Page 71 of Enticing the Fixer

“Yes, Dear. Everything is fine. At least for what the doctor says. When I did my bloodwork, she said my bad cholesterol had lowered, and the good had gone up.” He winks. “Don’t tell her I started drinking one beer a day. I read that on the internet, and it worked. But she’d get her panties in a wad if I told her. She thinks I’m just eating right.”

“I won’t say a word.” Her eyes twinkle as she mimics, zipping her mouth shut.

“Anyway, I should be fit as a fiddle with my cholesterol better and my thyroid working fine.”

“That’s good news.” She settles into the cushions with her arm pressed against mine. I shift in the seat and rest my ankle on the knee of my opposite leg. I might as well get comfortable. This is clearly not going to be a quick visit. “How are the other guys?”

“They’re good. Ted had a knee replacement surgery last month, and Walter has a clean bill of health after his skin cancer threat.”

“That’s good news. Do you still get together to play poker every week?” She crosses one leg over the other and leans into me.

Even though she’s the toughest woman I know, this is still hard for her. Another place where her dad no longer shows up. I raise my arm and lay it over her shoulders, rubbing her upper arm. She glances up, and just when I couldn’t love her more, I do. Each day it’s a little more. I don’t know when it will stop.

When do you love a person as much as you ever will? Does it keep growing? Is that possible?

“Yes, we do. We started back last month. We had….” He coughs as his face turns pink. “You know….” He shifts his shoulders up and down. “We had Rodney join us. We needed a fourth.”

“I understand. It’s fine. I understand he’s not coming back. He’d want you to keep playing and enjoying life.”

“The same to you, Dear.” He smiles and studies me. “Your dad would like this one. I can see how much he cares about you, and it’s not just to get into your pants.”

“Mark!” Her eyes widen as her entire body stiffens.

“Girl.” He shakes his head. “I might be an old man, but I’ve had more sex than you’ve had in your life.”

“Okay.” She raises her hand, palm facing him. “Let’s skip that part of the conversation. Yes, Leo is great.” She laces her fingers through mine and rests them on my thigh. “We haven’t been together long, but….”

“But we’re good together.” I squeeze her arm. “We’ve got some things to work out first to make sure her company is on solid ground, but once that’s resolved, we’ll start talking about the future.”

“Are your parents married?”

“Yes. They’ve been together for thirty-five years. I have one brother. A twin. He served in the military as a Navy SEAL. I have a degree in accounting, and business administration, and I’m licensed to practice law in several states.”

She stares like I have a third head. We’ve gone right past the second head. “That was what I was going to tell you before you distracted me.”

“Wow.” She licks her lips. “I was expecting a declaration of a military background focused on computers and surveillance. You know all that undercover stuff like your brother.”

“No. I’m a regular guy. Are you disappointed?” If she takes this well. Maybe the zeroes in the offshore bank accounts won’t freak her out.

“No.” She shakes her head. “I’m not disappointed.”

“Good.” I kiss her temple.

“I was right. Jack would have liked you. He loved driven people. That’s why he was so proud of Kinsley. She took to the company from a young age.”

She jerks her attention away from me. “I worked hard to prove I was right for the company and could be his succession plan. Obviously, I didn’t want to be like this. I didn’t want him to die so young, and I don’t want to deal with people trying to sell the business out from under me, but I’ll fight tooth and nail to make sure his legacy is a success.”

“Be careful.” His eyes turn grave as he presses down on the footrest. The tension in his muscles implies the necessity of sitting at attention.

“Do you think there’s more to Kinsley’s father’s death than an accident?” My jaw flexes. I won’t let anyone hurt her. I’ll burn down the city searching for whoever’s to blame before I’d let anything happen to her.

“I didn’t until I brought up Kinsley’s comments to Ted and Walter before the poker game. We were alone before Rodney showed up.” He glances at her sheepishly. “I said you had some crazy notion in your head, and I was worried about you.”

“It’s fine.” She smiles at him reassuringly and straightens her hips, dropping her foot to the ground. I continue to rub her upper arm in a circle, more for me than for her. If I’m able to touch her, I know she’s safe.

“I brought up Jack being in the neighborhood that night, and Walter said he was meeting a woman.”

“Oh….” Kinsley sags backward.

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