Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Ian flagged down the dude with the mini meatballs and simply took the whole tray off his hands. “Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen. You see, your parents aren’t that great with the acting thing. I told them they could support you by going into mourning for a couple of months and shutting down their whole lives and their other children’s lives, but for some reason they decided to keep Carys and Luke in school. Also, MaeBe refused to go to the funeral. She said she wasn’t playing out your dramatic bits.”
Kyle groaned and growled. “I’m not trying to ruin their lives. I’m trying to save them. I’ve pointed out several times that I think Julia has already fucked my family over in several ways.”
That was the moment she felt Drake pull away from her. As Kyle started to go over the numerous ways Julia could harm the people he loved, Drake moved to the bar.
“Damn, for a moment he looked almost happy,” Kim said.
And then his sister’s name had been brought up.
Was he pretending? She got the real feeling that Kyle wasn’t pretending at all. Kyle hated and feared the woman named Julia Ennis.
She’d never had a sibling. Barely had any family at all. What would it have felt like if one of the only people in the world who’d known his secret had turned on him? He’d lost his sister and his friend in a single day. If he wasn’t lying to her, he’d lost a lot.
Maybe even enough to push him over the edge when confronted with another possible betrayal.
She did not want to look at their situation from his point of view. She didn’t owe the man anything.
So why did she walk over to him, abandoning the amusing Taggart family argument?
She got there as Brad strode in. He’d changed to a dark blue jacket and tie, and his head shook as he looked around the dining room.
“What the actual hell?” Brad had his hands on his hips. “Drake, when you told me they were serving dinner I didn’t think we were holding a swanky dinner party complete with an open bar and roaming waitstaff. Waitstaff that absolutely have not been vetted.”
Drake sighed and looked to the bartender. “Are you here to spy for a foreign country?”
The lanky bartender seemed slightly confused by the question. He was maybe twenty-five, with dark hair and cornflower blue eyes that should have every woman in the room panting after him. Maybe some of the guys, too. “I’m from Wyoming, Sir.”
She stifled a giggle because that had been a Sir with a capital S, and not merely a polite one. He was a cute sub, and some top here at The Cowgirl’s Choice likely had a lot of fun with him.
“See, he’s homegrown, Brad,” Drake drawled. “Nothing to worry about except his version of a double and mine are not the same.”
“Sorry, Sir.” The sub poured a generous extra portion of whiskey into Drake’s glass.
Brad moved into Drake’s space. “That is not what I mean and you know it. There are people with absolutely no clearance working this…is this a party?”
“I think it’s the Taggart family way of dealing with issues,” Drake explained. “Sean cooks, Grace organizes things beautifully, and Ian make sarcastic remarks. Brad, it’s fine. I assure you no one who works for Sandra is a Consortium employee. She runs deep background checks on all her club members, especially those who serve as employees. Calm down and enjoy the fact that we’re not eating cheeseburgers for dinner again.”
“Hey, guys. I’m going to head home for the night.” Tucker had his laptop packed in his messenger bag. Jax stood beside him.
She’d rapidly come to like both men. They were different from the Agency types she’d grown up around. They were happy and funny and asked interesting questions. “You’re not staying for dinner? I’ve heard it’s going to be lovely.”
She wasn’t sure what to expect. Gourmet food wasn’t exactly a subject she knew much about.
Now that she thought about it, she might be the only one who didn’t understand it. The Taggarts had made a good portion of their wealth off Sean’s empire. Drake and Kim had grown up very wealthy. Brad as well.
Tucker and Jax might have been the only ones who would make her feel comfortable in a formal dining setting.
Tucker’s head shook. “I’m taking ours to go. If I had some fancy meal without my wife, there would be trouble. She’s happy out here but only because I’m careful about not mentioning things like five-star dining. Then there’s the fact that I’m pretty sure the kids are asleep now. Transport will be so much easier if they’re sleeping. Where are you guys sleeping, by the way? It didn’t look like you were set up at the house. Did my mother-in-law actually put you up in the privacy rooms?”