Page 177 of One Bad Idea
I asked, "But why didn't he just tell them?"
"Tell them what?"
I tried to put it into words. "Like, he could've said, 'Hey, you look pretty happy here. Why don't you stay?'"
Luna leaned forward across the table, and her voice became earnest. "Because what happens if they say no? Or worse, what happens if the lady they're staying with kicks them out because they've got someone waiting at the door?"
I thought of Darla. No matter what, I couldn’t see her kicking them out. She loved them, just like I did – or rather, just like I lovedoneof them.
As for Jax, I'd grown pretty fond of him, too. He'd been spoiling Cassidy like crazy, whenever she let him, that is.
Now, I glanced down at the table. My latte was long gone, and it was already past five. Earlier, on my way out, I'd locked up the office so I wouldn't need to return.
Still, at this point, I wasn't quite sure what to do. I looked back to Luna and asked, "So, why'd you tell me all of this?"
"Because I was planning to tell Jaden." She gave a rueful laugh. "Lord knows, Jake never would."
"He wouldn't?"
She shook her head. "He's funny like that. He never wants to take credit for anything. And…" She hesitated. "…Well, you want the truth?"
I gave a silent nod.
She smiled. "Sometimes, he needs a little nudge."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm just saying, I know he misses his brothers. He never says it, but I can tell."
"So,that'swhy you were calling?" I said. "To broker some sort of peace?"
"Yup. And guess what?"
"What?"
Her smile widened. "You'regonna help me do it."
Now, I was smiling back. I liked that idea.A lot.
After all, I knew how I felt about my own brothers. It was true that I didn't see them as often as I liked, but I couldn't imagine cutting them out of my life.
I left Luna with a solemn promise to do whatever I could to help mend all of those brotherly fences. And actually, I was feeling pretty good about everything until just a couple of hours later, when Cassidy shared a discovery that had both of us reeling.
Chapter 67
I'd just walked into the apartment when Cassidy said, "I've got a question. Double J – does that mean anything to you?"
I shut the door behind me and dropped my purse onto the nearby side table.
Double J?Oh yeah, it meant something alright. It was the name of a Bishop Brothers subsidiary, the one that handled their various real estate and side ventures – restaurants, bars, and tons of commercial real estate.
I said, "Yeah, why?"
"Well?" she said. "What does it mean?"
I gave her a puzzled look. "You know what it means.You'rethe one who got me the job." More to the point, she was dating one of the owners.
She groaned. "So itisthem?"
