Page 7 of Seductive Nights

Carley cleared her throat lightly, "He changed it. Then I changed it to one, two, three, four, as soon as I was able to get in using his fingerprint.

Margo swallowed and entered one, two, three, four, and scrolled through his messages. The very first one on top was Sierra Stigler. Actually, it just said Sierra with a heart by it, and she wanted to burst out crying. She took a deep breath, tapped Sierra's name, and began reading the love texts. The pictures from Miami. He wasn't trying to find business in Miami. He was with his fucking mistress. Or maybe she should say he was fucking his mistress in Miami. There were pictures in Tallahassee. There were pictures in some areas she didn't know.

She started looking at the dates and then pulled her phone over and compared the same dates. The dates he told her he was fishing with the guys, and he was going off to meet a new client, and he was talking to some of the fishermen about a new fishing hole, and he had a golf outing, and he had this, and he had that, and every single lie he'd ever told her was there for her to see. And every single time he was with her. A tall, slender redhead with blue eyes, fake boobs, and Logan.

She scrolled back until she couldn't take it anymore, and she set the phone down. She stared straight ahead for what felt like an hour. Her sisters were quiet. They didn't say anything. They let her process what she needed to process. She finally took a deep breath and said, "Well, I have to go through with the funeral today because he was so well-known, and I sure as hell don't want this to ruin our business. I mean my business. After all, I need it to survive now. But I'll tell you what I'm not gonna do. I'm not gonna pick up his fucking ashes from the funeral home when they call to tell me that he's finished, and I am NOT going to erect any kind of a statue, or any kind of a memorial for that man because really now our last seven years have been nothing but a lie."

5

Jace's phone rang, and he pulled it from his pocket. The readout said Price Realty, and he huffed out a breath. He'd called two days ago and hadn't received a return phone call yet. He was worried the building next door was already sold.

"Hello, this is Jace Marriott."

"Hello, Jace. This is Margo Price. I apologize for the delay in my return phone call to you. I hope you're still interested in the thrift shop next door. That's why I'm calling."

"Yes, it's -- I am. I'm still interested. As a matter of fact, I'd like to place an offer right away."

"Don't you want to see it first?"

"Oh, absolutely, I want to see it. We can take a look, but I'm going to tear it down, so honestly, the inside means very little to me."

A brief silence fell before Margo responded. "I can meet you there in fifteen minutes if that works for you."

He chuckled. "It does. You caught me after the dinner rush. So I'm available now, and it's not dark yet. So that's a bonus."

"Yes, that is a bonus. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

The call ended, and he pocketed his phone. He nodded as he mumbled, "Yes, finally."

He'd already checked with the bank. He already knew he could afford it. He already knew that he would bid over what they were asking if need be. He'd find a way.

He walked outside to the few straggling diners eating or chatting. He didn't have music tonight, so he could step away for a few minutes.

But he wanted to be there and walk around outside before Margo got there.

"Hey, Jace, how are you?" A couple of ladies called out.

"Hey, ladies, looking good. How was the meal?" The table of four, two couples that he'd often seen here, nodded in appreciation. The taller of the two men said, "Dinner is great, as usual."

The girls smiled and flashed their eyelashes. He chuckled. He loved flirting with the women just so far as to make them want to come back for more.

He stopped at a couple of other tables, flirted a little bit, and moved on. He strode through the inside, stopped at the bar, and waited for his bartender, Mason, to be free. Customer service was first and foremost. Always.

Mason refilled the customer's drinks and turned to see him at the end of the bar. "Mason, I'm going to be out for just a few minutes. I'll be back shortly. You got this, right?"

"Got it, boss."

Jace walked out the front door feeling confident in his staff and this new venture. He sauntered next door to the thrift shop and walked around the entire outside. He didn't see anything scary.

The landscaping wasn't much, but he wasn't worried about that, anyway. He was more worried about. Well, what was he worried about? He was going to tear the building down, so none of it mattered.

He didn't want to make it too easy, though, either, because then they might hold out for more money. He wanted this place, but he also wanted a deal.

A pearl white SUV showed up, a Lincoln no less. Nice.

Margo Price stepped from the SUV looking confident and business-like with her white slacks, her yellow billowing top, and her purse. He recognized her from being at the Sandbar after her husband's funeral with her sisters. Now he understood why it took her a couple of days to get back to him.

He walked forward and reached out his hand to shake hers. "Nice to meet you, Margo. Formally meet you, anyway. I'm Jace Marriott."

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