Easy This Time - JH Croix Page 0,17
least, that’s all I know for now.”
“Damn, people can sure be shitty. Unfortunately for me, that’s what pays my bills. Get me the deets, and I’ll chase it down as far as I can.”
“All right. I’ll give you a call later. I want to run this by my friend before I hand over all the info.”
Chapter 8
Mari
“What the hell, Max?”
“I knew you’d be pissed, Mari. For what it’s worth, I should apologize for telling you I thought Brett was an asshole the first time I met him. Even if he proved my point for me, I shouldn’t have done that.”
I wanted to throw the phone across the room, but this was my brother, and I did love him after all. I paced back and forth in front of the windows. “Oh yeah, Brett proved you right and then some.”
“I also spoke to Nash Reynolds.”
I could practically hear the trepidation in Max’s voice. “Nash called you?” I sputtered.
“No, I called him. If you’re gonna be pissed, be pissed at me. I know Nash because he hired me to set up the security systems on the buildings he manages in New Orleans. He’s a good man. I wanted to ask him to check in with you in case you needed any help. Sounds like he beat me to the punch on that one.”
I wanted to scream, but I bit my tongue. Hard. “Yes, Nash has been very helpful. I went to meet him when I realized Brett was gone. Brett left a note in his online calendar about meeting with Nash. Nash was dropping somebody off at the airport when I discovered Brett canceled my ticket for the refund.”
“Don’t be pissed at Nash. Be mad at me for being an overbearing older brother. Meanwhile, I’m gonna see if I can find Brett.”
“I don’t want to find Brett. I just don’t want my credit all messed up.”
Max said something in a mumble.
“What?”
Max’s voice came back to full volume. “Well, if—“ After an abrupt pause, Max began again, “That’s Harlow telling me not to be an ass. Would you like to talk with her?”
“Please.”
About the only woman Max didn’t try to boss around was his wife. Harlow was a total badass and a hotshot firefighter to boot. She could handle herself and Max.
“Hey, Mari,” Harlow’s voice came through the line.
“Hey, Harlow. Max is being a big brother. Could you just tell him he was right about Brett? Now I know, and he can let that go.”
Harlow laughed. “I can tell him, but you know your brother. It’s all I can do to get him to back off with me sometimes.”
“I feel like such an idiot, Harlow. Don’t you dare tell Max this, but if I’m honest with myself, I tried to stay with Brett because I wanted to prove Max wrong. Instead, Brett turned out to be the overachiever of assholes.”
“Hey, don’t beat yourself up. We all get to make mistakes with relationships. You know my history before Max. God, sometimes I can’t even believe what an idiot I used to be.”
“Oh, I can believe it. I’m feeling downright stupid now.”
“Did you call your boss like you said?” she asked, referring to a text I’d sent earlier after she texted to check on me.
“I did. I’m all set. He’s going to give me a few assignments in this area. It’ll pay the bills while I figure out what to do next. Plus, Nash has promised to show me New Orleans the right way.”
“Oh, really?” Harlow asked. “I’ve met Nash. He’s pretty easy on the eyes.”
The memory of the feel of Nash’s lips over mine sent a wash of heat through me. He was more than easy on the eyes, but I wasn’t about to get into that with Harlow.
“He’s easy on the eyes, all right. I think he’s just a Southern gentleman. I’ll take it, because I’d like to see the city and not have my only memory be my asshole ex taking off and leaving me behind at a bed and breakfast.”
“That’ll be fun,” Harlow replied. “Just forget about Brett. Don’t let it get to you that Max didn’t like him when he first met him. Max isn’t likely to like any guy who’s with you at first. He can’t be considered objective.”
“Well, that won’t be a problem. I don’t intend to date ever again. My luck sucks, and I think I’ll stay single.”
Although I couldn’t see Harlow, I could imagine her eye roll. Gracious friend and sister-in-law that she was, she simply