Page 22 of Signed, SEALed, Delivered

There had been few moments when my sister has been rendered silent. On her sixteenth birthday, when my father pulled some strings and had her favorite boy band play at her party. When she was awarded the National Merit Scholarship after she just knew she blew her interview and now, when I asked to talk to the man who she is apparently much interested in.

"Uh...um." I could hear the sounds of the street around her. A car that needed replacement brakes, the high pitched sound of metal on metal, a woman who was trying to hail a taxi, all the while cursing at the apparent moron had pulled directly in front of a large water puddle.

"Yes, sir, this is Jason Forrester. What can I help you with?" I could mentally picture my sister sitting across from this man with her fingernail held captive by her surgically enhanced perfect teeth, not caring she is completely distorting her expensive manicure.

"Well, first, hello, it's a pleasure to meet you. Second, since we’re apparently business partners, it's Zach, and not sir."Jason had a good sense of humor, a quality I found vital in people. Not many wanted to be tied to someone who took life too seriously. Let's face it, if he had any intention of hanging around my sister, then he will need all the humor he can get.

"Good to meet you, Zach. Savannah was insistent you would be fine with having a partner you’d never met. She showed me your picture, so I do feel as if I have a slight advantage over you."

Savannah is one of those people who have never met a stranger; she sees the good in everyone, even slime ball men who try to take advantage of her. "Yes, well, it won't be too long before I'm back in Atlanta and helping with the shop. I want to know everything you know about this guy we're buying the business from, but first, I need to ask you a rather peculiar question."

I waited a beat, making certain I had the right words. The last thing I wanted was a pissed off sibling gunning for my balls the second I stepped off the airplane."Your sister, is her first name Kennedy and did she just get her master's degree from University of Colorado?"

His response is understandably cautioned, "Yes?"

"Was she recently involved in an Internet scam for a dating website?" Part of me felt really angry about what had happened, but another part was thankful a door had been opened, giving me an opportunity to get to know Kennedy.

"She was, actually she is, as it isn't over yet. Listen, to be honest, you're really starting to freak me out with your questions, mind telling me what this is about?"

I had to laugh; if the roles were reversed I would want to know about Jason's interest in my sister. So, I told him everything: the letter, the emails and how I had grown to love hearing from her. He confessed he had noticed a big change in his sister in the last few weeks.

"She's at an interview now."

"Where?" I would have to send an email to my Aunt Ella, maybe she knew someone who was hiring or even had an opening herself."Hart Stables. It's over on County Road seven. She's going to meet us when she's finished."

I smiled when he confirmed it was indeed my aunt's therapy center, I'd give her a call the second this conversation was over. Jason started telling me about how his sister emptied out her savings to get his half of the money to buy the shop. He explained Kennedy wouldn't get her trust fund for a few more months, and he worried if his parents found out she had helped him that they would cut her off as well. He explained he had a friend of his draw up some partnership agreements he was giving to Savannah for our attorney to go over. He told me in great detail the specs of the building and what he felt needed to be changed. I asked if he could send me some examples of his work, telling him I would do the same. He told me Savannah and Kennedy had taken tons of pictures of the inside and he had even asked Kennedy to come up with some ideas on how to make the most of the space. He said her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree when he asked her.

"Speak of the devil and she will appear. Hey, Sis, guess who I'm talking to?

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