Leaving her to finish her deal, he returned to his office to get some work done. But the reports he’d been working on earlier seemed like a jumble.
“Fucking weasel,” he grumbled. Realizing he wouldn’t get any work done, he grabbed the phone on his desk and dialed the number of the only person he knew who could help.
“Law Offices of Keppel, Monroe, and Abrams,” an overly cheerful voice answered.
“Hello, Judy. It’s James Monroe. Is my brother around?”
“Good afternoon, Mr. Monroe. He’s in. Let me just see if he’s available for you.”
James waited, tapping his fingers on the desk while he waited for his brother to answer the phone.
“What do you want?”
James grinned at the gruff annoyance in Bryant’s voice. “That’s a fine howdy-do for your big brother.”
“Ten minutes. You have ten minutes on me, asshole. What do you want?”
“Can’t a guy just call his brother and chat?”
“Not at one-thirty on a Wednesday. Shouldn’t you be out, dominating the real estate world?”
“That’s actually why I’m calling. I have a possible situation.” He gave Bryant a quick rundown of what had transpired with the Jacksons. “Think he could cause us any trouble?”
“Nah. He’ll make a fuss, maybe call you out on social media. But he can’t legally cause you any trouble. And any good lawyer will tell him that.” There was a short, heavy silence. “Did he really say that about Liv?”
“Yeah.” Just the memory of it had him baring his teeth at the seat the weasel had recently vacated.
“Want me to go kick his ass for you?”
“As much joy as that image brings me, I don’t want to make this any messier. Thanks, though. You should come over for dinner sometime soon.”
“Sure. Haven’t seen the little brat in a while. Give her a hug from me.”
“Will do.”
Feeling centered again, he hung up the phone and refocused on his reports. He’d just wrapped up one of the financials that had been giving him a headache when Olivia knocked on his door frame. “Ready?”
“Let me shut down.” While the computer powered down, he stood and motioned for her to come closer. “Come here.”
She stepped around the desk, a mischievous smile on her lips. “Yes, sir?”
James wrapped his arms around her, making her laugh with an overly enthusiastic bear hug. “That’s from Bryant. This,” he lowered his lips to hers for a deep kiss, “is from me.”
“Mmmm. Thanks, for both. Everything okay?”
“Of course. Why do you ask?”
“If you’re giving me a hug from Bryant, you spoke to him recently. And if you called in him in the middle of the day at work, something is wrong. What’s up?”
Grinning at her, he grabbed his laptop and stuffed it in his briefcase. “You’re a little too observant for your own good, sometimes.” He linked his fingers with hers and they walked out together. “Just making sure Jackson can’t give us any legal trouble.”
“Can he? The little asshole will, if he can.”
“According to Bryant, no. We’ll keep an eye on social media, since that’s where he’s most likely to make some noise. But I don’t think we have to worry about anything from a legal standpoint.”
“Good.” They stopped by the passenger door to his SUV and she turned to him. Her eyes, which never could hide anything from him, pleaded with him. “I’m really sorry I caused so much trouble.”
“Livvy. It’s done. No more apologies, little one. Understood?”