“Then let’s move on to the reason I’m here, since I’m sure you don’t want to know what might make Eric’s hot mess turn in your direction.”
Hamish winced.
Now it was my turn to lean forward and glare at him. “What are you avoiding telling me?”
He cleared his throat. “The thing is... Eric is here.”
My eyes widened, and I nervously scanned the coffee shop. Just the usual morning rush with people standing in line to order at the dark wooden counter with a happy-looking brunette taking their orders. No large, menacing billionaire lurking about.
“I don’t see him.” The muscles in my shoulders relaxed, but it took a little longer for my heart to return to normal.
“He’s not on his honeymoon, Jenner. He’s at The Blue Spot.”
“But that’s what he texted me last week. He was going to the Galapagos with his new wife, who studies birds or something. Anyway, did he get back early?”
Yes, Eric was a friend and a client, but he was one of those friends you enjoyed having on your side during tough times. He grew up rough because of what his dad did to him, and that was how he learned to deal with problems.
We grew close because I could relate to having a crappy father, though mine never hit me. He wasn’t the type of friend you hung out with on Saturday nights, drinking at a bar. Because it would always end badly. I even took him to lunch once, and he wound up punching the server.
“He didn’t mention any of that, so I don’t know. But what I do know is he wants to fix up Hudson Estate, the one near here, and turn it into some luxury bed-and-breakfast. He talked to me about it to see if I wanted to invest... not that he needs the money, but you know Eric.”
I nodded. “Yeah, always worried about losing money. It’s like, no matter how much he has, he thinks the next project he works on will wipe it all away.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
I shook my head. “I still don’t understand. I’m not the type of lawyer he would require to turn his residence into a commercial property.”
Hamish gnashed his teeth and mumbled something I couldn’t understand.
“What was that?”
“I can’t believe Eric tricked me into asking you to do this.” Hamish rubbed the back of his neck.
“The whole Hudson family seems to be silver-tongued,” I mumbled.
Hamish’s brows rose. “What? No, never mind. It doesn’t matter. The thing is, that property wasn’t left to him in his dad’s will... It was left to Lola.”
“Okay,” I said slowly. “But how does that involve me?”
“No one can find Lola. I told Eric to get her claimed as legally dead, but he said—”
“No.” I sat up in my chair and spoke loud enough for all eyes in the café to turn to me.
Hamish pointed at me. “That’s exactly how Eric reacted. But how can he turn the property into a bed-and-breakfast if he can’t get the owner to sign off on it?”
I suddenly understood what Eric asked Hamish to do. I reached in my jacket pocket and nervously ran my fingers over my good luck charm—my mom’s wedding ring.
“He wants me to find a way for him to legally turn the property into a bed-and-breakfast.” I took a breath and was lifting the coffee to my lips as I continued, “I hate to say it, but there’s really no way to—”
“He wants you to track down Lola.”
Chapter 2
Lola
“Are you sure you’ve done this before?” I asked my neighbor Lydia.
She lifted the fake, miniscule plastic glasses to her eyes and puffed out her cheeks.