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Colton didn’t seem to be buying it. He arched his brow but didn’t chase it any further. Kendall must have sensed some awkward tension because she looped her arm through Jax’s and pulled him over to the pool, where the rest of the family was curiously eyeing the newcomers.
“What the hell was that about?” Colton asked in a low voice. We walked over to the covered patio, where a bevy of lounge chairs was arranged around a smooth stone fire pit. Colton sat down, patting the beige seat next to him.
“We’ve crossed paths before, but it wasn’t as friendly as Jax is making it seem.” I took a seat next to Colton, filling him in on the situation while keeping an eye on the dynamics of the group. It seemed like Archie wasn’t too happy about Jax being here, either. He gave him a quick handshake and swam to the far end of the pool, where Wendy sat with her feet in the water. She didn’t even bother getting up to say hi to them, and her congratulations on the proposal seemed as dry as a desert.
“Did anyone know your sister was dating your mom’s lawyer?”
Colton shook his head, sitting back, his legs open wide and his palm-tree-covered shorts riding up his muscular thighs. Normally someone man-spreading (or splaining, for that matter) got on my last fucking nerve, but with Colton, I didn’t mind at all.
“It’s a shock to all of us. Along with that proposal. She mentioned she was bringing someone and that we knew them, but she never said a name.”
“Interesting,” I said, watching as Kendall and Jax rolled their suitcases to the side and went over to stand by Jen, who seemed to be the most enthusiastic about their marital news.
“Have your dad or grandma gotten here yet?”
“Nope,” Colton said. “Just us kids for now. Well, and our little brother, Archie.”
Archie Cooper, the math and tech savant along with being a family prodigy. He had seemed poised to take over his mother’s business, trained in her shadow from the moment he could read and write. From social media, it seemed like he was a huge momma’s boy, always posting tributes to her and attending nearly every gala, event, and award ceremony his mother had been invited to.
Until his gambling and drug addiction got the best of him and he nearly lost it all. Colton filled me in on that dark period, when Archie went on a complete bender, pushing everyone away and losing all of his money. His mom bailed him out, and after a successful stint in rehab, he was able to fight off his demons and successfully open up his own company.
I stood up, figuring it was as good a time as any. “I’m going to do some snooping around. Do you want to come along and be my lookout?”
Colton’s eyebrows jerked up his forehead. A smile crept onto his face. God, he looked like a modern-day James Dean. Casually cool with an effortless smolder to him, highlighted by golden hair and smooth skin that glowed under the cloudless French sky. He looked like a god amongst men, and all I wanted to do was kiss him.
Too bad we already were halfway to our limit.
“Let’s go,” he said, standing up and holding two fingers in the air, his hands pressed together. “I’ve always wanted to be a spy.”
“Relax, Mr. Smith. I just want to do some light digging.”
“You got it, Mrs. Smith.” He shot me a wink and turned toward the home. “We’re going to go get freshened up for dinner,” Colton announced to the group. The sounds of splashing and music nearly disappeared as we entered the living room and shut the thick glass door behind us.
“Alright, let’s be quick about this. Do you know who’s staying in which rooms?”
“Yup, come this way. Kendall’s supposed to be staying in this one.” He looked over his shoulder and wiggled the door handle, finding it unlocked. He pushed it open and tiptoed inside. I walked in past him, going straight for the book bag on the shining marble floor. There was a long window above the expensive leather headboard that looked out to the side of the property, away from the pool.
“What are we looking for?” Colton asked, opening a drawer before immediately closing it.
“You need to stand by the door and tell me if anyone’s coming. I’m looking for anything that might seem a little off… like this.” I pulled out a Hermès wallet from inside the book bag. “Since when can your sister afford a thousand-dollar wallet?”
“Maybe Jax got it for her?” Colton asked as he leaned into the hall.
“Maybe,” I said, not finding anything else in the backpack besides a couple of books and a nearly empty bottle of Xanax. I moved to the other side of the bed, where it appeared Jax had left his suitcase open and on the floor. I crouched down, not seeing anything except a bunch of colorful underwear and terribly folded shirts, until a glint of silver and blue caught my eye. A watch, an expensive one.
