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One is from Kane, making sure we arrived home safely, another from Miles, and there’s one from a number I don’t recognize. I click on it to read the message.
Hi Lee. I hope you don’t mind me reaching out. This is Jasper Banks, Brady’s father. I’m looking to get in touch with Shayna, but Brady didn’t have her number so I’m texting you. I heard you’re arriving home today, and I had hoped to meet with her ASAP upon her return. Is this something you can facilitate?
My forehead wrinkles.
“Everything okay?” Shayna asks. I hand her my phone so she can read the message, then she’s looking at me with drawn eyebrows. “Why would Brady’s dad want to meet with me?”
I shrug. “No clue.”
“Well, what do you know about him?”
I think back to what Brady may have mentioned. It’s not like I’ve researched my buddy’s dad. “I know he’s megarich. Got his start in venture capital, I think. Brady’s stepmom has money too. She owns some sex toy company.”
Shayna chuckles. “Seriously? Which one?”
I shrug again. “I don’t know. From what Brady says, she’s quite something though.”
She bites her lip. “I guess text him back and see when he wants to meet. That’s the only way to know what’s going on.”
After a few texts back and forth with Jasper, I give the driver Jasper’s address and ask him if he’d mind waiting while we take a quick meeting.
“It’s on your dime.” He looks at me in the rearview mirror, not seeming to care a whole lot.
Jasper lives in Pacific Heights, only a few blocks away from Brady. It’s a massive mansion that screams money and looks to be four stories. I bet it has killer views of the bay on the backside.
“Wow. And I thought Brady’s house was nice,” Shayna whispers when we pull up, as though the people inside the house can hear us.
“Do you want me to come in with you?” I ask Shayna when her hand goes to the door handle.
She looks at me over her shoulder with wide eyes. “Absolutely! I’m not going in there by myself.”
I chuckle. “All right. Just wanted to check.”
I tell the driver we’ll be back as soon as we can, and we make our way up the steps to the large, arched double doors. They open before I even have a chance to ring the bell. The woman at the door has shoulder-length dark hair and full sleeves of tattoos peeking out of her T-shirt.
“Hi, I’m Lee Burrows and this is Shayna Kudrow. We’re here to meet with Mr. Banks.”
She smiles wide and opens the door wider in invitation. “Don’t let Jasper hear you call him that. He insists it ages him to old man status.”
I chuckle and we follow her inside.
She puts out her hand. “I’m Lennon, Jasper’s wife.”
With a house this big, I’m surprised they don’t have a butler.
“You have a beautiful home,” Shayna says, looking around.
“Thank you. Jasper told me to keep an eye out for you. He’s just in his office, working.” She rolls her eyes. “Always working, that one. More than me. Anyway, I’ll take you to him.”
She leads us toward the back of the home, and every hallway contains framed pictures of a younger Brady and two other kids who I think are twins. We go up two levels and walk down a hallway until we reach a closed door. I think I might get lost if I lived here.
Lennon knocks softly on the door, then opens it. “Babe. Your guests are here.” She looks at us. “Good luck. Hope I’ll be seeing a lot more of you.” She winks and walks away.
Shayna looks at me, probably wondering, as I am, what she meant by that comment.
“C’mon in, you two.”
We look inside the office. Sitting behind a large desk is a man I suspect Brady will look a lot like in twenty or so years. He has some gray at the temples, but he’s fit for his age and is dressed in slacks and a polo shirt.
