The Lucky in Love Collection - Lauren Blakely Page 0,156

“Exactly. One of those Ivy League schools, and now he’s a practicing attorney in San Francisco. Plus, he does all sorts of pro bono work to help lower-income families.”

I remove my bow tie, so hard I might have ripped it off. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Just wanted to remind you who he was,” Derek says, ever so casually.

Mr. Grayson adds, “The ladies who come in here to pick up suits for their men? They know Jamie. They talk about Jamie. From what I hear, he’s quite the catch. Yessiree.”

My eyes bulge. What the hell is going on? “Are you guys putting me on?”

Derek rests his hip against the counter. “Why the hell would we do that? Jamie’s coming to the wedding. My sister knows him. And Jamie’s stepmom is setting Vanessa up with him. Vanessa’s game for it, apparently. I guess she’s ready for a man who’s interested in stepping off the merry-go-round, if you know what I mean.”

Gabe nods to Derek. “Hey, should we invite Jamie to join our poker game? I hear he’s a wiz at cards.”

“He is not joining our poker game,” I spit out, and all three men crack up.

“Look who’s jelly now.” Gabe laughs.

“I’m not jealous,” I mutter.

I’m pissed.

I don’t want this law school dude coming to the poker game. I don’t want the former prom king hanging with my buds. And most of all, I definitely don’t want him taking Vanessa to the wedding, or out after it, or anywhere. “Why is Jamie’s stepmom setting them up?”

“Arden is all over it. So is Perri. Evidently, everyone thought it was a great idea,” Gabe offers.

After he tucks his measuring tape away, Mr. Grayson raises his hand. “Just my two cents, but I think it’s a brilliant idea.”

I seethe. It’s possible I might become a dragon. I do believe I’m breathing fire. “I don’t think he should be at the wedding, and he definitely shouldn’t be at the wedding with Vanessa.”

Derek claps my back. “I don’t know, Shaw. I think you might need to change your stance on Jamie Sullivan. Everyone seems to think they’d make a great couple, and he’s a pretty good guy. You might be seeing him more around town. Does that bother you for some reason?”

I try my damnedest to collect myself. “Why would it bother me?” I hiss in my best I’m laid-back and cool with it tone.

Gabe chuckles. “Man, you are going to have to come face-to-face with reality pretty damn soon.”

“What reality is that?”

“Your feelings for Vanessa Marquez.”

5

Shaw

The idea that she’s going to the wedding with Jamie Sullivan gnaws at me the rest of the day and into the next one as I drive north toward Lake Tahoe. I’m off for the weekend, and I have a meeting there with my financial planner and my dad.

As the highway unfolds, I try to approach my frustration the way I would any other problem, by first assessing the situation.

But it’s not the situation so much that irks me. It’s the possible outcome.

If Vanessa is planning to go out with a guy like Jamie, that means she might wind up with a guy like him.

Or, more specifically, with him.

And that possibility bothers me more than I’ve ever been bothered by any guy she’s dated.

Because Jamie is exactly the kind of guy she deserves. A good guy, a nice guy, a smart guy—a guy who would treat her really fucking well.

I hate how that winds me up.

But I don’t know how to stop it.

Or what to do.

Or how I honestly feel about all of it.

When I arrive in town, I meet my dad outside the offices of my money guru. Even though Dad and I both live in Lucky Falls, I convinced him to work with my guy out of town. I wanted my dad to have enough to enjoy his retirement, more than a pension from the district attorney’s office would allow, so I hooked him up with Harvey, and Dad’s been making more coin to enjoy in his golden years.

But as we review portfolios, I’m distracted, and I have been since the tux shop yesterday. I can’t fathom the thought of Vanessa being with Jamie. She’s certainly been with other guys. She’s dated other guys. Hell, I’ve known some of her boyfriends on and off over the years. But this one—it’s like an ulcer for some damn reason.

“Your investments are quite healthy. I’d say you’ve fulfilled your goal of being a fireman and having quite a decent set of assets