"Okay. If you mean that, I’ll do what I can to help."
"Thanks."
"But don't hurt her,” Michael continued. “We may not be officially related, but she's as close to a kid sister as I've got."
The warning came over the phone loud and clear. "Understood."
"That said, I can't think of a nicer guy. And you certainly couldn't get a better woman. She's one of the good ones, even if she is a little crazy."
He chuckled at the description. Maybe that's what drew him to her. Maybe he needed a little crazy and chaos in his life to keep him from becoming one of the old, stodgy, boring businessmen he saw staring back in the mirror on a daily basis.
"Where are you staying?" Michael asked.
Everett gave him the address and listened as his friend chuckled.
"Man, you do have it bad. That's only a few blocks away from her."
"It seemed prudent to be close by."
Another chuckle filtered over the phone before Michael said, "Ahhh, you are working fast. I just got a text for brunch tomorrow to meet Isabel'snew friend."
Everett smiled at the announcement, well able to imagine Isabel's frustration when he charmed her mother and the other Babes.
Yes, he'd heard the story of the Boardwalk Babes. And he couldn't wait to hear all the other stories they'd tell about his Isabel. He could already picture her sassy attitude and precocious self on the beach as a child.
"Guess I’ll see you then."
Everett ended the call and left the bench to make his way back to the house. Tomas and Jacob paced the front deck as though watching for him, and he shook his head at their concern.
This wasn't New York. No one knew him here, and the odds of him getting kidnapped and ransomed were slim. Plus, it wasn't like he could accidentally get married again.
Everett made his way to the lower level of the house and then jogged up the steps inside rather than take the elevator. The two men met him in the combination kitchen/living area, and Everett could practically hear the grind of Jacob's teeth. "Miss me?"
"With all due respect, sir, what's gotten into you?"
Everett chuckled and opened the refrigerator door. "I think we’re going to find out. What’s to eat?"