slatted bed and a queen-sized mattress that was so soft Chloe felt as though she sunk into her dreams every night after she drifted off to sleep. The comforter and sheets were the only things that were new. The comforter was a deep purple color, and the sheets were gray. Pillows in various shades of purple and blue adorned her bed. In time, she planned on decorating the entire apartment, but for the time being, the furniture was familiar, and it made her apartment comfortable.

  The apartment was much nicer than the furnishings. The receptionist at her new place of employment, Mond Microbrewery, helped her find a place to live close to the office. The apartment was larger than she thought her first apartment would be. The receptionist, Kim, was able to negotiate an amazing lease, which made the apartment affordable. The luxury apartment was just off the main street, so she was within walking distance to the restaurants, shopping, and the town’s one bar, the Smiling Oak.

  Moving to Meadowbrook happened unexpectedly. She’d never heard of the small town—or the microbrewery—but she was hired for a marketing manager position in December, a week before she graduated from college. It was her first job after college, and she couldn’t believe her luck. At a career fair that took place at her university, she’d met the owner of the brewery and had an informal interview.

  The owner, Brandon, was young—still in his twenties—and extremely attractive. He was tall, well above six feet, and Chloe noticed how his muscles naturally flexed with every movement. His hair was dark, and he had a peculiar color of eyes, which were light green with a hint of yellow, almost like the color of a freshly budded leaf on a springtime oak tree. Even though it was the dead of winter, his skin looked tan, which made Chloe think that he probably just got back from a tropical vacation.

  She had a hard time concentrating on his interview questions because his good looks made her nervous. Good looking men had never made her nervous before, which made her realize it was more than his good looks that attracted her to him. His presence was unlike anyone she had ever met. He was confident, sincere, and honest, and her desire to feel his touch was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. It was such a strange feeling, like she was in a trance. She hoped that her immediate attraction towards him wasn’t obvious.

  The following day, she’d received a job offer, which she gladly accepted. The only downside was that she’d have to leave all of her friends and move to North Dakota. Although she had a lot of friends, she didn’t have any family or a boyfriend, so she decided to go for it. The biggest reason she decided to move was that she hadn’t stopped thinking about Brandon since she’d met him.

  ***

  On her first day of work, Chloe climbed into her Jeep and made her way to the offices of the microbrewery. As she shifted her car into reverse, her heart started to beat faster as her nerves took over. School had been easy for her, but she didn’t know what to expect from the working world. To get herself pumped up, she turned on the radio and opened the windows for some fresh air. Being that it was January, the arctic-like air quickly got the best of her, and she rolled up her windows and turned up the heat to recover from the cold. Colorado could get cold, but it was nothing compared to January in North Dakota. The drive to work was only two miles, so the thought of riding a bike to work in the summer made her happy.

  The main road was empty, and Chloe didn’t realize how fast she was going until she saw the flashing lights in her rearview mirror.

  No, I can’t start out my first day like this. I’ll be late!

  As she pulled over to the side of the road, she saw the Mond Microbrewery offices about fifty feet in front of her. She reached into her glove compartment to pull out her registration, and then reached into her wallet to pull out her license. She knew the drill.

  The portly sheriff walked up to her window. Chloe rolled it down.

  “Ma’am, do you know how fast you were going?”

  “I’m so sorry. I’m just so nervous. See, it’s my first day of work, and I was trying to get pumped up, so I had the radio up and just drove. I guess I didn’t realize I was speeding.”

  The sheriff was unimpressed with her excuse. “License and registration, please.”

  Chloe handed him the items he requested and began telling him about moving to Meadowbrook, but he just looked at her as if she were speaking a foreign language. Chloe stopped her rambling; the cop wasn’t listening.

  Finally, he spoke. “So, you live here, huh? As far as I’m concerned, you’re an outsider, and I don’t appreciate outsiders breaking the laws in my town.”

  Chloe began to explain herself but stopped as she watched a black Chevy Tahoe pull over and stop behind the police car. A tall, forbidding figure stepped out from the truck.

  The sheriff said aloud what Chloe was thinking. “Why is Brandon stopping here?”

  Brandon, Chloe’s new boss, looked as handsome as he did the day she met him. She inhaled sharply as she took in the sight of him. He walked up to the car and look
ed at Chloe for what seemed like an eternity. She felt a chill run through her body, which she attributed to the cold air, but it wasn’t the air; Brandon had a strange effect on her.

  Brandon’s eyes narrowed and focused on the sheriff, giving him a threatening glare. “She’s mine. Leave her alone.”

  The sheriff looked frightened. “Yours? I…I had no idea, Brandon.”

  Brandon realized what he’d said, softened his gaze, and then corrected himself, “She’s my new employee, Chloe Woods. Let’s make her feel welcome.”

  The sheriff relaxed a little as he returned her license and registration. “Well, why didn’t you tell me you were working for the Corwin family? Welcome to Meadowbrook, Chloe Woods.”

  Brandon thanked the sheriff as he patted him on the back and then looked at Chloe. “I’ll see you at the office.”

  Chloe nodded and rolled up her window.

  Why did that have to happen on my first day? He must think I’m such an idiot.

  She drove the short distance to the office with Brandon following her. They walked into the office together and were greeted by the brunette receptionist, Kim, who looked like she was in her mid-twenties. She wore her long, dark hair in a ponytail and was dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a pink cable-knit sweater.

  Chloe grinned widely at Kim as they had already spoken on the phone many times.

  The receptionist greeted Brandon, and then smiled at Chloe. “Hi, Chloe! We are so happy to have you here. I hope you like the apartment.”

  “It’s perfect, Kim. Thank you so much for all for your help.” Chloe was glad to see that Kim was about her age, so she hoped to make a friend. She needed someone to show her around Meadowbrook.

  Brandon hardly looked at Chloe as he spoke, “Kim will get you settled. I have a conference call, so I’ll see you later.”

  Kim engaged in small talk with Chloe as she gave her a quick tour of the building. At the end of the tour, Kim showed Chloe to her new office.

  “So, what I am I supposed to do?” asked Chloe. It was her first job, and she had no idea what the job entailed.

  “Well, I don’t really know. I am sure that Brandon will give you the direction you need. Just sit tight, and I will let him know you’re waiting.”

  “Okay. Thanks, Kim.”

  After an hour of sitting at her desk, Chloe went out to talk to Kim. As she approached Kim’s desk, a buxom woman with blonde hair flitted through the doors. The woman paused and looked Chloe up and down, with a scowl on her face.

  “Who are you?”

  “I’m Chloe, the new marketing manager. It’s nice to meet you. Do you work here, too?”

  The woman cut her off. “Of course not. I’m Naomi.” The woman looked at Chloe, like Chloe should know who she was. When Chloe didn’t respond, Naomi rolled her eyes and said, “Brandon’s fiancée.”

  Chloe’s heart sank. Even though she had no intentions of pursuing a relationship with her new boss, she hated to think that Brandon wasn’t romantically available.

  Naomi didn’t stay to engage in small talk, but instead pushed past Kim and headed down the hallway to Brandon’s office.

  “Well, she’s friendly,” said Chloe sarcastically. She hoped the disappointment of learning that Brandon had a fiancée was not apparent in her voice.

  “She’s the worst,” blurted Kim before she realized her blunder. She quickly covered her mouth to gesture that she was shocked that she had spoken her thoughts out loud.

  Chloe laughed. “Don’t worry. I feel the same, so I won’t tell if you won’t.”

  Retreating back to her office, Chloe decided to play on the internet until Brandon wanted to see her. Finally, her new boss arrived with piles of folders and documents.

  “I have all of our past branding and advertisements here. I have emailed you copies of all of our current marketing contracts so you can put together a calendar. Look at everything I just gave you, take a look at our website, and put together a marketing plan. I want to focus heavily on social media and viral marketing.”

  “Okay,” said Chloe. She had a thousand questions, but Brandon rushed out the door.

  His abrasive speech and unwillingness to spend more than a couple minutes with her made Chloe regret her decision to move. Working for a microbrewery seemed like a fun job, but her new boss wasn’t the kindred spirit she had met at the job fair. He was cold, abrupt, and all business.

  Chloe made her way back out to the reception area at the end of her first workday while Kim was packing up her things to leave.

  “Hey, Chloe. How was your first day?”

  “I was able to go through a lot of the documents Brandon gave me. I know I’ll be able to put together a great marketing plan. It’s strange that Brandon isn’t as friendly as I remember him being when he interviewed me. As a matter of fact, the sheriff even appeared to be scared of him.”

  A look of understanding spread across Kim’s face. “Brandon’s family is very powerful. You don’t cross the Corwin family.”

  “Oh?”

  Kim changed the subject. “I am going out tonight with a girlfriend. Do you want to join us?”

  “I would love too, Kim. Thank you for the invitation.”

  Kim looked pleased. “Great. We are meeting at the Smiling Oak across the street from your apartment building. Meet us there at eight o’clock?”

  “Sure!”

  Chapter 2

  A fitted black sweater paired with skinny jeans and black stilettos seemed like overkill for a small-town bar, but Chloe noticed that women in Meadowbrook dressed nicely. The cold weather made her feel like wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt, but when she looked in the mirror, Chloe was glad she put in the extra effort to get ready. Her thick auburn curls fell loosely around her shoulders, and the red lipstick she donned was a stark contrast to her smooth, pale skin. Natural, thick lashes surrounded her dark brown eyes, which is why Chloe rarely bothered with eye makeup, but this was her first night out in a new town, and she wanted to look her best.

  Chloe always felt that her eyes and hair were her best features, and she often wondered if she looked like her biological mother, whom she’d never met. She was adopted as a young child and lived a very happy life with the woman who adopted her. Now Chloe was alone in the world. Her adoptive mother died during Chloe’s first year of college.

  She took one last look in the mirror, grabbed her coat, and walked over to the bar to meet Kim. When she entered the Smiling Oak, her eyes landed on Naomi, Brandon’s fiancée. Naomi was standing next to a table, along with a group of friends. Chloe averted her eyes from Naomi and noticed Brandon. She made eye contact with him, but the connection was short-lived. Naomi saw them looking at each other, grabbed Brandon’s face, and kissed him on the lips, claiming him.

  Chloe rolled her eyes and searched for Kim. It didn’t take long because the bar wasn’t very big. Chloe joined Kim and her friend. Shots were delivered to the table from a group of guys across the bar, and the women obliged.

  Chloe wasn’t a big drinker, so after one shot and one drink, she felt buzzed and was having a great time. At one point in the evening, she made her way to the restroom, but was stopped by a hand that forcefully grabbed her arm.

  “I see the way you look at him.”

  Chloe turned and looked into Naomi’s eyes.

  “What?” questioned Chloe, confused by Naomi’s forcefulness.

  “I see the way you look at Brandon. We’re engaged. You can’t weasel your way into his life.”

  “Well, congratulations on the engagement. I don’t appreciate the allegations though. I can guarantee you, I am not trying to weasel my way into anything. Brandon gave me a job. That’s it. He’s my boss.”

  Before Naomi could speak again, one of the men that was part of her group approached them.

  “Naomi, Brandon wants you.”

  Naomi smirked. “Of course he wants me.” She turned on her heels and left.

  The man whispered so that Naomi couldn’t hear him,
“Brandon sent me over to save you from Naomi. She has a jealous streak that needs to be tamed.”

  Chloe mouthed, “Thank you.”

  Brandon’s friend nodded and followed Naomi back their table.

  After using the restroom, Chloe rejoined Kim and her friend.

  Kim immediately asked, “What did Naomi want? We saw her follow you into the bathroom.”

  “She wanted to let me know that Brandon was hers. I’m not sure what I did to make her believe that I was pursuing Brandon.”

  Kim sighed, “Ugh! She’s ridiculous, but stay away from her. I’ve seen her bad side, and she gets violent. I don’t know what Brandon sees in her.”

  Throughout the night, Chloe enjoyed the company of her new friends. However, she couldn’t help but look over at Brandon. He was the most popular person at the bar. Everyone was vying for his attention, and he was constantly surrounded by men who acted like bodyguards. Chloe couldn’t help but wonder if Brandon was more than just an entrepreneur with wealthy parents.

  When Chloe was ready to go home, she glanced in Brandon’s direction one last time. He looked at her. Chloe quickly tried to look away, but she didn’t succeed. Brandon had caught her staring and offered her a wink and a smile.

  A loud crash was followed by a group of men barging through the front door of the bar. The men hurried over to Brandon and communicated loudly and with fast and wild body language. Chloe tried to make out the conversation because they were so loud, but the music blocked out the specifics.

  Brandon’s friend who had warded off Naomi earlier hurried over to the table where Chloe sat with her friends. He informed Chloe that Brandon instructed him to bring her home immediately. Chloe questioned his intentions, but Kim was already trying to hurry out the door and begged Chloe to do what Brandon’s friend, Matthew, was asking.

  Why was everyone so nervous? She slipped on her coat and followed Matthew out the front door and towards the direction of her apartment. A gunshot went off, and loud growls were heard in the distance. Chloe shook with fear.