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“I know your father owns most of the older apartments in the city, and I’m looking to flood the market with some new upper-class condos to replace them. I will need an insider to help me with cleaning up the city. I want to make it more appealing to higher-classed vacationers to bring more money into Miami by getting them to buy condos. Would you be interested?”
Julian looked at me thoughtfully but said nothing. I could see the wheels turning in his mind. “And what do I get out of this deal?”
There it is.The Julian I remembered from high school. Always out for himself, though the same could be said about me if I was honest.
“I know how much you hate your father. I remember you telling me about him in high school. You told me he beats on your mother as well as you and your brother. Do you still feel that way about him? This could be your chance to put him in his place.” I hoped there was still an intense hatred inside Julian that would work well for my plan.
His lips curled slowly at the corners, then upwards into a smile. There was a hint of mischievousness in his expression, which was exactly what I was looking for. He wouldn’t be able to resist my proposition. I just had to wait for it to click in his mind.
“What would be my percentage of the profit?” He leaned forward and folded his hands together, giving in.
Now, we’re talking.
“Help me, and I won’t rat you out, and you will get twenty-five percent of the profits,” I offered. I thought it was a fair deal since I would be doing most of the fieldwork with clients and overseeing the construction.
He mulled it over for a few minutes, pausing to look at me every now and again, almost as if he wasn’t sure if I was being honest with him. I knew not to say a word. The first person to speak loses, and I wanted Julian to be that person.
“Deal, but I want it in writing before we go any further.” He leaned back in his chair.
“Fine by me. I will have the papers drawn up, and we’ll sign them in a few days. Sound good?” I waited for confirmation.
He nodded. “Never thought I’d go into business with the likes of you,” Julian said, shaking his head.
“Likewise,” I said, grinning.
* * *
Darcy
“I’m so excited!” Shellene squealed as I came into the kitchen. “Take your seat outside so we can get started planning our skiing trip to Vermont.” She brought over an assortment of finger foods, including a cheese, meat, and cracker tray, various cut-up veggies, some devilled eggs, a fruit tray, chips, nuts, and some chocolate. She poured each of us some plum wine and some dips.
“Wow, you’ve outdone yourself,” I commented on her spread. I picked up some trays and carried them to the backyard. Shellene had already decorated for the BBQ festivities. I sat beside Lila and asked, “Who else are we waiting for, and where’s your husband?”
“Thane, of course. Funny how he lives next door but is one of the last to arrive. Lyle Scanlon will be joining us. He was in the Navy SEALs with Evan and Thane, and Thane remained great friends with him. His fiancé dumped him for another guy, and Thane thinks he needs a change of scenery. He’s sexy, single, and a sweety. I’ve met him a few times,” Lila explained. She raised her eyebrows and put a dreamy look on her face.
“Sounds great,” I said.
“Oh, I also heard Evan might bring his friend, Regan Townsend III. He’s a famous chef and also Evan’s best friend. He hasn’t seen him in a while, so he thought he’d bring him along. Should be lots of fun,” Lila said, stuffing her mouth with a cracker topped with cheese and pepper salami.
“Wow. Regan sounds like he’s royalty with a name like that. Regan Townsend the third,” I mimicked the name with a thick English accent. We laughed like schoolgirls and drank some wine.
“I’ve known Regan forever. He’s a great guy. He separated from his wife not that long ago and just started up a new restaurant in Miami. He and Evan have been reconnecting, so it’s been amazing. I get along great with him. I hope he does some of the cooking while we’re away,” Lila said.
Remi appeared and walked over to sit down, eyeing the food. “I’m so stoked about this trip. I seriously need a vacation to get away from Julian. He’s been taking more of an interest in my job lately and keeps hanging around me. By the time I leave there every day, I’m ready to scream.”
Thane came in finally, followed by a truly handsome blond man. Tall and tanned, he towered over Thane. I assumed it was Lyle. I openly scanned him up and down, deciding he was one of the sexiest guys I’d ever laid eyes on. Evan and Regan were right behind them. Shellene ushered them to the kitchen table and gave them plates and napkins. With five girls and four guys, I hoped there would be enough room in the cabin for all of us.
Thane sat directly across from me and avoided my eyes.What the hell has gotten into him?He appeared to be on edge. It almost seemed like he looked guilty or something.Strange.It was so unlike him to ignore me. Usually, he would taunt me until I was either embarrassed or disgusted. He loved getting a rise out of me, so why wasn’t he trying that now? Perhaps the bigger question was, why did I care if he paid attention to me?I don’t care what Thane Erickson does one way or the other. Do I?
THANE & DARCY
Thane
How the hell did I get stuck withher? Thank God I was driving, so I had something other than her to focus on. Lila and Darcy had decided to sit in the back together, so they could chat about babies. Evan was asleep beside me, and I couldn’t be happier. We hadn’t exactly patched things up from when I tried to kick him out of the business we own together, but Lila’s been working on him for me. I had a lot to make up for. And I’d had a good nap on the plane, so I was wide awake to drive to the cabin. It had been a long day of traveling.
Unfortunately, Darcy sat on the right side of the backseat so that I could see her in my rearview mirror. I risked a glance at her. She was staring out the window, and the sun shone through the window cascading over her beautiful features. Swearing, I brought my eyes back to the road.That damn woman is going to get me into a car accident!
I found myself wondering what she was thinking about. I’d purposely ignored her the previous night because I felt so guilty about not intercepting Julian with Addison, but I had to believe that Darcy’s sister had a good head on her shoulders, and she’d see that he was bad news all on her own. Besides, Addison needed to learn how to root out the bad men on her own. It served my purpose, getting Julian in my corner to help steal the hotel business and his older apartments away from his father. It was genius on my part.
