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Phoebe folded her arms. “Are you serious?”

Jordan chuckled. “I won’t pull him in a stairwell, but I’m running his background.”

Phoebe shook her head. “Lord have mercy. It’s times like this I wish Mom were alive so I could tell her how ridiculous you guys are being.”

At the mention of their late mother, the pair quieted.

“You can always tell Dad,” he said.

“Ha! Is that supposed to be a joke? He’s as bad as you guys, if not worse!”

Jordan rubbed his chin. “Yeah, I see your point.”

Phoebe tossed her hands up. “If you really mean what you say, you’ll lay off.”

“Who is he?” he asked straight out.

Phoebe hesitated. “I didn’t say there was someone specific. I’m just pointing out that in the event I do decide to get a life, I want you to stay out of it.”

“So it’s like that?” At Phoebe’s questionable stare, Jordan said, “You’re not going to tell me who it is?”

“Right now, I don’t know myself,” she said sourly.

“Well, when you find out, I want to be the first to know, just promise me that.”

Phoebe sighed. “Fine, now can we drop this?”

“One more question.”

“What?” she said, annoyed.

“What was all that business about you can screw anybody you want. You know you almost gave Norma a heart attack with that kind of talk.”

Phoebe burst into laughter. “Shut up, no I didn’t.”

“You didn’t see her clutch her pearls.” His baritone voice chuckled.

Phoebe bent over laughing.

“I thought Dad was going to have one, too.” Jordan imitated their father puffing out his chest and squinting as he looked from side to side. “Somebody tell me what’s going on,” he imitated.

Phoebe laughed harder.

“You think it’s us you have to worry about, but really it’s Pops. He’s locked and loaded, ready to bust a cap in somebody’s ass.”

Phoebe roared and tears spilled out the corners of her eyes. “You get on my nerves. My father does not sound like that.”

“Shit,” Jordan said, “he did that night.”

They pulled into the parking garage of Rose and Garnett LLC, parking in Jordan’s assigned spot. The attorneys who accompanied them pulled in their designated spaces, and they all got out and strolled in like the Men in Black. Standing at the bank of elevators, Jordan reached out and hit the button. It lit up at the same time Phoebe’s phone rang.

The smooth melody of Tank chorused from her briefcase. Jordan glanced over at her with a rising brow.

“Is that the guy you don’t know if you’re dating yet?” he asked.

She should’ve been brave enough to pull out her phone and test this new promise that Jordan had made. But she thought twice about it. Sure, Jordan said he would lay off, but when he found out she was in love with Quentin, Phoebe had a feeling he would change his mind.

A part of her wanted to straight out tell him. But again she hesitated. The doors to the elevator opened, and they entered at the same time a message came through her phone.

“You might want to check that,” Jordan said. “Could be an emergency.” He shrugged.

“Drop it, Jordan.”

Jordan raised his hands in surrender. “Consider it dropped.”

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