Page 55 of Owen

I listened intently to my cousin across the airwaves, and he was articulate and professional, and I find him and his elite team fascinating and inspiring, almost jealous that at thirty-one I am still finding my place in the world when they are so confident and solid in theirs.

However, I no longer feel the weight of the world on my shoulders, and I can’t deny how much I have enjoyed my evenings with Jade and Poppy just relaxing, with Mari sometimes joining us for meals out and walks along the beach, although she likes to disappear to give us space and alone time together.

No matter what we do, Jade and I have laughed until our bellies ache. We have fun and I can’t imagine my life without her in it. I want to be with her everywhere.

Although, sometimes I have to share Jade with her team. They appear to love Jade and treat Poppy and Mari like their own, too.

Except for Cobra. I’ve yet to figure him out. Gregor suspects he has athingfor Jade, but he sure as hell doesn’t act like it.

I don’t like his sleazy nature and snide remarks.

If he’s trying to win Jade over, he’s doing a shitty job of it, and to be honest, he’s already lost her because, in every way, she’s mine now.

And how do I know this? Well, because we talk. We talk about everything together. I laid my heart on the line and told her what I want; I want a chance with her to give this a shot.

She confessed that she wants the same things, making my heart beat in a way I’ve never felt before. Because she wants me as much as I want her and she wants to see what our future together can bring.

I want to take care of them both; although I’m not sure how to do that when I don’t have a roof over my head to even protect myself.

Ding, ding, ding.Another three text messages sound loudly from my phone.

Annoyed, turning it over in my hand, I squint to find Jude’s name displayed across the screen alongside shouty capital letter messages.

Jude

WHERE ARE YOU?

I’VE TRIED CALLING YOU SEVERAL TIMES.

YOUR PAYMENT DIDN’T GO THROUGH FOR THE HOUSE.

My mouth drops open.

How is that possible?

Jude

CALL ME ASAP.

I can almost hear the neurons in my brain misfiring as I try to work out why they would decline my transaction. I gave them the correct details; I know I did because Gregor double-checked the account number with me, twice. Plus, I’m a numbers guy. I check, check, and check again. As boring as it is, it’s in my DNAto be analytical and methodical. There surely must be a clerical error at their end.

Moving inside the house for privacy, I unlock my phone and hit call on Jude’s name.

Sure enough, he picks up on the first ring. “Thank Christ, I’ve been trying to get hold of you all day, Owen.”

“My phone hasn’t rung once, I promise.” I reply.

“Can you call your bank? Because of data protection, they won’t tell me anything. You know what they’re like.” He sounds stressed because he knows he’ll hit the big time off the commission from my sale.

“Yeah, sure.” I nervously run my fingers through my hair. I need to figure out what the issue is. “I’ll call you back as soon as I know.” I check the time. Being two hours ahead of the UK, I ask, “What time do you finish?”

“I’m never off the clock, Owen.”

“Great. Give me half an hour.”

“Speak soon. Hope they sort it for you quickly.”

Ending the call, I open my banking app to locate the online help desk number. As my account details load onto the screen, I lose my breath, unable to comprehend what my eyes are reading. It’s as if someone hit me with a bullet through my chest as I stare down at the zero balance glaring back at me.

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