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“Oh come off it, your sister told me you guys were seeing each other so I can only guess your bad mood is due to the past tense of your relationship?”
“It wasn’t a relationship,” he growled, hearing her coldly tell his sister it was sex and nothing more over and over in his mind. “Did you know she loaned Rabiya the money to start her business?”
Blonde brows dipped into a deep vee. “Of course I did. Who do you think set up the paperwork to get it done?”
Did everyone know about his sister’s life but him?“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Privilege. She paid me for the work and asked me to keep it between us.”
“Well I’m glad she went to you instead of someone who wouldn’t look out for her.”
Jax shrugged. “She wanted to use Charla’s attorney but the woman told her to come to me to keep it clean between them. She didn’t want their friendship to suffer by mixing business.”
“But she loaned a complete stranger a lot of money!” Who did that without expecting anything in return?
“What’s the problem Kasim? Are you pissed off that Rabiya did it without you or that your ex isn’t the woman you wanted her to be?”
Kasim thought about that for a minute, what was his problem? “I didn’t want her to be that woman, why would you say that?”
Shaking his head, Jax stood and gave his friend a sad smile. “Because you’ve been calling her a gold digger since before you met her and I’d guess the reason you’re so miserable is because you accused her again.”
With a heavy sigh, he tossed his pen down and looked up. “Did you come in here for a reason?”
Jax nodded. “I wanted to see if you wanted to grab a drink after work but I think you’ll be shit company. I’ll do better on my own.” Walking away, he turned at the threshold. “You should ask yourself why you believe the only thing a woman could possibly want from you is your money.” And then he was gone.
Leaving Kasim to ponder his last statement for far longer than he should, but after awhile he shrugged it off. He had no self-esteem issues where women were concerned. History had simply made sure he knew the score with women, and he always did.
Why didn’t that make him feel any better? Probably because Rabiya hadn’t spoken a word to him since she stormed off in front of the spa, and she refused to accept or return his calls. Today he would force the issue.
Pounding on the door of his sister’s house until she opened the door with a scowl, he smiled and pushed his way inside. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I came to see my sister, make sure she’s still alive.”
Her scowl never wavered which was unusual. He used to be able to make her smile with no problem when they were kids. “As you can see I’m just fine so you can leave.”
One thick black brow arched in her direction. “You do realize that I own this place, don’t you?”
“Then I’ll be the one to leave!” Scanning the room, Rabiya grabbed her bag and shoved her feet into a pair of boots near the door. “And don’t worry, I’ll find my own place if it means I can have privacy when I want it.”
He was halfway to her by the time she shrugged on a thick black coat, only reaching her in time to push the door closed before she could exit through it. “You’re being a child.”
She whirled on him. “No, a child has to put up with the presence of adults she finds abhorrent. An adult, like me, can extricate herself from the company of those she wishes not to be around!”
“I am your brother Rabiya!”
“Only when it’s convenient for you! When I needed help with my proposal you never even looked at it so I had Jax help me. When I wanted to start my business you offered no advice or assistance, so don’t act like our familial relationship matters to you.” Stomping to the kitchen, she popped the top off a beer and took a long slow pull.
“You don’t mean that. You can’t.”
She scoffed at him. “I can and I do. I haven’t spoken to Charla since that day in the spa and I wouldn’t be surprised if she never spoke to me again for bringing you into her life!”
“Then what kind of friend was she to begin with?” He hated the words the moment they left his mouth and her angry glare told him she hated him for saying them.
“The kind who believed in me more than my own family ever did! Ugh you are the absolute worst.” She groaned and stared at him for a long time before shaking her head and disappearing upstairs to her room.
When she didn’t come out for more than an hour, Kasim locked up and went home. Tomorrow was another day, another chance to make his sister like him again. Another chance to get Charla back in his life.
* * *
