Page 101 of Blind Luck

“We can talk about that later,” Ari said quickly. “For now, let’s focus on today.”

“Where’s Kelsey?”

“She’s at work.”

Selene did that scream face. You know the one from the Edvard Munch painting? Mouth wide open, hands clapped against her cheeks, and it was a good thing she hadn’t picked up the coffee because she would have dropped it.

“Not at the Neptune? Jace will be so angry this morning. Furious. He just lashes out.”

“She’s at her firm’s office. We believe the project will be cancelled soon in any case.”

“The golf course? Are you joking? That’s Jace and Jackson’s baby. Their way of making a mark in the business.”

“But they don’t own the land they want to build on. Uncle Mike wouldn’t sell it, and nor will the new owner of the Galaxy.”

“But Jace said he would. He said the Galaxy was in trouble, and it was only a matter of time before it went under.”

“We believe that Jackson or Jace lent some money to Uncle Mike, knowing his company would have trouble making the repayments. Now they’re trying to call in the loan, but the whole thing was a bit underhanded and there isn’t actually any paperwork. So instead of having a civilised meeting, they’ve been sending over thugs to make their point.”

“Oh my gosh.”

Did you know there were four different versions of that Scream painting? Neither did I until Maya told me. Anyhow, Selene was doing all of them one by one.

“Does that sound like something the two of them would do?”

“I guess? I haven’t been involved in the business since we got married.”

“You were involved before?”

“I used to be one of Stanley’s assistants. Only part-time at first because I used to help my grandpa with his admin too, but after he passed, I moved to full-time. In truth, I was glad for the distraction. But Jace said I should quit because he made plenty of money and then I could focus on art, but now I don’t even have a credit card and I’m too uptight to paint anyway.”

“Your grandpa was an artist?”

We already knew the answer, but I knew what Ari was doing—lobbing Selene a softball question to keep her relaxed and talking.

She nodded. “Mostly acrylic and mixed media. Occasionally, he played around with watercolour, but that was more my thing. It was Grandpa who encouraged me to take the job at the Neptune. I don’t think there really was an open position, but when he found out he had terminal cancer, he talked Stanley into creating a role because he wanted me to have a family when he wasn’t around anymore. Grandpa was good friends with Uncle Mike too, and he’d be turning in his grave if he knew everybody was fighting like this.”

“So you knew the Fuller family before you worked for them?”

“Not real well, but some.”

“Do you think Stanley would have been involved in this loan plot?”

“No, oh no. Stanley’s a stickler for paperwork. He neverdoes anything without dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. It’s Jace who cuts corners. Really, Jace doesn’t like to work at all. Sure, he wants the fancy office and the title, but not the actual job. Last year, Stanley gave him an ultimatum—stop shirking his responsibilities or work someplace else. That’s when Jace took on the golf club project, and Jackson wanted it to happen, so…”

“Jace answers to Jackson?”

“I think he has a lot of respect for him.” Selene shuddered. “If Jackson was a continent, he’d be Antarctica. Icy and mysterious.”

“And Jace?”

“Africa. Hotheaded and often inhospitable.”

“I hate to ask, but why did you marry him?”

“Because he can also be very charming. The mask didn’t come off until our honeymoon, and by then, it was too late.”

“Did you ever try to talk to Stanley? It sounds as if he doesn’t share the same shortcomings in personality as his sons.”

---