Derek leaned an elbow against the wooden bar top. “I want to do some digging into Cassie’s brother. Her old man handed him the chairmanship, and he treats her like shit. He spent the last year in Europe and has no business experience that I know of. I can’t help but wonder if he’s the weak link to my buying the company.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow. “Interesting. The PI’s name is Evan Mann. I’ll text you the number tomorrow.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you sure you want to dig around behind Cassie’s back?” Lucas asked.
Derek rubbed the back of his neck. “No, but I’m going to. My gut is telling me there’s more to her brother than she knows.”
Lucas leaned on the side of the bar with one elbow. “You know what’s best. Are you still planning a takeover?”
Derek shook his head. “Not in a way that screws Cassie. I haven’t figured out what I want to do, but information is my friend.”
“She’s coming.” Lucas gestured toward the far side of the room, where Kendall and Cassie were walking toward them.
Kendall was attractive, but Derek only had eyes for the woman in red. Her dress had enough slits to tempt a man to sin, and Derek was more than ready to misbehave with Cassie, as soon as possible.
“Hi,” Cassie said, joining him, a smile on her beautiful face.
Kendall waved and headed toward where her sister, Kade, and Kendall’s date stood by a window across the room.
“I’m going to go find Maxie,” Lucas said, excusing himself and walking away.
Derek turned to Cassie. “Hi, yourself. How is Kendall? Is she more settled?”
Cassie nodded. “She is, for now. But something tells me she and Julian Dane have unfinished business.”
Derek frowned at that assessment. “That’s not good. Because from what Lucas says, Julian doesn’t seem finished with her. And I really don’t want to have to bail Kade out of jail. He’s extremely protective of his sister-in-law.”
“Because of her mental illness?”
“She told you, did she?”
Cassie nodded. “I like Kendall.”
“And that’s why Kade is so protective. She’s likeable. She’s family and she’s fragile, although less so by the day. And Kade can relate to someone having … issues.”
“What aren’t you saying?” Cassie asked.
Derek didn’t normally talk about his friends behind their backs, but he trusted Cassie. “Kade deals with OCD and anxiety. He has a special affinity for Kendall.”
“I see. But all is quiet for tonight?” she asked.
He nodded. “Want to check out the silent auction?”
“Sure.” He clasped her hand in his, and they spent the next twenty minutes perusing the choices.
Every item, like seats behind home plate to a Yankee game, had a piece of paper with a starting bid and the increment in which bids could go up. All proceeds went to House of Hope.
Cassie paused at an item with a dog leash and collar on the table. Six months free dog walking, courtesy of Kendall Parker. “Oh!”
“Did you get a dog I don’t know about?” he asked.
She shot him a wry glance and picked up a pen. Nobody else had bid yet. She scribbled her name, email, and a bid, then tried to pull him to the next item.
He held on tight to her hand and glanced down. “One thousand dollars for six months of dog walking, hmm? For a nonexistent dog?”
Her cheeks flushed pink. “You can use it for Oscar, and I’ll have donated to an important cause. Now let’s move on.”