Page 74 of A Dirty Business
She sighed. “I think so. It’s just scary. Falling for someone always is.”
“Yeah.” I glanced at Trace, pain slicing through my insides. “Whether we want it to happen or not.”
We said our goodbyes and hung up.
“Your friend is okay?”
I pressed my lips together first before answering. “They’re going to ask Ashton for the night off from work.”
Trace snorted. “He’ll give it to them. He’ll get a kick out of it if they ask him in front of Viv.”
“You know Viv?”
“I know of Viv. She’s been after Ashton since college. He’ll enjoy the show of it. I’m betting that your friend Justin won’t be working at Katya long anyways, and I’m guessing he won’t want his girl working there if he isn’t.”
I tensed. “Why are you saying that?”
“Because he’ll have figured out by the end of the night, if he hasn’t already, that Ashton gave him the job because of his family connections, and also because he saw us leave together.”
“What?”
He frowned at me. “He’s aware of who we are, who our family is. It’s why he’s working there. His brother put him up to it. He’s eyes on us. Or I’m guessing that’s the situation. He can work, get paid, get his tips, meet a nice girl, and if he happens to hear something or see something, he’ll pass it along. But nothing like where he’s going to search out for something to report. Your friend is too smart for that, and his brother wouldn’t want to needlessly endanger Justin. And also they don’t really think they’ll get anything, or there’s no way his brother would sign off on letting your friend work in one of my businesses.”
I was feeling gut punched but pissed at how I hadn’t figured any of that out, and I should’ve.
“He told me his brother was a detective too.”
Trace glanced at me. “You’ve been distracted.”
Still. I was disappointed with myself. I should’ve known. “He saw us leave together?”
“He did, but Ashton is the only one who knows anything, and he won’t say a word.”
“Kelly knows.”
“What?”
“She saw you at Easter Lanes. I told her about the hockey stairway guy and let it slip that it was you. If she saw you, she knows. She might say something.”
We drove for a bit in silence.
“My guess is that she didn’t see or she would’ve said something on the phone, and Justin won’t bring it up. Who would when he’s hoping to introduce his new girlfriend to his family? Guys like Justin don’t say anything unless they have to.”
He was right. Justin would wait, ask me about the situation. He’d feel me out first before deciding how to handle it. I nodded, settling back into the seat. “I’ll make something up, cover.”
“I think that’s smart.”
That was all sorted out, and so now I had at least an hour to sit in the same vehicle with Trace.
The understanding was dawning on me as I looked at him, and he met my look before needing to watch the street. A whole hour or more depending on traffic.
This would be fine.
All fine.
My body wouldn’t react to him.
I wouldn’t think about kissing, or touching, or ... yeah. It would be all good.
