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“Maybe if my ex had done a little more of that, we’d still be together,” she replied.
“Is that what you would have preferred?” Rhett asked, pretending to care.
“Not really,” she conceded. “I prefer the house to him, all things being equal.”
“It is a fantastic house,” he told her. “In fact, calling it a house feels like an insult.”
“Thanks, Rhett,” she said, beaming at the compliment. “Your place isn’t too shabby either. I actually heard it was for sale from someone earlier tonight but not by you. Does that mean you’ve been renting?”
Rhett felt the embarrassment wash over him and prayed that his face wouldn’t turn red. If people knew the truth and were chatting about it, that would undermine all of his and Nina’s efforts. They couldn’t look like part-timers.
“We are renting, but only technically,” he said, hoping he sounded blasé. “This place was available, so we snapped it up while we looked around. But we fell in love with it, so we decided to buy. But you know how things work. Jenica, the realtor, has to officially put it on the market, so we’re going through this charade until we make the thing formal. I probably shouldn’t have even said that much. Jenica would have to deny it if asked. I hope you’ll keep this quiet, Gabby. If word gets around, it could scuttle the whole thing.”
Gabby looked at him curiously, as if she was deciding whether to take what he was saying seriously. After a moment she seemed to give an internal shrug.
“Of course,” Gabby said. “Discretion is my middle name. Actually, it’s Marta but you take my point.”
“Thanks,” he said, wiping his hand across his brow in mock relief. “It’s hard enough to maintain a thriving firm these days when you’re new-ish to town without those kinds of complications.”
She nodded sympathetically, which he took as a sign that now was the time to transition into his pitch.
“You know, Nina and I have had to deal with the double pain of losing Ava. Not only is a dear friend gone, but she was about to sign on with us to help her with some very sensitive work. I only wish we could have helped her before this happened.”
“Are you saying that Ava’s death had something to do with what you were going to do for her?” Gabby asked, shocked.
“I have no evidence to that effect,” Rhett said, his tone suggesting otherwise. “I’m sure they were completely unrelated, though I guess we’ll find out at some point soon. The LAPD put that famous profiler, Jessie Hunt, on the case, In fact, Nina talked to her earlier today, offering her insights. With Hunt onboard, I’m sure we’ll get resolution soon.”
“I hope so,” Gabby said, “because this whole thing has been terrible. In fact, I’d just as soon stop talking about it. Do you mind if we change the subject?”
“Of course not,” he said, though he did mind.
“I see you’ve got a lovely collection of framed prints along the hallway walls,” she said, walking over to one. “Are those yours or did they come with the place when you moved in?”
“They were here already, but we’re thinking of adding to them,” Rhett lied.
“Which is your favorite?” Gabby asked.
“I’m partial to that one,” Rhett told her pointing at one of the few he’d looked up for just this sort of situation. “I’m a big admirer of Baskwat’s work.”
Gabby looked at him oddly but said nothing. He wondered if he’d somehow made a mistake. Her expression suggested that he might have. He could feel that he was beginning to sink into a pit of self-doubt and ordered himself to stop. He needed to salvage this situation.
“Anyway, I’ve always been more of a literature fan than an art aficionado,” he told her, feeling the flop sweat appear out of nowhere. “What’s your favorite classic novel, Gabby?”
“I don’t know,” she said in a tone that told him he’d lost her. “I think I’m going to get another drink before I have to head out. There’s a fundraising event at the Miramar that I need to make an appearance at.”
“Of course,” he said, nodding vigorously while fighting the urge to help. That would only seem more desperate. “Everything is top shelf.”
She smiled politely and stepped away. Rhett gritted his teeth as he watched her go. He’d screwed this up. The charm offensive had failed miserably. Maybe he shouldn’t have been surprised. After what happened with Nina and Ava at their meeting yesterday, he was feeling so much pressure that he was bound to make a mistake.
He still remembered how torn up Nina had been when she called to tell him. She’d been paying for lunch when her credit card was rejected. Then another one was. She’d brought the wrong purse, so she didn’t have any of the other six cards available to use. Ava had noticed and it had clearly put her off because she said she was leaning against hiring them to run the investigation of her husband.
It was devastating. The retainer was going to be $10,000, Between that and the upcharges for forensic accountants and private investigators, they could have easily bled her for double that, enough to keep them fluid for at least a few more weeks. But now they were nearly flat broke, with red ink everywhere.
They had $280 in their checking account. And between their various loans and credit cards, they were easily $170,000 in debt. His Tesla was to be repossessed on Friday. Nina’s Rivian SUV probably had until Monday. It was true that this house was for sale. It was also true that they were two months late on the rent and were going to be forcibly removed at the end of this month, eight days from now, unless they paid it all back before then.
Things were beyond dire. Sure, Nina seemed to be hitting it off with Charlotte Stevenson. But he’d struck out with Gabriella Silva. Worse, he’d seemed desperate, which was the worst possible sin.
Well, maybe not the worst.
