Page 72 of Paradise West
Jack grunted. “If I remember correctly, my mom has a box full of family records. There may be something on the Brown family in there.”
He cleared his throat. “Now, the real reason I came over...” He paused for a moment and his voice softened. “The farmer’s market is tomorrow afternoon and I’d like to take you, if you’re not busy.”
“A farmer’s market on Thursdays? Aren’t they usually held on the weekends?” she asked.
“Thursdays are for locals and seasonal visitors. The weekends are for the tourists. My family has a booth at both of them,” he replied. He stared at her for a moment as if considering what to say. “I was hoping to introduce you to my parents if that’s okay,” he added. His face was carefully blank as if afraid to show emotion.
Charli’s eyes widened as a bolt of panic shot through her. Meet his parents? The thought made her hands sweat and heart pound.
“Are you sure they want to meet me?” she squeaked.
His face split in a beautiful smile and he ran a finger down her cheek. “Are you kidding me? My mom has probably asked me at least once a week since you met Janie. And now that David’s been singing your praises, they’ve both been bugging me nonstop.” He chuckled lightly. “In fact, I’m surprisedmy mom hasn’t made any surprise visits in the last few weeks.”
Jack took her by the hands and pulled her up from the chaise, threaded his fingers through her hair and sealed his lips over hers in a deep kiss. Charli moaned at the touch of his tongue and melted into his chest, her arms wrapping around his torso.
She moaned a protest when Jack ripped his lips away and stared vacantly down at the side table. She followed his gaze and realized her phone was ringing—it was Annette.
“Oh! I should take this.” She looked back up at him. “I’m sorry, Jack. Give me a minute?”
He nodded but stayed next to her side as she answered the call, pressing the speakerphone so Jack could hear.
“Hi Annette!” Loud voices dotted with brief screams came through the background, sending Charli’s pulse through the roof. “Oh my god. What the hell is going on over there?”
“Hold on a sec,” Annette answered, her voice sharp. “Hey, Percy! Take it down a few notches okay, buddy. Some people still work here and are on the phone,” Annette yelled out and then huffed. “The nerve of that guy.”
“Annette, tell me what’s going on.” Anxiety knotted her stomach and she clenched her teeth.
“Charli, there’s some serious shenanigans going on up here right now. Apparently, Percival just lost his shit in the middle of one of Evan’s weekly update meetings with the board. From what I understand, Evan threw Percival under the bus for some of his own mistakes. That set off a massive explosion from Percival, who quit with lots of drama and literally just walked out, screaming to anyone who would listen that Evan was a backstabbing asshole, which we all already knew.”
“Are you okay?” Charli asked, adrenaline and guilt for not being there coursed through her veins. “Have they been targeting you?”
Annette laughed. “Oh, I’m just fine. You know I can handle myself. This drama literally just happened as I was about to call about that little mission you gave me. I wanted to let you know that it’s been completed. The third party you recommended contacted Alan yesterday...which I’m guessing may have been the cause of the shouting and hysterics we just heard.”
Charli released a breath. “Wow...I didn’t expect things to unravel so quickly.”
Annette chuckled. “Well,I’mnot surprised. From what I hear, Alan is furious and on the warpath. He wants Evan’s head on a platter.”
Charli snorted. “That’s shortsighted. Evan is a sniveling moron, but he was only doing what the board wanted. This was their idea, and that’s who Alan should be pissed at.” She paused for a moment then sighed. “My involvement in this will get to them at some point. It may be better for me to be there in person for a while.” Charli’s eyes darted to Jack who stood stoically next to her, his jaw flexed as if he were grinding his teeth.
“I don’t know about that,” came Annette’s answer. “I think you should continue to lie low in the keys. You’re pretty insulated and coming back is only going to put you in the line of fire. Plus, it may give Evan an out that he doesn’t currently have. Let all of this work itself out before you make a decision.”
Charli scoffed. “Annette, you have been hounding me to quit for weeks now and start a practice down here. How can I do that if I leave a huge mess up there for others to clean up? Or sit by while they take my actions out on you?”
“First of all, this isn’t your mess to clean up,” Annette quipped back. “This fuckup lies solely in the lap of the board and Evan, who all refused to listen to you and the client. Trust me, your cases aren’t the only ones they’ve screwed up in the last month. Secondly,” she continued, “you don’t need to worry about me. I’ve been touching base with other firmsaround town and can have another job in a flash, no matter what this firm tries to pull. Third, and most importantly, you are supposed to be making sure that my next job is running Paradise West, not a paralegal gig.”
Charli groaned, rubbing her forehead. “Annette, these were my original cases and I’ve committed an ethical breach. I’m fairly certain my name will be dragged through the mud. I should at least be there to defend myself.”
Annette snorted. “You’ve always been such a girl scout, and your so-called “ethical breach” was doing the right thing for a client that this firm was screwing. Do you know how many real ethical violations Evan has committed in just the last two months?”
“I can only imagine...”
“Yeah well, just keep your butt down there and finish that compound. Let’s see how everything settles before you make any hasty moves, all right?” Annette counseled. “Just trust me and know that I’ll keep you in the loop. Right now, you need to focus on getting that old resort up and running so I’ll have a new job.”
Charli chuckled and glanced up at Jack again, his eyes held a dangerous glint and his face was stony. “Okay, I can do that.”
“And bang Jack a few times for me.” Annette added, her voice dropping low. Charli chuckled and could practically see her eyebrows wiggling up and down.
Jack choked and coughed.
