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“Thank you.” Jade’s face broke into a smile as she shifted toward the table, eyeing the pile of paperwork there. “That looks serious. Let me guess—the backbone of Brinell Steel is on her second pot of coffee.”
“My busy Monday morning go-juice helps. Want a cup?”
“No, thank you. That little espresso machine in the guest cottage makes the best coffee. I’ve already had three cups of that stuff. I indulged myself. Remind me to grab the kind of coffee you buy. It’s perfect for my mood.”
“It’s the darkest roast Murphy sells. You drank three cups already? No wonder you look as if you could bounce off the ceiling.”
“Do I? Well, I’ve been up since the crack of dawn. I feel energized, like someone lifted a ninety-pound weight off my shoulders. I should’ve broken up with Birk months ago.”
“Was it that bad?”
“It wasn’t horrible or intolerable. He didn’t beat me or anything like that. The happiest time we spent together was training Mia to become a rescue dog. Hiking together was always fun. Birk seemed happiest when we were outdoors. But when Mia didn’t make the cut, he lost purpose. We started arguing more. He started nitpicking at me more.”
“I didn’t realize.”
Jade lifted a shoulder. “No one did. We just don’t mesh anymore, Brogan. That’s the hard reality. You have to remember, I’ve known Birk for over two years.”
“I thought it was six months.”
“Nope. This wasn’t a simple fling. We met when I started working on his sister’s disappearance. For two months, I’d been bugging him about an interview for my blog. I usually like to get a perspective from the victim’s family members. So I kept bugging Birk. But he kept refusing to meet with me. Then, one day I got a phone call from him out of the blue, and we met for coffee. It turns out Beckett had twisted his arm to do it. So Birk had an attitude right from the start. We immediately bumped heads. But his interview about his sister went viral. It got Brigid’s name out there, which was the point and why it was so important to do. We talked over the phone for weeks. I managed to keep him at a distance that way.”
“But you were attracted to him.”
“Duh. An immediate, intense attraction. Then one day, it happened. We jumped in bed together and spent a fantastic weekend, just the two of us. But great sex doesn’t translate to forever. Even back then, I tried to overlook all his cutting little comments about how I dressed. You’ve heard him. But there comes a time when a woman has to put her foot down and say, ‘Knock it off. That hurts my feelings.’ Don’t get me wrong. Birk is a great guy for someone who shares his rigid belief that he’s right about everything.”
Brogan snickered and reached for her coffee mug, taking a slow sip. She didn’t say anything at first, but she studied Jade long and hard before deciding to weigh in. “I’m no expert dealing with the male ego. But Birk isn’t all that different from most men. You’ve witnessed Lucien a time or two acting exactly the same way.”
“Does Lucien do this every single time there’s a discussion about anything, though?”
“Well, no. But we’ve known each other forever.”
“It’s not the same thing. Birk will argue with me about anything. And he always finds a way to belittle whatever stance I take.”
Brogan glanced up to see Kelly standing at the back door carrying her laptop. Grateful for the intrusion, she got up to let her in. “Thanks for coming.”
The two women traded knowing glances before Kelly’s eyes landed on Jade. “How’s she doing?”
“I’m standing right here. And I’m doing fine,” Jade stated, growing impatient. “No need to tiptoe around the elephant in the room. I’m okay. I didn’t spend last night crying my eyes out. I’m at peace with the decision I made.”
“She seems to be fine with it,” Brogan verified. “Want some coffee?”
“You read my mind,” Kelly sighed, setting her laptop bag on the counter. She opened a cabinet and helped herself to a mug. “It’s been an interesting morning at our house. If it’s any consolation, Beckett’s on your side. He was as mad at Birk as I’ve ever seen him, spent two hours last night on the phone with his idiot brother.”
Jade plopped into a kitchen chair. “I’m sorry to hear that. The last thing I intended to do was come between brothers. But I can’t stay with Birk. If I don’t leave, I’ll become just like him, snipping and sniping my way through life, making rude comments to anyone who disagrees with me. That’s why I have some hard decisions to make. I called my former landlady. Unfortunately, she’s leased my old house. Why wouldn’t she? It’s been months since I left. Anyway, there’s no chance of getting it back. The new renters love the place.”
“Just stay in Pelican Pointe,” Brogan urged. “There are houses for rent here that won’t cost you as much.”
Jade made a face. “I don’t know about that. I’d bump into Birk all the time.”
“If you’ve put him in the past for good, it won’t matter,” Kelly reasoned. “So what if you run into him picking out produce at Murphy’s Market? What’s the big deal?”
Jade grinned. “I would hate to leave you two. But it’s not like Santa Cruz is on the other side of the world.”
“Still, we’d miss getting together like today at a moment’s notice,” Brogan argued. “What if we collaborate and solve Gidget’s murder? What about that? The three of us should look for you a house right here in town. You could even consider buying one.”
Jade’s eyes widened. “Buying a house? I’d love to own my own home, but I’m not sure I could qualify for a loan. My income is based largely on the advertisers on my blog, my social media presence, and my YouTube channel.”
Kelly waved off that issue. “Not a problem. I’ve heard Nick Harris is a modern banker who knows people’s incomes don’t always originate from a nine-to-five job.”
