Page 17 of Holidate Pursuit

“I know people,” Trevor deadpans.

“Trevor, knock it off.” I smack his arm. “Can we go already?”

Justin, however, decides to get the last word in.

“If I hurt your sister again, you have free rein to kick my ass. But I can’t guarantee there’ll be no fucking… with her while I’m here,” Justin quips.

“Oh my God. I’m leaving now. Follow me or not—I don’t care at this point.” Without waiting for an answer, I turn on my heels and stalk toward the exit.

All I can think as we make our way to the car is not only will this be the longest week of my life, but at this rate, it’s shaping up to be the week from hell.

“Nice ride. What is it you do again?” Justin asks, perplexed, as the lights flash on my brother’s Maserati.

“Fuck off mostly,” Trevor answers, earning another slap to his arm.

“Shut up, Trevor. That’s not true. I know for a fact you’re one of the top agents in the office. I’m still in touch with people on the inside, you know,” I counter his statement.

“Aw, are you checking up on me, little sis?” he teases as he pops the trunk, each man loading a bag.

“No, but your name sure comes up a lot when I’m talking to Suzie,” I taunt.

“Christ, I can’t believe you’re still friends with that gold digger. She won’t leave me alone. You need to be more selective of those you surround yourself with.” He pointedly looks in Justin’s direction.

“God, you’re such a brat,” I say as I open the door to the back seat. I’m about to get in when Justin steps beside me.

“Hey, sit up front with your brother. I’ll take the back,” he says.

“No way, you’re too big to fit back here. I’m fine. Or are you scared to be that close to him?” I laugh and hop in, hearing him grumble as he shuts the door.

Justin

Just great. I knew Lucy and her brother were close, but I never imagined they were close enough for her to divulge our short-lived relationship and how it ended. That could put a crimp in my plan to woo her back. My instincts tell me Trevor won’t hesitate to regularly remind Lucy why she shouldn’t give me another chance.

I’ll have to play it cool around him and keep my efforts behind closed doors. It would benefit me to win him over, but whether that’s possible is a big question and not my priority this week. Winning Lucy back is.

Luckily, they continue their banter during the drive, giving me plenty of time to mentally prepare for what’s next. I’m doing this for Lucy, and I want to make it as easy as possible for her, which means earning her parents’ approval. So, I spend most of the drive going over possible questions they might ask and considering my answers.

I take in our surroundings as we exit the freeway. It’s a clean area with high-end commercial spaces, and based on the general feel, I’d say it’s a pretty bougie part of town. We take a few more turns before driving along the coast, where multimillion-dollar houses sprawl between us and the ocean. We turn off, coming to a gate, and a guard waves us through.

A minute later, we pull up to another gate at the entrance to a driveway, where Trevor rolls down the window and enters a code before it swings open. As we go around a curve, the house—or rather, the mansion—in front of me says all I need to know.

“Welcome to the Alcott Family Estate, where the wealthy want for nothing,” Trevor says as he pulls around the enormous fountain in the middle of the driveway and parks his car in front of a set of stairs leading up to a massive front porch with four three-foot-wide marble pillars supporting the veranda above.

Wealthy is an understatement.

“This is where you grew up?” I ask in awe of the grandeur, to either one willing to answer. As I speak, a man opens the back door for Lucy.

“All eighteen years,” she answers before climbing out, greeting the man as Darryl.

Exiting simultaneously, I join Lucy as she turns to introduce me. “This is my fiancé, Justin Burns. Justin, this is our house manager, Darryl.” She looks embarrassed as she makes the introduction, and I’m not sure if it’s because of me or the fact that they have a house manager.

“Congratulations, Miss Lucy. It’s a pleasure to welcome you, Mr. Burns. I’ve been serving the Alcotts for twenty years now. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything to make your stay more comfortable.” He shakes my hand and bows slightly. What the hell have I gotten myself into?

“Please, call me Justin. It’s nice to meet you, Darryl. I’m sure I’ll be fine but thank you.” I walk to the back of the car for the bags, only to have Darryl rush over to stop me.

“No, you head on in, and I’ll take care of the bags. That’s my job, sir.”

“Okay, thank you, Darryl,” I return.

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