Page 9 of Sugar Pie
Once she disappeared from sight, I hopped into my truck and headed to the job.
The morning’s conversation replayed in my mind. There was more to Kerry’s story, but she didn’t trust me. I refused to push, but I wanted to help. Then again, she had no idea who I was.
Once I was on the road, I called my brother, Jeff, who answered on the second ring then laughed. “How’s it going? You’ve got the whole family worrying about you and this crazy quest of yours with the vow to not use your or their money.”
“It’s temporary.” I followed my phone map. “And I’m not calling about me.”
“What’s going on, then?”
Jeff had accepted our parents’ money without any question of his own worthiness, and he’d been adopted too. However he’d never questioned his past or being accepted. He seemed happy never to look back. I gripped the wheel tighter. “I’ll get my answers, but for now, I need your legal help for a friend who needs a divorce.”
“A woman?”
Heat rushed through me. “Yes. Her name is Kerry Jackson of Greenville, North Carolina, but she’s not from here.”
“And you need her to be divorced so you can date her.”
My shoulders tensed. “It’s not about me.”
“Sure, it is.” My brother probably smiled. “You’ve always had a strict moral code, which is one of the things I love about you. And a married woman would be a huge red flag.”
“I don’t have a strict moral code.” Our adopted father was known as the Tehran Wolf of Wall Street, so all my life, I was treated as a kingmaker more than an analyst. Then he left his Wall Street roots to pursue tech that only catapulted our family from billions to trillions, though I was only in fourth grade when our finances became legendary.
“You’re the angel in the family. I’m the opposite, and I’ll free this woman so you can keep your hands clean.”
“You’re not anywhere close to the devil.” I wouldn’t succumb to his teasing. Kerry was a friend in need. “She’s staying with me for now, and I’ll send her contact info. Call her and get the paperwork done as soon as possible.”
“Trust me. I’ll have her single so you feel better about yourself.“
“Don’t.” I interrupted. My morality didn’t matter. She was a friend. “Look, I have to go.”
“Call me later. Good luck. We all want to see you soon.”
I wanted the same thing. The hardest part of my plan was that the Norouzi family was tight, and my siblings were also my best friends. I needed to finish my mission as soon as possible.
Step one was to get money to buy a house, and I’d gotten a start. Helping Kerry was a bonus. I imagined a life where she worked with me.
4
Kerry
Walking to the local market and back hadn’t taken long. I’d bought a five-dollar bottle of white wine, and just the thought of having a glass thrilled me.
For days, I’d been sleeping with one eye open, but with a key in my hand and no one screaming at me all day, I felt free. I’d kept going in spite of my setbacks because I refused ever to go back to Romeo, who wasn’t scary physically but was cold, closed, and only talked about himself to the point where I could have been just a puppet. He’d never allowed me to respond with anything more than a murmur.
I’d put up with Melissa Morris because even though she was loud, in the end, she was just as demanding as Romeo had been. Warren was an unknown, but at least he was kind, and the warmness in his gaze sent a thrill down my spine that I couldn’t blame on my lack of sleep.
I ached to know what it would feel like if his lips kissed me and my body was his.
In a different life, we would both be naked and fully enjoying each other until we needed to stop for dinner and then return to tasting and touching each other. I would have bet money that his hands alone could make me forget myself.
I didn’t even remember the last time my husband had touched me—not that I’d ever wanted him like that.
Warren was getting under my skin, and he didn’t even want me as more than a friend, but that was all we could ever be.
I planned dinner and put the ingredients in order. I glanced out the window and realized the day was half gone.
I’d wandered the grocery store aisles multiple times and wasted time, unsure if I had ever made a good decision. Warren would be home soon, and I hadn’t looked at a single help-wanted ad all day.
