Page 115 of Joker in the Pack

“What do we do with things once they’ve been checked?” a blond-haired boy asked.

“Items Olivia isn’t using for day-to-day living get stacked out in the trucks until this is over. Anything else?”

Everyone shook their heads.

“Great. Let’s get started with the dining room.”

Except we didn’t make it out of the door before a man with his black hair plaited into intricate cornrows sidled up to speak to Nye.

“Got a minute?”

“Tell me it’s not that woman with the lost King Charles spaniel again? I’ve already told her we’re not consulting a psychic.”

“It’s about the surveillance detail.”

“Which one?”

There was more than one? I knew about Larry, but what hadn’t Nye told me?

“The first one. He’s taken off for a dirty weekend in France with Pneumatic Barbie, so we’ve handed over to a team from the Paris office to keep an eye. Don’t suppose we’ll see much of him—they’ve ordered the ‘pleasure pack’ and a magnum of champagne.”

“Too much detail,” Nye snapped.

His colleague backed off, hands up. “Sorry, boss.”

“What’s he talking about?” I asked.

“Sorry you had to hear that, babe.”

“Why? Who is it?”

Nye sighed. “Your ex. I didn’t trust him, so I had him followed, but he hasn’t been near here.”

That bastard! The only time Edward took me to Paris was on a business trip, and he left me on my own for most of it. I’d spent more time with the housekeeping staff than I did with my boyfriend.

Anger welled up inside me, but I forced it down. You know what? It didn’t matter. My heart beat for Nye now. He was twice the man Edward would ever be, even if Edward got assistance from a cosmetic surgeon and packets of Viagra.

I stood on tiptoe to kiss Nye on the cheek. “I don’t care about him anymore.”

He pulled me tight against him, and I felt every inch of what Edward had been missing.

“Good. Because I’m planning to make you forget he ever existed.”

Dammit, why did he have to say that when we had a house full of people? We had no choice but to assist as Aunt Ellie’s cottage was systematically dismantled and the contents stowed in the trucks. Even once they were half-full, we’d barely made a dent in downstairs.

I tugged at a piece of tinsel, which unravelled to reveal a huge bag of Christmas decorations, and… What was that?

“Woohoo! I found a dining table.”

A nice one too, with expanding leaves to seat six. I could hold a dinner party if the house was ever tidy enough for me to invite guests over. Were there any chairs hidden away? I kept my fingers crossed as I carried out yet another box.

By late morning, the mood was still positive even though we’d found nothing, and I took a break to make lunch.

“Don’t worry,” Janelle said. She’d been roped into helping as well. “If there’s anything here, we’ll find it.”

“I hope so. Even with Nye staying, there’s not much more I can take.”

“These cases have a habit of breaking suddenly. I’ve seen it loads of times. Last year, there was this…” She trailed off and looked up at Nye, who’d walked in looking grim. “Did something happen?”

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