Page 32 of The Moment They Can Never Forgive
“She’s better, and I’d forgotten she switched teams when you and her?—”
“She will have lost her edge by now,” Dan added, cutting his brother off.
As if she heard him, Leah shot him a dark look.
“I thought we weren’t being small-minded dickheads?” Ryder said, elbowing Dan in the ribs.
“I had good teachers. It’s hard to move on from that,” Dan replied.
He carried on dancing, and then when it was done, he said a general goodbye and got in his car without glancing Leah’s way again. Dan kept driving until he reached the residential area of Lyntacky. Only then did he pull into the driveway of one. Not huge, but tidy for all that the guy who owned it could be a pig. Dan got out and walked around the side to the rear, to a small detached building, and knocked.
“I just had coffee with you. Why the fuck are you here?” Jay demanded.
“If this is how you do business, you suck at it,” Dan said, wandering in.
Jay had his finger in a lot of pies and was vague about what he actually did. But while in Lyntacky, he dabbled in real estate and helped people make solid financial decisions, or that’s what he told Dan. Mostly, he just hid in this building and only came out when people made him.
Compact and lined with filing cabinets and shelves, the place had a desk, two chairs, a coffee machine, and a small fridge.
“I hope you clean up before people arrive.”
“Of course. I even brush my hair,” Jay said, dropping back into his chair. He then watched Dan wander around his office.
Like his brothers, this man knew him better than most.
“What’s on your mind, Dan?” Jay asked, rocking back in his chair. “Because you know I’m coming to family dinner, so you being here has to be something you don’t want the rest of your nosy family to know about.”
He took the seat opposite his friend. “I want to do something with my money, starting with purchasing a property.”
“What brought this on? I thought you enjoyed living with your mom.”
“I do, but I want it for a rental investment. You and Sawyer are always telling me it’s time I grew up.”
“I’ve been at you to do that for years but didn’t think you’d actually get there,” Jay mused. “So I need to ask, is this because Leah is back in town?”
“What?” Dan scowled. “Why would she play a part in me wanting to buy a house?”
“That entire business between you two was messy—not that I know exactly what went down. But she was important to you back then, and I’m thinking her coming home has you unsettled enough to make a step toward buying property.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You're reaching, Jay. I don’t make decisions about my life based around a woman who is nothing to me anymore.”
“If you say so.”
“I know so.”
“Your oldest brother is all over investing too.”
“I know, and I will talk to him about that, but I’ve decided I want a house first, and you’re the only one I know who sells property.”
“There’s Mrs. Regal.”
Dan shuddered. “No, thank you. She’d spend the entire viewing trying to get me to take off my shirt.”
“There is that,” Jay agreed smiling. “Let me see what I have. You got a deposit?”
He gave his friend a hard look.
“Right, right, you’ve been saving for years because your mom charges you peanuts to live with her,” Jay said.
