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At least I knew this guy had a steady job. I hadn’t interacted with him outside of emails, so I couldn’t really vouch for his character, but he had worked with my mom for years, so he must have shown some kind of good qualities. I glanced at my watch, wondering when they’d show up.
So far, the family trip was drama-free, without any tempers flaring or egos clashing. But money still hadn’t been brought up, and I understood the power money had over people. It could dredge up old arguments and relight long-dead feuds. Archie and Kendall never got along, while Jen had issues with Archie’s wife, who had yet to say more than three words to me since we had arrived.
And then there was my dad, William, who was probably out driving around the French countryside. He was a hothead. A good father, but he had a temper that could flare at the smallest of things. It had never been directed at my mother and was always tempered when it was directed at us, but that didn’t stop us from seeing him blow up on other people, sometimes for things as tiny as a parking spot.
He had also loved my mom to absolute bits, worshipping not only the ground she walked on but the sky she walked under, too. Everything about her he loved and admired. Their breakup came as a shock to the entire family, but I think it shook my dad more than anything else could have. An alert warning of an incoming nuclear missile could have popped up on his phone and he still would have handled it better than when my mom asked him for a divorce.
But that was years ago now, and he seemed to have dealt with it, finding a space where he and Mom could be friends again.
I chatted with Krystine about Below Deck while Eric continued to lose his game of pickup pool basketball. They wrapped up somewhere around the twentieth point, Archie having scored all but three of them. I watched Eric climb out of the pool, my eyes dipping down to where his shorts clung to his shape. All of his shape. He peeled the shorts off his skin and walked my way, his entire package in full swing.
Jesus, the things I want to do to that man.
Which I won’t do. Because it’s not allowed.
The sliding glass door opened just as Eric walked past it. My sister and her boyfriend stepped out, both of them looking ready to jump in the pool. I gave them a wave, which made Eric turn and look over his shoulder.
He froze. Cocked his head.
“Jax?”
“Eric?”
I stood up, water splashing around my feet as I stepped out onto the hot stone floor.
“Jackson Miller?” Eric asked again, sounding completely surprised.
I cut in before the sequence could continue. “You two know each other?” I blinked through the surprise, looking at a genuinely shocked Eric and a slightly amused Jax.
Shit… was this going to fuck up our plans?
17
ERIC RUIZ
Jackson Miller, a man with a vicious smile and a penchant for holding grudges. I had worked a case years ago, back when I’d first started my career as a PI, and it had involved one of his clients. Someone accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a close relative. I discovered the trail of money leading right back to his client’s doorstep and got him thrown in jail.
Jackson appeared to have taken that personally, going on a rampage to try and take me out of business. Whether through fake online reviews I had to work to take down or through trying to get my license revoked, one way or another, he had been determined to make me pay, and he had failed with every desperate measure he took.
“Yeah, we’ve got history,” I said to Colton’s question about us knowing each other.
I couldn’t believe it. He was Amelia’s lawyer? And now her daughter’s boyfriend?
No, wait. There was a ring on his hand. Colton must have noticed it, too, pointing at the silver band.
“Hold up,” he said, cocking his head to look at Kendall’s left hand. She lifted it and wiggled her finger.
“He did it at the airport, on the way here.” She bounced up and down, giving a rogue squeal that matched Colton’s as he took her into a hug.
Wow, he’s petty and romantic as a pet rock. What a catch.
“Congrats, you guys.”
“Congratulations,” I managed to say. The shock of this meeting was starting to wear off.
“Okay, but can we go back to you guys knowing each other?” Colton asked with a finger wagging between Jax and me. This wasn’t exactly the right time to dive into that, so I shot Colton a look that I hoped would stop any further questioning.
Jax—who either didn’t notice the look or didn’t care—went ahead with a bullshit explanation about us having worked together a few years ago. Which was rich, considering this was the man who had tried to put me out of business.
