Page 105 of Just Between Us

I held out my hand in greeting. “JP.”

He nodded and shook my hand. “Royal.”

“This fucking town ...” He exhaled and squinted against the sun as we watched the tourists filter in and out of the downtown shops.

Shock and disbelief at what my father was accused of had made its way through town like wildfire. Many went out of their way to express their support for us. Others stood by the man they had thought my father to be and vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

I assumed there’d be more that was uncovered, but for the time being I was doing my best to hold on to the fact that my siblings and I would make it through, together.

I studied JP’s profile. His entire life he’d been groomed to take over our father’s business. Once the dust settled and King Equities was sold to the highest bidder, there would be nothing holding him here any longer.

“You could do it, you know,” I said. He only glanced over. “Get out of here,” I clarified. “Start over in a big city where you can make a new name for yourself.”

He nodded slowly, looking at his shiny, buffed shoes. “I could.” He gave a half-hearted shrug. “I might.”

My chest squeezed. He deserved a new life—a fresh start. It felt wrong to see my little brother go, but if it was what was best for him, I wouldn’t stand in his way.

“Who am I kidding?” JP sighed. “There’s too much shit here to take care of. Who’s going to help you keep the Sullivans in check, if not me?”

I chuckled and clamped a hand on his shoulder. “I appreciate that. You know, I have been thinking Wyatt is due for a little pestering.”

JP smiled and shook his head. “You are such a child.”

I pushed his arm. “Nah, I guess they’ve been all right.”

In fact, the Sullivans had been more than all right. Over the past three weeks, the Sullivan family had rallied behind us. Together we petitioned the DNR to allow Wabash Lake to be dredged. We didn’t know what we might find, but if there was any chance our mother’s remains were there, we wanted to know.

She deserved as much.

“The Sullivans and Kings working together.” JP shook his head. “It’s weird, though, right?”

I laughed. “So fucking weird.”

My brother crossed his arms. “I don’t know. Maybe a little change around here is a good thing. Speaking of change ...” He checked his watch and avoided my gaze. “You planning to keep Veda around for a while?”

I suppressed a grin. If I had my way, Veda wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon. “Thinking about it. Why?”

“She’s fucking smart. And a hard worker too. I want to bring her onto the team full-time, but I don’t need you breaking my new employee’s heart and fucking with my plans.”

Pride for my woman swelled in my chest. She was damn good at her job, and I loved that I wasn’t the only one who could see it. If JP wasn’t careful, Veda would be running the show in no time.

“If I get my way, she’ll be my wife, and then you’ll be stuck with her for the foreseeable future,” I assured him.

JP grinned. “Fantastic.” He shook my hand again. “Think she’ll want to officially sign on with a company that’s completely going to shit?”

I laughed, because what the hell else were we supposed to do? “I’m sure she’ll consider it a welcomed challenge.”

He sighed and shook his head at me. “How you ended up with a woman like her is beyond me, brother.”

I couldn’t agree more.

JP’s phone rang, and he held up his hand for me to wait while he answered it. I rolled my eyes but studied his face as his brows pinched down and his scowl deepened.

“Wait, wait. Slow down. What the fuck are you talking about? Where are you?” JP pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “Yes—no.” He huffed. “Of course it’s not mine.” He sighed again. “I don’t know—Jesus, I will be right there.”

JP quickly ended the call and shoved his phone into the pocket of his slacks.

“Everything all right?” I asked, watching the stress roll off him in waves.

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