Page 50 of Beach B!tch
I called in a favor with Ivan so I could sit next to Brinley in Jack's office that afternoon. There was no way I was letting her face all these questions and doubts without me there to help her absorb the answers, or lack thereof.
"I've got the name of the woman John was fighting with two nights ago. I've contacted her and she'll be coming in this afternoon to be interviewed. From there, we'll see if it makes sense to move forward with a DNA test. If that's the case, she must consent to it in writing, as will you. Until we get those results back, I'd prefer not to have you two meet. Let's get firm answers before you pour all your emotions into it. Plus, we need the DNA evidence, along with her statements, to press charges of kidnapping on your father." Jack stopped to let all that sink in. "But I'll be honest with you, Brinley. She has your green eyes and she's almost six feet tall. The resemblance is uncanny."
He was speaking very directly, which I appreciated. Brinley needed to know all the implications of what was happening here. My heart rate sped up at his words and I could practically feel the excited energy coming off Brin like a force field.
"I'll sign off on the DNA test now, if you don't mind. Save time and all that. If there's even a remote chance this woman is my mother, I don't want to waste another second." Brinley sat forward, hands on Jack's desk, ready to sign the paperwork. Her eyes were focused on Jack like lasers, telling him how serious she was.
Jack smiled at her in understanding, then shifted through a bunch of paperwork stacked on his desk until he found the right form. He slid it across the desk and handed her a pen.
"I don't want to get your hopes up too soon, but I understand your position. You, of all people, deserve to have a second chance at having a loving parent." Jack's face softened. "How about I call you tonight and let you know how the interview went? I can't go into all the details if I'm able to put together an official investigation into your father, but I can at least tell you what this woman's involvement is and if we can move forward with the DNA test."
Brinley nodded and relaxed her shoulders. I could only imagine having a detective promise to keep you in the loop on one of the most important things going on in your life at the moment would be a big relief. She grabbed the pen and dashed her name along the bottom of the form. Funny, it wasn't flowery like most girls. It was short, concise, and almost unreadable.
"DNA, consent forms, pressing charges. It's like a foreign language." She shook her head like she was dazed. "Did you know all athletes are bilingual?"
Jack quirked his head in question.
"We speak English and profanity."
Brinley rolled her lips in and looked away sheepishly, her cheeks turning pink.
In the stunned silence that followed, Jack's eyes crinkled in the corners, but that's as much of an expression as he gave.
As for me, I just beamed at my woman, a warmth spreading over my chest at how goofy she was. She looked like a freakin' Nike model sitting there, but underneath that beautiful exterior was awkwardness. And warmth. And fierceness. And strength. And a big heart, desperate for love. Maybe I'd write down all her terrible jokes over the years and publish a joke book. It'd be a best seller, I was sure of it.
I stood, shook Jack's hand, then helped Brinley up out of her chair, my arm sliding around to wrap her close to my side.
She recovered enough to shake his hand and murmur, "Thank you, Jack. For handling this. For being so nice. I feel like I can just trust you to handle it." She chuckled. "My time is better spent out on the sand, doing what I do best." She paused. "And maybe not telling jokes..."
At that, Jack finally laughed, pulling Brinley in for a quick hug. "I see why Bailey and Esa love you."
We were just about to turn and leave when Jack's door burst open and Bailey barreled into the small office.
"Jack--Oh!" Bailey's eyes went wide and her mouth was agape and she took in Brinley and me. "I'm so sorry, I'll wait outside!"
She started backing out the door. Brinley stepped over to her and pulled her into a hug instead, not letting her leave.
"Don't worry, we're done here. Were you coming to see me or Jack?" Brin looked confused, most likely because we'd never seen her and Jack together outside of the problems Esa had a few months back when Jack was investigating Esa's stalker. I didn't know Bailey and Jack were friends.
Bailey played with her necklace chain and pasted a big smile on her beautiful face. "I was here to see you, actually! I know your big game is coming up, and I was wondering when you were playing so I could make sure I wasn't working that day."
"That's perfect timing as I was just telling Dean that I wanted to have a big party after the tournament." Brinley pulled Bailey out of the office. They walked down the hallway together, probably establishing the details of Brin's first social gathering, or as we referred to it, "Date #3" on her list.
I nodded to Jack, but he was busy staring intently at Bailey's backside, and didn't see me walk out. I'd have to talk to Brinley later. I was an idiot when it came to relationship gossip, but even I could see that something was up with those two.
