So I tell them more than I should. “Lexi. She’s a hairstylist—she’s a knockout and smart, too.”
“Are you going to bring her by?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“Because you two do not need to be exposed to my dating life.”
“Why not?” both girls demand at the same time.
“This is the way it’s always been. Why the sudden interest in my love life?”
Janine shrugs. “We just want you to be happy.”
“Yeah, Dad,” Juliana says. “We’ve been talking about it. Remember when you and Mom first got divorced, and we said we never wanted you to remarry?”
I nod.
“Well, we’re sorry for that. Kids are selfish, you know? We were talking about it, and we feel bad. Now that we’re grown up, we obviously see things differently.”
I blink at the sudden burning in my eyes. “Thanks, but I like the way things are,” I say gruffly.
My phone rings, and seeing Joey’s name, I answer it.
“Hey Bobby,” Joey says in the clipped tone that means we’re going to discuss business. I stand and walk out of the room, away from my daughters’ ears, though they know better than to listen in on business conversations.
“What’s up?”
“My insider with the FBI said they’re sniffing into Manghini Construction. It sounds like it’s being driven by democrats who are trying to get the mayor out of office. They’re looking for any payments or kickbacks you made to him for the city construction deals. Will they find anything?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. I made three legitimate campaign contributions—one through each business entity.”
“Anything else?”
“Some cash. Fifty grand, maybe, not much. Just a little thank you bonus when we got the contract.”
“Well, we can hope he was smart enough not to deposit it in a bank. You should be fine. The worst that could happen is they link the contributions to you and make a big smear campaign out of it. But that’s more a problem for the mayor than you, and it’s nothing for the Feds to chew on.”
“Thanks for the heads’ up.”
“No problem. I’ll keep you posted if I hear anything else.”
I end the call and sigh. Feds. They always came sniffing.
ChapterSix
Lexi
My first client isn’t until noon, so I spend the morning taking advantage of the building’s amenities. The gym is simple but clean and high-quality. I’m not a gym rat, but it’s fun to play, so I do a few rounds on the machines. Then I head up to the rooftop pool, which is amazing. I had both to myself.
When I go into Stylz, I’m a new woman.
Until Arissa corners me in the kitchenette. “Listen, Lexi. I know you’ve had a rough time with the accident and being out of work–”
“No, I know,” I cut in. “I owe you a lot. But I can make a payment right now, and I’ll give you everything I make today. I just need another month or two to get the back rent paid down, but I promise I’m good for it.”
I have the money I’d planned on giving the landlord, plus a couple hundred dollars from Bobby, and now that I don’t have to worry about paying rent, I can use all my earnings toward paying her off first, then chipping down my medical bills.