Page 102 of Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice

My eyes bulged, nearly popping out of their sockets, as I read the contents. It was a copy of a recent sale and purchase agreement between Alec and Goodwin Property Group, stating that he’d sold the majority of his shares in Mackenzie Constructions to Jacqui.

I blinked.No.He would never do that. He’d worked so hard for that business, and it was his pride and joy, his whole life, so there wasno waythis was right.

But it was. I went over the pages several times, and they still read the same, even after the fifth time: that Goodwin Property Group was now the major shareholder of Mackenzie Constructions, holding 80 percent of the ownership. Rob still owned his 10 percent, and now, so did Alec.

And there was more. The last page was a copy of an electronic funds transfer receipt from Alec’s bank account to another account with a familiar name.

Mymother’sname.

For the sum of three million dollars.

My breath caught in my throat.

Alec sold and gave up his business to return the bribe money to my mother.

For me.

There was only one thing left to do.

I only had thirty more minutes before I was due at Jacqui’s party. As I raced back outside and got into my car, I speed-dialed Alec, but it went straight to his voicemail. I probably broke every road rule and speed limit driving to Jacqui’s house, making it there in fifteen minutes.

Unloading the boxes of goodies from the car, I rushed to set everything up on the dessert table, assisted by Carmel, who was there with her trusty clipboard to make sure everything was perfectly in place. Once I was finished, I went back outside, whipping out my phone as I speed-walked back to my car.

Alec still hadn’t replied to any of my messages.

My heart sank. I didn’t know if he was still attending the party or not, given how things were between him and Jacqui. Maybe I should go over to his house. Or the Mackenzie Constructions office. Or call Rob. Rob would know where to find him.

As I stood on the side of the road, debating my next move, a familiar black SUV swung into an empty spot, a few cars behind mine. Alec got out, and my stomach lurched at the sight of him. He was dressed in a casual, light-blue Henley and dark jeans.

I took a deep breath, then shoved my phone into my back pocket as I approached him, hoping to look and sound casual.

“Hey. I’ve been looking for you. Um, I left you several messages just now.”

“My phone’s dead.” He took off his sunglasses, revealing the dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept for a few nights. “Forgot to plug it into the charger last night.”

“Right. Uh, lucky I found you here, then.”

He frowned at me. “What’s wrong? You look flustered. Are you okay?”

That question broke me down. I was done trying to play it cool.

“I finally opened your envelope. Did you… Did you really do that? You gave up your business to pay my parents back?”

Something—maybe hope?—flickered in his eyes. “I did. Well, not everything, though. I still own ten percent.”

“But why? You’re giving up something you’ve worked so hard for. What about the people who work for you? Your family?”

He gave me a small smile. “It’s all good. Jacqui agreed to keep all the employees. Rob still owns his share. I’ll still be involved in the company, although in a much smaller role. And both my sisters are working, so they’re helping me support my mother. We’ll be fine.”

“Oh.” I swallowed. “Thank you. For giving up everything for—”

I trailed off. He’d never said that he sold his business and repaid my parentsfor me.

As if he knew what I was going to say, Alec replied, “I did it because I don’t want your parents to lord that money over my head for the rest of my life. I don’t want to owe them anything. Not even a single cent. But more importantly, I don’t want to keep any more secrets from you.”

I nodded. “No more secrets.”

He took a deep breath, composing himself, before continuing, “And I wanted to prove that you’re all that matters to me. That you arethemost important thing in the world to me, more than anything. And I want to be there for you. Nothing else, no one else, but you. I was a fool for letting you go once. I won’t makethat same mistake twice. If I had the business, and Jacqui’s investment, and all the money in the world, but not you, well, then I don’t really want that.”

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