Page 63 of King of Deception

“Mind you, I wasn’t looking at him. It was her face that mattered—her expression. I wanted to see a look of awe… fascination… I wanted to know if she was impressed.”

“Was she?”

He chuckled, shaking her head. “Bless her, your mom. She was only in a rush because we were supposed to meet later. But when she offered him a lemonade and turned around, she caught me.”

“Hah!” I grinned.

“And she knew.” He narrowed his eyes, gesturing with one hand. “Somehow, she knew that I was jealous. ‘Why didn’t you call me to do it?’ I asked, and she said, ‘Honey, your job is how we’re going to get married. Leave the little things to me.’ And then she laughed, that beautiful song of a laugh she does when she’s shy…”

“I know just the one.”

“And she asked me if I minded, and I said I did… and guess what?”

“What?”

“From that day on, not a single man stepped into the house without me being there.”

“Not even the help.”

“Not even the help,” he repeated. “She hired all women just for my sake.”

Nodding, I pushed myself away and took a long lap. If only things had gone south with Ella because of my jealousy, I would have found a way to make amends. When I returned, my dad was still ready to talk some more.

“So… Ella was her name?”

Taken aback by his knowledge, I guessed that my sister must have told him. “Adele, huh?”

“The girl’s smart. She saw a chance to divert the heat off of herself for a minute, and she took it.”

“How’s that?”

“Don’t change the subject,” he tilted his head. “What happened? Was she poor, is that it?”

“Well,” I pushed myself up, getting out of the water. “She’s not rich.”

“And?”

Grabbing a towel, I looked away. “And she didn’t know that I was.”

I heard him laugh. “Just how could that have happened?”

“It did. She mistook me for a waiter at Lily’s wedding, and I didn’t correct her.”

Slowly nodding, he looked down at the glass in his hands and raised his eyebrows. “So, it’s not really about jealousy at all.”

“Oh, I’m getting there,” I scoffed, taking a seat in the chaise lounge next to his. Looking down, I slowly rubbed my fingers against each other. “I also hit her ex-boyfriend when he attacked her.”

“That’s a point in your favor,” he chuckled.

“Not when the New York police department treats me like royalty while she still thought I served drinks at club openings.”

“Dammit, Abel. That’s how she found out?”

“That’s how her ex told her… in front of everyone.” I looked up and saw him cringe. “What a mess, right?”

“Oh, it’s a mess, alright. What happened then?”

Shrugging, I mindlessly stared at the tile underneath us. “Exactly what you think.”

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