described my sister and our relationship to a T. Am I really that easy to read? Damn. I’m never going to Vegas. I’ll lose everything I have.
“So?” I shrug, like it’s no big deal that he just got into my head and almost woke up some ghosts from my past after knowing me for only an hour. “What if I do see her this way? It’s no insult to her. She knows she can occasionally be flighty and irresponsible. And she knows I love her no matter what.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you having this vision of your sister, except for the fact that I would say it’s inaccurate.”
I lift a brow at him. “Oh, right. So, you know my sister better than I do. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Not exactly. But I’ll tell you this: unlike you, I have no preconceived notions of your sister based on things that she might have gone through earlier in her life. I knew nothing about her background before she started here. So, when I saw her for the first time and then interacted with her afterward, I formed an opinion of her based on who she is as a grown woman, today.”
He leans in closer to me, but I’m not backing away, even though it’s giving me a mini-stroke to have him this close. “And what I see, first of all, is a really big heart. I also see that she’s highly intelligent and good at thinking on her feet. She’s very trainable and very coachable because she has an eager, open mind, which is a huge asset in this business. She’s incredibly artistic and talented behind the camera. And she has a sense of adventure that I don’t think she even realized was there until she walked through our doors.”
I have to admit, I’m a little blown away. It makes my heart go mushy to hear this man describe my sister in such a complimentary way. Who wouldn’t want to be all those things? I don’t know that I agree with the entirety of his assessment—that she’s this big adventurous person—because all of our lives I’ve pretty much seen the opposite, but that doesn’t lessen the impact of what he’s said.
“Well. Those are all very nice things for sure.”
“And it’s all the truth. No embellishment.” He smiles.
I’m about to tell him the one problem with what he’s said, that how, like me, my sister has refused to take risks all her life—up until just recently, anyway—when the door opens and three people enter the kitchen area, stopping our conversation cold.
CHAPTER SEVEN
May is the first person through the door. Behind her is Thibault, and the last person in is Ozzie. May is trying to appear cheerful, but she has that crazy look in her eye, so I know she’s covering up her real emotions. The other two look like they’re going to a funeral.
I stand. “What’s going on?”
Dev speaks before anyone can answer. “Did you guys figure everything out?”
Thibault responds. “Not really.”
“Why don’t we all have a seat at the table here so we can discuss it?” Ozzie suggests.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to argue and tell them that I’m leaving and I really don’t care what’s going on, but the look on my sister’s face stops me. She’s giving me those puppy-dog eyes. Dammit. Foiled again.
“Fine.” I sit down in my seat with a long-suffering sigh. May is so going to pay for getting me into this mess and forcing me to stay in it. Very soon, too. Forget that revenge-is-a-dish-best-served-cold nonsense. I like my revenge served up hot and fresh, baby. Piping hot, so it burns like a mofo.
Once everyone is seated, Ozzie leans forward and puts his forearms on the table, folding his hands together. His eyes sweep the space, looking at each person around the table individually for a moment before he speaks. It’s very effective at getting total silence.
“We’ve filed a report and had a conversation with a detective from the New Orleans Police Department. There’s a couple hundred dollars’ worth of damage to the front door, but that’s not really an issue. The door still functions.” He turns to look at me. “However, your car is parked outside.”
I wait for him to say something else, but he seems to be waiting for me to respond. I shrug. “Yes, it is.” Then it hits me, and anger rushes in. “Did they do something to my car too?” My insurance deductible is huge. This is going to