Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 108531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
“Or he feels bad that he got Jayna in trouble,” Sylvie mused.
“He doesn’t feel bad. He’s thinking up another way to get what he wants,” Quaid explained.
Sylvie started to say something, but Rene put a hand over hers and she went quiet.
“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Rene asked quietly. “It’s okay if you don’t, but it’s obvious you’re upset about it. How did you screw up?”
“Rene,” Sylvie admonished.
But Rene was right. “I didn’t properly explain why I was concerned about her working for Paul, so I’m afraid she misunderstood my motivations.”
“Why does she think you don’t want her to work for Paul? And what exactly was she going to do for him?” Sylvie asked.
“He gave her a couple of contracts to read, but that was only the start. That’s how Paul works. He starts with something small and drags you in deeper.” He’d thought about it all after Jayna had left. Paul knew unsavory people. Paul owed money to some guy out in California. He could see his brother asking Jayna to help him deal with that. Oh, could you just make one little phone call for me? And then she would be dragged into whatever plots Paul could come up with. It wouldn’t be the first time Paul’s connections had landed someone in a hospital. “And Jayna thinks I don’t want her around my family.”
“You don’t want her around your family,” Rene countered.
It was true, but she was wrong about one thing. “She thinks it’s because I don’t think she’s good enough.”
That got a loud laugh out of Rene.
Sylvie sent him a pointed stare.
Rene held out a hand, trying to stave off his wife’s complaint. “Baby, you have to know how hard Quaid’s mother is on everyone. She’s an awful snob. And we all know how he feels about Paul. If he’s doing anything, he’s trying to keep her from figuring out what a hot mess his family is.”
At least someone knew him. “That is exactly why. But she wouldn’t listen to me. She told me I obviously wasn’t serious about her and that she now understood I was only seeing her for sex, and then she walked into the courtroom and refused to talk to me about anything but work.”
“How did you ask her to not work with Paul? Were you polite about it?” Sylvie’s eyes had narrowed as though she knew the answer to that question.
Rene sighed when he didn’t reply. “Tell me you asked her and didn’t order her.”
“I would love to be able to tell you I took that rational course,” he admitted. “But I did not. I did tell her she wasn’t going to work for him and then I pretty much ordered her to turn over the contracts to me. I was going to go shove them in my brother’s face. In my defense, I had just had to deal with my mother, who wanted me to be the one to handle my brother’s numerous problems. She showed up this afternoon, and I didn’t realize she’d done it so Paul could get a shot at Jayna.”
“I thought she didn’t want Jayna around.” Rene seemed confused.
So was he, but he knew one thing was true. “She’s got a plan. In a way, she wins no matter what. If Jayna turns Paul down, Paul tells everyone what a bitch she is. If she takes him up on the offer, I’ll be upset with her and the whole situation causes a rift between us. I guess I walked right into that one.”
“There’s a third option,” Sylvie offered. “You could let her do the job and trust her to know when she’s being used. I’ve worked with her. She’s one tough cookie. She’s very sensible. I don’t think she’s going to allow Paul to drag her into something bad.”
“I think that’s iffy.” Rene backed him up. Likely because he was the one who knew exactly how bad things had gotten with Paul. After all, Rene had been the one to fly out to California with him a couple of years before when Paul had hit rock bottom. Rene had been with him when he’d bailed his brother out of jail and taken him straight to rehab. “Paul can get into trouble with some dangerous people. If I were Quaid, I would be worried.”
“Then watch her carefully. Or offer to help her.” Sylvie’s pretty face had turned serious. “Look, Quaid, you know I adore you, but I want Jayna to stay in town and become the city’s lead attorney. I’ve got plans for us, plans that require a lawyer with four rows of sharp teeth she’s willing to use.”
He was a bit wounded at the thought. “Since when do I not do what you need?”
“Your heart isn’t in this and you know it,” Rene replied, his voice tinged with sympathy. “I know you’re good at your job, but you want to be writing. You told me you’ve gotten to write more with Jayna here.”