“I’m not a hugger,” I blurted out.
His arms fell slightly but still hung in the air, hoping I would give in.
“Really? Is that why you acted strange last week at The Blue Spot? I’m sorry, dude, I really did not know. I respect your wishes.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I threw up my hands and backed away. Respect my wishes? What messed-up crap was that?
“What the hell, Eric? What the fuck is going on? First, you tell me how you’re listening to your body, and then you want a hug. Now you respect my wishes. Are you possessed? Because the old Eric I knew from two years ago would have punched someone who talked like that.”
I wasn’t angry he was saying those things; it just wasn’t like him at all, and I wanted to find out why.
Eric laughed some more. “I have changed. There are some things you should know about me. Secrets I’ve kept from everyone, and I’m not proud of what I’ve done—”
There was a noise coming from around the front of the mansion, causing Eric to stop talking.
“They’re here. Now, Jenner, you’re to meet the owner of Hard Grind, Marika Juggs. Never let on that I don’t have ownership of the property. I don’t enjoy lying to her, but I think in the end, everyone will understand.”
He wasn’t making any sense. In the end? What end?
“But you’re here. Why don’t you just meet with her?”
He waved his hands at me to negate the idea. “No, it must be you.”
“Okay. Where will you be when I meet with her?”
“In the basement. There are some things I need to look at down there, so I won’t bother you.” He rubbed his hands together and smiled like a villain about to trap the hero in a movie.
But what was I in all this—the hero or the villain’s accomplice? I sighed as I made my way back inside the home to go meet with Marika.
Maybe I was both...
I heard the doorbell ring as I moved through various sitting rooms and the library until I made it to the front entryway. It was spacious, with a magnificent crystal chandelier in the center, which hung over a large, round mahogany table.
Since the place hadn’t been lived in for years, they had covered most of the furniture in tarps. Eric must have removed the one that was on the table.
My black loafersclackedas I moved along the Italian marble floor, and I was reminded once again of Lola. She would pretend she could tap dance and shuffle her feet on the entry floor as if she knew what she was doing. It always made me laugh.
With a grin on my face from the memory, I opened the front door. A woman with long red hair stood there holding a white binder, and another woman was standing behind her with her back to me.
“Hello, you must be Ms. Juggs. I’m Jenner Cartwright, the owner’s lawyer. I’ll be conducting the tour and discussing the logistics of the deal with you today.”
Marika reached out her hand and gave a firm shake. “I believe we met last week at The Blue Spot. And please, call me Marika.”
My brows shot up in recognition. She was the one who had pulled Lola away.
I glanced over at the woman with her back to me and shook my head. She had long black hair just like Lola, but it couldn’t be her. She wouldn’t show up at the Hudson Estate, not when she was trying her best to stay hidden.
It had to be a coincidence.
Marika cleared her throat and turned to the woman. “Lola, it’s your friend from The Blue Spot.”
Oh, my god... it was Lola. Why had she come?
Her shoulders shot up, and ever so slowly, Lola turned to face me, though her eyes stayed glued to my feet. “Hi, Jenner. Nice to see you again.”
Her body language said otherwise. She couldn’t even look at me. Even after so much time had passed, what had I done to make her hate me?
“Lola, what a surprise.”