Page 47 of Grumpy Billionaire Seeking Wife

"I can't stand deadbeats." She grunts into the phone. "Well, I'll tell Gary to call you as soon as he gets back to the office, and we'll set up a time for you to come by with whatever information you have. If that man is out there, my Gary will find him. He's the best."

"Well, thanks. That's what I've been told. I look forward to it." I hang up the phone and look at the torn piece of paper on my desk with the scribbled phone number on it.Gary had been recommended to me by one of my best friends, Tyler Kane. Tyler Kane is a hockey player who had needed a discrete and confidential investigator to find out if a woman he'd never remembered having a one-night stand with was telling the truth after she sued him for child support and claimed they'd been in an orgy together many years ago. He admitted to me that he had gone wild one spring break in college, but had only hooked up with a few girls on the school's dance team, and she hadn't beenone of them. Apparently, Gary had quickly gotten the truth and exposed her for the liar that she was.

"Don't worry about anything, Mr. Carrington. You just give us the details and?—"

"Wait, how do you know who I am?"

"This is a private detective agency..." She sounds amused. "We really do know everything. No need to give me your number. We'll be in touch." And then she hangs up. I sit in the chair, flummoxed. My number doesn't come up on phones unless people have it already saved, and the number isn't even in my name, as it's a company line. How on earth did they know who I was? I decide not to dwell on it too long, and for the first time since I decided to call them, I feel at ease. If anyone can locate Sabrina's dad, Richard Fillmore, it would be the Sherlock Private Detective Agency. I’m sure of it.

As I grab my phone to call Tyler to thank him for the recommendation, I frown again. I have thirty missed calls and several voicemails, all from unknown numbers. I’m almost positive scammers have somehow gotten my number, and I shake my head. Sometimes I hate technology.

Chapter Fifteen

Sabrina

Whenever I'm feeling stressed or nervous about something, I like to listen to theCarmenopera on YouTube. For some reason, it calms my nerves to hear about the beautiful gypsy whose life is turned upside down because of love. I don't understand or speak French, but the tones and pitches of their voices tell me all I need to know.

"Toreador," I mumble under my breath as Escamillo belts out the song in his baritone voice. I move my hands up and down as if I'm a conductor in an orchestra. I close my eyes and imagine how different my life would have been if my mother had been able to afford the violin lessons I'd wanted. If I would have been talented enough to earn a spot in a first-class orchestra. If I would have ever made it to first chair.

"What's got you in your feelings?" Erica walks into my room without knocking. Her hair is wet, and she's wearing her favorite Red Clay Strays T-shirt that she bought on Etsy. She is obsessed with the relatively unknown country band, and we vowed to one day attend one of their concerts.

"What are you talking about?"

"Carmen?" She points at the small speaker on my desk. "‘Toreador!’ You only play that when you're feeling a way about something."

"Why do you know me so well?" I sigh and press pause on the music before twisting in my seat to face her. "Can a girl not just listen to music?"

"Not opera." She giggles and takes a seat on my bed. "So, are you going to tell me what's going on, or am I going to have to guess?" She leans back, and I watch as her long ponytail falls over the side of her shoulder. There's a hurt look in her brown eyes, and I know she's realized I've been ignoring her for the last few days. I just didn't want to be in a position to lie to her.

"So..." I stare at her for a few moments and feel something inside of me cracking. I can't keep this from her, even if she hates me. I have to tell her. "Wes lied the other night."

"What? About what?" She sits up, frowning now. "Sabrina, what did he lie about?"

"I didn't just go in for a kiss last year." I blush as shame creeps up my neck and turns my face into a flashing red light. "I tried to sleep with him..." I stumble over my words. This is so embarrassing. "I wanted him to be my first, and I snuck into his room, and we had a little moment, but then he turned me down, and I crept out of his room like a wet rat." I wrinkle my nose. "And that's why I’ve avoided him for the last year, and that's why I didn't want to tell you because I felt awful, and he's your brother, and it was weird of me and?—"

"Sabrina..." Erica rushes up off the bed and grabs me. "Do you think I would have cared? I would love for you to be with one of my brothers because then we could become real sisters." She shakes her head. "Wes is an idiot. I'm so sorry."

"The story doesn't end there." I groan and scratch the side of my face as Erica's expression changes to one of dry humor.

"If you're going to tell me you've had a thing for Wes for years, I know." She giggles. "I'm your best friend. I know when you have a crush. You always ask about him, and your eyes follow him everywhere." She smiles widely. "Miles and I have known for donkeys’ years."

"You have?" My jaw drops. "But you never said anything."

"I figured you would tell me when you were ready." She shrugs. "And here we are."

"We had sex," I blurt out, unable to stop myself.

"What?" She frowns. "But you just said he turned you down, right?"

"Last year..." I bite down on my lip and twist my hands around as if I'm trying to do a cat’s cradle with myself. "Last year, he turned me down, and I didn't see him for a year. But then we went to his place, and we saw him, and..." My voice trails off, waiting for her to figure it out.

"You guys did it when we were getting ready to go on the date? But when? How?"

"No, silly."

"Not at the restaurant…" Her eyes narrow. "How? I just—oh, wait." She giggles. "When you went to pick up our stuff?" She shakes her head. "Oh, lord, y'all tripped over our clothes and makeup, and it just slipped in?"

"Erica, you're an idiot." I burst out laughing. "But yes, it happened just like that." I grab her hands. "But totally not. I was trying to put him in his place and tell him I was not interested in him whatsoever, but of course, my body was a liar. And my brain was, like, let's do this, baby, and well, things happened...and well, let's just say I'm no longer a virgin." I squeal. "Do you hate me?"

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