She shooed him away. “Sit. You’ve had a long few days. And I don’t get to mother the three of you anymore. I miss those days.”
“I know you do. Damned kids always have to grow up.”
And fight.
He dropped into the chair and rubbed the palms of his hands into his eye sockets. “Mom, I’m tired of arguing.”
“My darling, you come from a family filled with litigators. I don’t think the arguing will end soon. You have to do what I’ve done and learn to work around it.”
Ha. Good one. “How?”
“Practice. Years of it. Don’t get upset with me, but your way of dealing with the issues you have with Penny, and to a certain extent, your father, is to escape. You moved to Boston. And I don’t blame you. You’re entitled to live your life the way you choose. But I think you’ve realized you can only hide for so long. Now you’re back. And I think you’ll be much happier if you stop letting your sister frustrate you. I swear I could knock your heads together. The two of you can barely be in a room together without one of you picking at the other. One of you starts and the other always bites.”
“She usually starts.”
She rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Very mature. You do your share.”
He grunted. But no argument materialized because yeah, he tended to strike, as he’d just done, in anticipation of Penny getting snarky with him. Dammit.
Mom set a giant glass of milk and a warm brownie in front of him. “You know, Zac loves brownies, too. He likes ice cream on his, though, while you like them plain.”
“What about Penny?”
“No. She’s gummy bears. Buy her a bag and she’ll love you forever.”
Gummy bears. How did he not know that? Shouldn’t he have known that? Sure, he’d been living away for a few years, but still, he could have taken an interest in the things his sister liked. And not taking that interest, in his humble opinion, made him someone he didn’t want to be.
He slouched back and shook his head. “I’m a jerk.”
Mom set her hand on his shoulder and kissed the top of his head. “We’re all jerks sometimes. Take your sister gummy bears and tell her you’re done fighting and poking at her.”
“I already did that at dinner the other night. Sort of.”
“Well, make this one definitive. After that, it’ll be up to her to do the same. The two of you can get along. You’ve just never figured out how to not antagonize. My suggestion? Go to lunch alone with her once a week. You’ll probably find the two of you have a lot in common. I know I see it. You just don’t know each other, David. And, God help me, it’s wearing me out.”
He shifted in his chair and stared up at his mother. “I’m sorry, Mom.”
“I know you are. But fix it. Please.”
“We will.”
“And I saw Amanda leave here without you. You’re on a roll, my boy. Whatever that was about, you need to fix that, too. I’ve got my eye on her for the next member of this family.”
David cracked up. “Hey!”
Mom held her hands up as she left the room. “That’s all I’m saying. Just fix it.”
His mother made it sound so easy. As if years of he and Penny ripping at each other could be fixed with one conversation.
If it could, he’d be in great shape because not only would it eliminate the jealousy and competitiveness with Penny, but also it would score him points with Amanda.
And after the fight he’d just had with both of them—way to multitask, Davey—he needed both.
The plan on how to make that happen started with conversations with both of them. He slugged the last of the milk and his brownie, slouched back in his chair, stretched his legs and studied his boots while the low hum of the fridge knocked his blood pressure down a few hundred notches. A ride on his bike, a couple hours to check out and breathe, would do him good about now. What a damned start to the day.
But, as his mother had said, he could fix it.
He’d call Penny first. Then Amanda. But he knew his sister, and she hadn’t had her two-point-five hours to cool down. If he tried her now, she’d still be in viper mode and that wouldn’t play well.
He picked up his phone and tapped at the screen to call Amanda. It came as no surprise that the call went to voice mail. After four rings. Meaning, the lovely Amanda LeBlanc was PO’d at him and ignored his call. He’d let that ride for Penny’s requisite two-point-five hours, too. Get them both after a cool-down period. But he’d leave her a message—an apology—and hope to hell she was the forgiving type.
He set his phone aside and flipped open the file Jenna had given him on Simeon Davis. The first page gave the basic who, what and when and David perused it. He scanned the address—west side of Chicago—and checked the time. Chances were the insurance office where old Simeon worked would open around nine, and with the morning traffic, he could get there right about that time. How convenient. He’d take it as a sign that a small chat with Simeon was in order.
He scooped up the file and grabbed his favorite jacket, the Belstaff, which had taken the beating. Completely annoying. Add that to his list of complaints about this whole mess. Just another reason—albeit a minor one—to find out who was behind all this.
Or maybe, as his sister had said, he was good at talking himself into things. Either way, he’d pay Simeon Davis a call.
Chapter Twelve
Amanda walked into Lexi’s garage-turned-office, a place she’d designed herself, and plopped onto the sofa in front of the desk. Who put a sofa in front of a desk? Lexi, that was who. Because it was her office and she could do with it as she pleased. She scanned the muted yellow walls and the shiny bookshelves loaded with design books and catalogs and samples and marveled at the change the place had undergone. A few months ago it had been filled with junk from the previous owner, and now it belonged in a home magazine.
“I can’t believe this was once a garage. From inside you’d never know it.”
Lexi sat back in her desk chair and took in the room. “Thank you. I’m so happy it’s finally done. I knew when I bought this place I could make an office out of it. And the best is I can pull my car into the alley and open the bay door to load and unload it. No more schlepping those gigantic sample books if I can’t find parking on my block. But you’re not here to talk about my garage. You look a mess. What’s going on?”
“And here I thought I cleaned myself up before coming in here.”
Lexi shrugged. “You probably did, but I’ve never seen you cry, so I know just by looking at your blotchy skin you had a good jag.”
“It’s been a rough week.”
“Are you back in your place yet?”
“No. Hopefully today. The landlord got that worked out. The building department said it was a mix-up. I’d believe that if the skull hadn’t gotten stolen, my bank accounts weren’t frozen and my paintings weren’t ruined.” She let out a sarcastic grunt. “I’m my own reality television show.”
Lexi leaned forward and held her hand out. “Honey, I’m so sorry this is happening to you.”
Amanda took her hand, thankful for a friend to talk with. Something she hadn’t done nearly enough. The fact that she had few true friends might be the reason, but that was her own fault. She had plenty of acquaintances, but people to share the details of her life with, secrets and fears, she didn’t seek out. Doing that required emotional investments and, well...that was that.
Such a waste.
“And I haven’t told you the best part,” Amanda said.
“You can top all that’s happened?”
“David Hennings.”
Lexi drew her eyebrows in and Amanda rolled her hand. Come on, Lex, you know.
It took a few seconds, but Lexi’s mouth dropped open. An all-around amusing look for the always cool and
put-together interior designer.
“You and David?” She smacked her hand on the desk. “Good for you. The man is hotter than a two-dollar pistol.”
Having always suspected Lexi might be insane, she thought this only proved it. How the hell was all this upheaval a good thing? “No. Not good for me. Not good at all. He’s so, well, hot. In every way, if you know what I mean.”
Lexi hooted. “I can’t believe it. This is great.”
She didn’t understand. “It’s not great. We’re days into this and I’m already sad. Lexi, these people are crazy. I mean, they thrive on drama.”
“Well, yeah, but it works for them.” Lexi drew up, apparently thinking. “Ooohhhhh,” she said. “Now I get it.”
“Yes. I can’t have that.” She waved her hands in front of her chest. “It gets me too churned up. Like I don’t know what to do with all these feelings. I’ve spent a long time building a life and I liked that life. Now the Hennings clan comes along and it all crumbles. And worse, I let myself have feelings for him and I’m already crying.”
“Just hold on a second. You just said you’ll be back in your place today. With that alone you’re putting your life back together. I can promise you the fraud case will go away. It’s a crock and you’ve got the best legal minds in the city on your side.” Lexi leaned into her elbows on the desk, her gaze direct but filled with understanding. “I’m not minimizing what you’ve been through. It’s a nightmare. Unfortunately, as you know, this is life. Bad stuff happens to good people. You rely on those who care about you to help you get out of that bad stuff. It’s the way things work. You’ve just never let yourself have that. That’s a shame if you ask me. Then again, what do I know?”
Apparently, she knew a lot. “Gee, Lex, don’t hold back. Please. Be honest.”
Lexi laughed. “I just think it would be nice to see you take a risk. And David is the perfect candidate. He’s—”
“Not a conformist.”
“Yes! He’s a little unpredictable. Not what you’d think of someone coming from his family. And, well, let’s face it, he’s nice to look at.”
And he’s great in bed. “I don’t know, Lex. The intensity scares me.”
“Of course it does. That’s what’s supposed to happen. But it should be a good scary. Don’t you remember how I was when I met Brodey?”
“Total man hater.”
“Ew. It sounds so harsh, but yes, true. He was different, though. I needed him in my life. He proved to me that he could be trusted. Neither of us is perfect and we’ve definitely been tested, but we got through it.”
She glanced around the garage, the very place where a murderer had trapped her just a few months ago. But Brodey had shown up and the two of them, together, had overpowered the man. She brought her gaze back to Amanda. “What I went through in here was horrible. I still don’t sleep well. But if there’s one good thing that came out of it, it’s that I know Brodey will always take care of me. Even when we’re mad at each other. And I think you have to go through the tough stuff to really see a person’s character.”
“Even when he and his family are a little nuts?”
Lexi laughed. “Especially then. Did you forget my boyfriend’s sister works for these people? Believe me, Jenna tells Brodey all the stories and we’re not talking cray-cray here. They’re excitable. But Jenna loves them. And yes, she talks about Penny and how loony she is, but she’s a good person and incredibly loyal. They all are. Maybe...”
She hesitated and uh-oh. Amanda knew whatever would come next might hurt. “What?”
“I adore you. You know that. So anything I say is because I care. It’s not meant—”
“Oh, just say it already.”
Lexi laughed. “Fine. I think you’re too stringent with the way you live your life. You’re always afraid of the next bad thing. It has to be exhausting.”
“You have no idea.”
Again, Lexi smacked her hand on the desk. “My point exactly. A guy like David might be the perfect balance for you. He’s a risk taker and you’re not.”
“You’re saying I should lighten up a little?”
“Honey, you should lighten up a lot. Imagine the fun you’d have.”
* * *
TRU INSURANCE. That was what the imprint on the door of the glass storefront said. Not what David had expected, but he could say that about the entire past four days. Standing on the sidewalk, the clouds overhead breaking up but not yet letting the sun through to warm the air, he glanced in both directions. At least two of the stores within his sight were empty, their windows showcasing a for-lease sign. The lack of foot traffic—there weren’t even a lot of cars driving by—didn’t bode well, but it was still early on a Friday morning. Maybe things picked up later in the day.
Whoever did their prospecting might need a lesson or two on choosing a great office location. An insurance company didn’t necessarily need foot traffic, but it never hurt. Or maybe rent was cheap because of the lack of pedestrian traffic and that was why TRU Insurance chose this location.
Did it matter? Hell if he knew. He might find out in the next ten minutes, though.
He pulled open the door and found a young redhead sitting at the first desk with a plaque that said RECEPTIONIST. There you go. Even if he found it bogus that the woman’s name wasn’t even on the plaque. Would it be so hard to put Mary Jones, Receptionist on there?
Not his problem. He glanced around at the four empty desks behind Mary Jones, the name she would forever be known as. They were standard-issue circa 1970s cheap metal, and combining them with the location, David got the feeling TRU Insurance wasn’t exactly a huge moneymaker. The hallway behind the desks led to a couple of doors and dead-ended at the rear entrance.
“Good morning,” Mary Jones said.
“Hi.”
“Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Simeon Davis.”
Mary popped out of her chair. “He’s right in the back. Who should I say is calling?”
He could and probably should give a fake name, but—the but always got him in trouble—why bother? If Simeon didn’t know Amanda, he wouldn’t know David, either. If he did know Amanda, maybe he’d have gotten wind that David had been her sidekick all week.
Going with that theory and assuming Simeon was aware of David’s connection to Amanda, he figured it wouldn’t hurt for him to know they’d tracked him down.
Rather easily.
Plus, the Hennings name was legendary in this town. That alone might scare the pants off the guy.
Finally, he wasn’t here to harass. Depending on your definition of harassment. All he wanted was to deliver a message—a very strong one—to Simeon Davis. Whoever the hell he was.
Decision made.
“I’m David Hennings.”
Mary Jones, a pretty young thing for sure, scampered off and a minute later came back, followed by a man who looked like the photo Jenna had shared. He drew closer and David spotted the telltale mole above his eye.
“Hello.” The man smiled—total greasy car salesman—and extended his hand. “I’m Simeon. How can I help you?”
David shook his hand. “David Hennings. Is there somewhere we can talk?”
“Of course. My desk.”
Okay. That worked. He trailed him to the last desk on the right. Apparently assuming this was a business meeting, Simeon took a legal pad from the drawer and grabbed a pen from a leather pencil cup on top of the desk.
Pen at the ready, he nodded. “What can I help you with?”
“Amanda LeBlanc.”
He cocked his head and pursed his lips. “I don’t follow.”
Now, this was interesting. By the look on his face, either the guy was a great liar or he didn’t know Amanda. At all. Not even by name. “You accused her of fraud and
had her assets frozen.”
Game over.
Simeon’s shoulders shot back against his creaky chair. “I’m sorry. I can’t help you.”
He made a move to get up and David beat him to it by standing and blocking his path. He kept his hands loose at his sides. Nonthreatening, but readily available. “I didn’t expect you to help me. I’m going to help you, though, and give you things to think about. Like how badly you want to be incarcerated. Because whatever this fraud nonsense is, you’ll have to prove the allegations, which you can’t do. Unless, of course, you manufacture evidence and lie. And that, too, will put you in a cell. There’s this thing called perjury. Judges don’t like it. Don’t like having their time wasted. Think about it, Simeon. Think about your wife and your kids.” David waved his hand. “About your employment potential.”
A woman entered the open area from the hallway, nodding at him as she passed. Simeon faked a decent smile for the woman’s benefit, then slid a hard look to David. “We’re done. Get out.”
Gladly. “Sure. But be smart. Whoever you’re working for, his name isn’t on the complaint against Amanda. Yours is. And your life could go down the toilet because of it.”
“Get. Out.”
“Be smart, Simeon. Do the right thing.”
On his way out the door, David’s phone rang. Penny. Huh. Her two-point-five hours of cooldown must have ended early. That or their mother had gotten to her. He hit the button. “Hey. I was going to call you about before.”
“Hi,” she said, her voice breathy and rushed.
He pushed through the door and met glaring sunshine. He patted his jacket pocket but remembered he’d left his sunglasses in the car. Hadn’t needed them earlier. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. Jenna just called me. She talked to the lab. We got a hit on the fingerprints from that key.”
Whoa. Jack. Pot. Getting a hit off the prints meant the guy was in the system. And that meant he had a criminal record. “Rap sheet?”
“No. Did you know anyone who works with children needs to be fingerprinted?”
The Rebel Page 16
