Page 16 of The Unseen
“Do you think he’ll be able to help?”
“I’m sure he will. He still has contacts on the force, and those can be very helpful in certain situations.”
“You mean he has access to information other private investigators wouldn’t be privy to?” Gabe asked.
“Exactly. Drew can help you trace your sister.”
“Would he be interested in taking the case?”
“I took the liberty of mentioning the situation to him, and he’s eager to help. He’s a good bloke, Drew, and honest. Not like some, who’ll charge you by the hour and pad the bill to fleece you in your desperation. Here’s his card.”
“Thank you,” Quinn replied. She liked the man’s card. It was stark and professional, the card of a man who didn’t waste time on frivolities. “I’ll ring him tomorrow. I hope he’ll be able to make some headway. Logan and I weren’t able to get very far on our own.”
“I’m sure he will,” Brian replied. “Drew actually invited me to join his security firm as a partner. There’s an ever-growing demand for private security.”
“You mean you’d be a bodyguard? I thought you work in IT,” Quinn said.
“I would still be doing IT. Many of Drew’s clients are interested in sophisticated alarm systems for their homes and a high level of encryption for their data,” Brian replied. “I can certainly provide that. And it would be nice to be my own boss for a change.”
“It’s not as glamorous as you might imagine,” Jill said, a trifle bitterly.
“I know it didn’t work out for you, love, but this is different. It’s not retail.”
“You’re still dealing with clients, and people can be fickle and unreasonable.”
It seemed they’d had this particular argument before, and Jill wasn’t in favor of Brian joining his cousin’s business, probably because he’d no longer work set hours and would have to shoulder more responsibility, possibly making him more reluctant to commit to a future with her anytime soon.
“Jill, what are your plans?” Gabe asked as he poured her more wine. “Have you started looking for a job?”
“No. The lease on my shop doesn’t expire until February first, so I will have a pre-holiday sale followed by a Christmas sale, and then a post-holiday sale that will flow into a going-out-of-business sale. Hopefully, I’ll be able to dispose of most of my remaining stock. I’ll have to take a loss, but it’s still better than nothing. Once I close the shop, I will go on holiday,” Jill announced. “I’m calling it the ‘Demise of a Dream’ holiday. Perhaps I’ll go to Belize or the Maldives. I’m hoping Brian will come with me,” she added, smiling at him coyly.
“I might be persuaded,” he replied with a smile. “Do my dreams have to be shattered as well to join in?”
“No, you may hold on to your fantasies.”
“You must be devastated,” Gabe said. Jill had dreamed of opening up a vintage clothing shop for years before finally taking the plunge.
“Yes and no. Having my own business is a lot harder than I imagined. It truly is a twenty-four seven commitment, which is what I keep telling Brian. If the business is successful, the effort is well worth it, but if it isn’t, then every day becomes a struggle to keep one’s head above water, and frankly, I’m tired of kicking. I’m ready to come ashore.”
“I’m glad you’re taking a philosophical approach,” Quinn said, teasing her cousin.
“What other approach is there? I can throw myself a pity party, get royally drunk, make a fool of myself, and wake up with a huge headache come morning, or I can learn from this experience and move forward. I’m a professional who has the education and skills to earn a comfortable living. I’m better off than most.”
“Where can a man find a woman that doesn’t complain? For her price is well above rubies,” Brian joked, bastardizing a Biblical proverb to suit his own purposes.
“Quinn never complains either,” Gabe said with a straight face, earning himself a filthy look.
“You two really are cruising for a bruising, you know that?” Jill said as she drained her glass and held it out for a refill. “I think we need a girls’ night out to get a break from you lot.”
“Perhaps we should wait until I can actually have a drink. A girls’ night is never as fun when sipping orange juice. I’ll be nursing Alex for a few more months at least.”
“Oh, right, you’re nursing. I forgot,” Jill said, her shoulders drooping. “Shall we put something on the calendar for June, then?” She probably didn’t mean to sound petty, but couldn’t seem to disguise the bitterness in her voice. “Baby comes first.”
“Come on, Jill. That’s not fair,” Quinn snapped.
“I know. I’m sorry. I’m just green with envy. I want one of those,” she said, jutting her chin toward Alex, who was happily lying in his playpen. Jill’s eyes grew misty, possibly because her biological clock was banging away inside her, or more likely because she’d had too much wine.
“Well, I think it’s time we were going,” Brian announced, folding his napkin and moving his chair away from the table. “Come, Jilly. Time for bed.”
