Page 51 of Never Finished

Ashley grabbed the tray with their drinks. "I better get back before they pitch a fit."

"Ashley," I called before she could move away, "I don't care who’s at that table. If you’re uncomfortable in any way, you come get me, okay?"

She smiled. "Got it, boss. Thanks."

"Okay, Jaime, I know you're giving her some space, but this changes a lot. We’ve got to move fast."

"I agree. Question is, what are we going to do?"

Sofia raised a conspiratorial brow. "I think I know someone who can help us. Just give me a minute," she said, grabbing her phone from her purse. She jumped off the barstool and shuffled off to somewhere more private as I wrestled with my anger, fighting the urge to march over to that table and deck Mr. Carter and Andrew just for breathing.

Thankfully, Sofia wasn't gone long, but when she came back, she looked like the cat that ate the canary, grinning at me broadly and announcing, "You owe me big time, little brother. Help is on the way."

"Sounds great, but you want to fill me in on this plan you seem to have come up with without me?"

"Nothing too complicated," Sofia said, slipping back onto the stool. "I find simple is best. If she is having a hard time believing her father is really a bad dude, then we need to get undeniable proof. We have the perfect opportunity right here: they're holed up in that corner, and Ashley is plying them with liquor. Now we just need somebody sexy and charming to get them to talk… while we record it."

"And who do you have in mind for this endeavor? I don't feel comfortable asking anybody to offer themselves up for this kind of gig."

She smiled even wider. "Normally I would agree, but some people are born to perform and would go out of their way for the chance to practice their craft. I happen to know a fine actress who regularly stars in productions at the community Playhouse… and she's sexy as hell."

My eyebrow shot up and Sofia quickly continued. "She's my new girlfriend. I've been waiting to introduce her to everybody… but she's pretty amazing," she said, blushing.

I couldn't help but smile at my sister. "Are you sure she's up for this?"

Before she could answer, a tall, curvaceous brunette in a tight red dress sashayed into the bar. When the woman’s eyes met my sister’s, the attraction was undeniable. I felt like I was watching a cartoon where the characters get heart eyes when they see one another.

She walked up to the bar, and Sofia slipped an arm around her waist. "Jaime, this is Jen, my girlfriend—and our last-minute savior."

Jen stuck her hand out to shake mine. "It’s so good to finally meet you, Jaime. And I’m excited to be part of this scheme. I've taken down a lot of fictional dirtbags on stage, but now I get to do it in real life. It's going to be a thrill."

"I can't thank you enough for agreeing to be a part of this. It’s all happening so fast."

Sofia shot me a look. "They're talking about your girl like she's an object to be sold off, Jaime. We can't make this happen fast enough." She turned to her girlfriend. "Do you have everything set up on your phone to record?"

Jen nodded. "I double-checked everything on the way over here. It's this app I use when I'm running my lines for plays. I have it tuned to a high frequency, so when I listen back I can make sure I'm hitting the right tones, so it should work perfectly for this."

"You're amazing, thank you," Sofia said.

"Yes, thank you," I chimed in, staring in wonder at how fast Sofia took action and put this together while I moped.

"Okay guys, it's showtime," Jen said with a dazzling smile before she sashayed over to the corner table.

Sofia gathered up her purse and slipped from her stool.

"Where are you going?" I asked, not ready to lose her emotional support.

"I'm going to see if I can sit closer and covertly record a video for backup. Besides, I love watching my woman work. It turns me on," she admitted.

I grimaced. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

She snickered, "Just like I'll try to pretend you're not salivating over Emma the next time she's sitting at our family table."

It was agony not going over to spy on Mr. Carter and Andrew, but something told me I needed to trust my sister and Jen. I also needed to warn Emma about her father's presence.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I fired off a quick text.

Jaime: I know I'm not your favorite person right now, but I thought you’d like to know your dad is in The Lounge.

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