were you, I’d listen.”
Chapter Twenty-One
There were mansions in Barton Creek, and then there were mansions. The Germond home is a mansion. A gorgeous Tuscan-style estate nestled among majestic trees in one of the city’s most desirable, exclusive, and expensive neighborhoods. I’m a little surprised Alex can afford this, not that it’s any of my business, except in this case he’s making it so.
Dana tells me he received a settlement from the accident. I hadn’t asked, but she’s full of gossip, and she wants to make sure everyone else is too.
I was supposed to show him this house yesterday. Instead, I went home and spent the rest of the day in bed. The tension started out as it normally does, snaking around my shoulders, radiating upward, attaching itself with a vise-like grip around my skull.
Greg had to leave work to pick up the girls, and though he wasn’t happy about having to cancel an afternoon full of meetings, when he arrived home to find me lying on the cold tile in between bouts of vomiting, he understood.
As we enter the formal dining area, I wonder what people do with this kind of space. Even though it’s staged, and staged well, I still can’t picture what one would do with it all, other than, well… stare at it.
“Are you sure you need this much room?” I ask. As the words fly out, it hits me how they might land. Pressing my lips together tight, I move on and into the kitchen to further avoid filling the empty space with words to mask my nerves.
“You might want to move in,” Alex says, catching me off guard. I hadn’t realized he was right behind me. His voice is startling, closer than I realized.
“Me?” I say, touching my chest. I turn on my heel. “I’m pretty happy where I am. In fact—”
“Amy—” He holds up one finger to shush me. “I know about Greg’s company.”
My mouth forms a tight smile as I feign surprise. “What do you know?”
“Just that it isn’t doing so well. You hear things, you know. Rumblings here and there…”
I check my phone. “How long until your friend is here?”
“Ah, Benny.” He runs his hand across the smooth countertop. “Benny gets here when he gets here.” He looks up at me and raises his brow. “These will be the first to go. Unless you like them.” His brow furrows. “Do you like them?”
“Not really.”
He smiles. “I didn’t think so.”
I scan my texts and then my emails as he makes his way around the rest of the kitchen. “You remember that tiny apartment we shared? What a dump, huh?”
“I try not to think about it.”
“Funny,” he chuckles. “It’s all I can think about.”
My eyes meet his, and then immediately I turn back to my phone.
Alex sighs. “He’s a little nervous about the house, I’m sure. Benny, he’s like a bloodhound. I’m sure he’s around sniffing things out.”
I look up then. “How do you know him?”
“He does some work for me now and then.”
“What? Like PI work?”
“Yeah, you could say that. Whatever I need…”
I follow him up the stairs. He peeks into a few rooms before walking out onto one of the terraces that overlooks the pool. Not just the pool—you can see the entire city from here. “What do you think?”
“It’s gorgeous,” I say honestly. “But I’m not sure it’s you.”
“Perhaps you don’t really know me. Not anymore.”
“Yes,” I nod. “People change.”
“You have no idea.”
I don’t ask him for elaboration, because I don’t get the chance. “I saw you with the cop yesterday.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. I wanted to make sure you were safe. Wasn’t much help, was he?”
I shrug.
“Don’t worry,” he says, looking out at the serene, crystal clear water. “Benny will know what to do.”
Alex makes himself at home in the theater while we wait for Benny to show. I’m beginning to wonder if it’s actually going to happen. He kicks back and extends his seat, resting his hands behind his head. I take a seat in the row behind him. “You have to understand the mind of this felon, Amy. He lost something, and he thinks you took it.”
“What did I take?” I fumble with the button to let my foot rest out. Suddenly, the chair vibrates as a massager runs up my back. “I’m not the one who raped that girl.”
“You took his freedom. And now he has money. Money changes a person, Aim. It can make you feel invincible, even if it’s not real.”
“You’re a divorce attorney. How do you