Page 5 of Lightness In My Dark

“Finn is fine. So, you’re privy to Trevino Holdings, my family’s investment firm.” I agreed. “Good. Let me give you a little more information and get to the point of this meeting. My great-grandfather started Trevino Holdings in 1915. Even though it’s family owned, we have an advisory board that takes part in different aspects of the business, including employees and family members. I’ve hit a point at the firm where I need to make changes in my life to take over as CEO. One of these changes is getting married.” He paused, expecting some sort of verbal or physical response, but I kept blinking. “This is where you come in.”

I looked over my shoulder to see if someone was standing behind me.

He let out a humorous sigh. “Yes, I’m talking to you, Ms. Jagger.”

First, I smiled… paused… and the laughter began. I spoke between giggles. “Me? Am I supposed to officiate the wedding? If so, I better get ordained online.”

“Not officiate.” His dead-on stare garnered a laughing reprieve. “Be my wife.”

My mouth formed an “O” shape. His words absorbed and then expunged with bubbles of laughter. I teared up at the thought.

Marry him? It’s absurd! His looks can make a nun dunk dollar bills into his G-string. From where I’m sitting, there isn’t an ounce of fat on him. His taut muscles tense underneath a thin sweater. That’s how solid he is. And his face… those eyes… I could swim in those pale gray eyes, with flecks of yellow—his own constellations. And even though I’m admiring this masterpiece, I could never come close or touch him for my sake as well as his.

Finn shifted in his seat, sighed, and said, “I’m glad you find this amusing.”

I held my finger up, attempting to control myself. Each time I opened my mouth, a laugh escaped until I reined it in as he exchanged looks with Cole.

It’s clear he didn’t invest in sense of humors.

“I apologize. It’s not you. It’s…” I shook my head to relax. “I mean, me? Come on! This is a joke, right? Am I getting punk’d? This makes no sense.”

“What doesn’t make sense?” He tilted his head as a strand of hair fell onto his eyelash, brushing it away.

My fingers pressed into my forehead; eyes jammed shut. I coughed to clear my throat. “For starters, you don’t know me.”

Before I continued, he said, “Wren Jagger—born into a middle-class family, your father a professor and your mother a librarian. You’re twenty-four-years-old. Born in Suttenview, Illinois, where you lived until the age of fifteen, and then moved to Opalwoods, Maryland with your parents. Now, you live in an apartment in Churchfield, which is sucking up all your money. And as of late, lost your job. Am I on the right track?”

I was no longer laughing. My mouth, dry like sandpaper, made it difficult for me to respond. Anger colored my face and my thumb brushed along my finger.

He has no right to poke into my life.Fight back the tears.

“You spend some holidays with friends. From the looks of your social media, you’re a romantic but shy away from the awkwardness of dating. And you’re not sexually active.” He had my complete attention.

I swallowed hard to stifle the tears, although my breathing became short. Cole noticed I was struggling with all of it, so he poured me a glass of water. With my eyes on Finn, I guzzled it, some dripping down the sides of my mouth.

He took a sip of beer. “I’m offering you a proposition.”

“Where did you get this information? How did you find out where I live?” My body trembled.

“Not to sound arrogant, but money gets you what you want.” He saw my face coloring. “I dropped an audio GPS tracker in your box when you passed by me to say goodbye to Cole.”

“You what? That’s illegal.”

“Not really. You can buy them anywhere.”

My jaw hung in surprise. “And you just happened to be carrying one?”

“I brought one along. You were nice enough to call on Cole’s behalf, so I wanted to learn more about you.”

Shit! I tossed the box in a corner of my room. I hadn’t even emptied it out yet. What has he heard? Did I pleasure myself?I’m so embarrassed.

The prickle of every nerve, his arrogance, had my head in a tailspin. “You had no right to invade my privacy.”

He let out a bored exhale. “Trust me, you haven’t been that exciting.” My hand flew to my mouth. “I mean, I learned little from the audio device. Instead, I investigated you.”

I shook my head, confused by his actions. “But why? Like you said, I’m not exciting. Why would you waste your time?”

“What you did for Cole, who is family, was very nice. You helped him the day you got sacked, and that screams integrity.” He gave a half-shoulder shrug. “Plus, I liked how you handled that snooping reporter. That was gold.”

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