Page 3 of Just Trouble

“You’re here, working for your dad, and indirectly for Patrick, and single, too?” He feigns surprise and I want to throw something at him. “Oh, Daph, what are we going to do to shake you free of all of this?”

“I don’t want to shake free,” I inform him coldly, disliking that he put his finger right on it. “I worked hard in high school to get accepted at the university I wanted to attend, busted my butt there, worked hard articling, then passed the exam and was invited to the bar, just to come back to Empire and do exactly this.” I tap the desk for emphasis, which is maybe a little much.

We both know it.

Luke surveys my tidy office so slowly that I become keenly aware of how small it is. It’s also due for a repaint. I hear my endless dispute with my father one more time, but it feels like a betrayal even to think about it. “Is that paperwork for foreign workers at Cavendish Enterprises?”

I nod. There’s no point in denying.

“So, with all your accolades and top marks, you’re filling in forms like a clerk.”

“Perhaps we could get to the point of your visit.” I sound frosty, but what does he expect?

He leans back and takes another slow look. “I always thought you were a bit of a puzzle, Daph, but this takes it. You’re not back here for love or money, and I don’t see any other attractions. I thought at least you’d be out on your own, building your own practice as you fought the good fight, bringing justice to all. I seem to remember you being an idealist.”

It sounds more like admiration than mockery but the truth in his words burns all the same. “It makes more sense for me to work at Weatherby & Bradshaw, and subsequently inherit a viable business,” I say, hating the sound of my father’s own argument falling from my lips. “But that’s not your concern.”

“No,” Luke agrees easily, his gaze unswerving. “It’s not. I’m just trying to figure you out.”

“There’s no need.”

“Maybe I like the challenge.”

When he looks at me so intently, it’s like he can read every thought and secret I’ve ever had. I drop my gaze to my desk, telling myself to hurry this consultation to its end. “Your father isn’t going to sell any property,” I inform him. “He likes owning as much as he does.”

There’s an understatement. Patrick Cavendish owns most of Empire and he does nothing with most of his holdings. Buildings sit empty, lacking even tenants, as they disintegrate into the ground. It makes me angry, but he just wants to own it all.

Luke starts to smile. “I think that annoys you, Daph.”

Of course, he noticed the subtext. “It doesn’t matter if it annoys me. Itis.”

“But it doesn’t have to be this way.”

“Because you will just take over the titles of five properties? How? Private citizens don’t have the right to expropriate property from other citizens or corporations.”

“I’ll buy them.” I blink as he continues, remembering a bit late that he’s rich. “I’ve been reading the bylaws of CavendishEnterprises and if all the board is in agreement, they can divest of properties deemed to be unnecessary.”

“You’re not on the board.”

“A detail that Patrick made sure I understood,” Luke says without the bitterness I expect. I’m trying to name what’s different. He seems resigned, maybe disappointed, or less sure that the world is his oyster.

What did happen to that bandmate of his?

Taylor. The huge blond guy with the man-bun, who played the guitar like a god. He was as radiant as the sun, and just as golden, a stark comparison to Luke’s dark good looks. They looked fabulous together on stage and were said to be great friends. It was never reported how Taylor died, just that he did, and as I look at Luke, I wonder.

He flicks a look at me, catching me, and our gazes hold for a potent moment. My throat tightens.

“You should just ask Patrick to sell them to you then,” I say.

Luke laughs and it’s not a merry sound. “I did. He refused. He wouldn’t even listen to me.”

“He’s on the board, too, and has the power to veto anything.”

He sits back, eying me, his disapproval clear. “So, you’re saying I should just give up and go away, give Patrick what he wants.”

“It’s easier.”

“Someone once told me that if you want a specific outcome, you have to be prepared to influence results,” he says grimly.

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