It was starting to fuck with my focus. I sucked in a breath and focused on the paperwork in front of me. I had a board meeting coming up. I wanted to impress them with the Arizona deal and perhaps hint at some of the information Reyna had been able to gather that could result in RICO charges involving fraud, bribery, and more against George and a few others on the board. Since my father was already in prison for a few of them and Reyna was able to link George to some of my father’s scams, I felt confident about the case. But I had to be careful. If I tipped my hand too early, I could be ousted before securing my position.
I hitSaveon a document and was about to go to lunch when the door opened. For a minute, I hoped it was Reyna showing up for a fuck on my desk. Instead, Amelia strode in carrying Andrew and a humongous bag I imagined was full of diapers. I had a flash of an image of Reyna carrying a baby and a bag too. The punch in my gut was unwelcome.
“Ready for lunch?” she asked.
I panicked. Had I scheduled lunch with my sister and forgotten?
She laughed. “I’m just dropping in, but your assistant said you hadn’t had lunch yet.”
I stood, relieved. “I was just getting ready.”
“Good. Let’s go to the new Mexican place. I hear it’s really good. I can give you the social media updates for your board meeting coming soon.”
“Sounds good.”
The restaurant was within walking distance of the office. When we were seated and little Andrew was perched in a highchair, Amelia pulled out a folder from her gargantuan bag and handed it to me.
“These are the stats. They’re staying about the same as always. Pictures of the new water park development were popular. So were pictures of you and Reyna. I haven’t gotten any in awhile.”
I shrugged and looked at the data. “Surely, the novelty of us has worn off. We’re not newlyweds anymore.”
“Are you sure your name isn’t Scrooge?”
I ignored her. “It’s possible we’ll be getting some bad press in the next few months. Reyna has found some information that links George Keyes and maybe a few others to what Dad was doing.”
“Big surprise there.” She sat back as our server brought us water and took our orders.
Once the server left, I said, “Whatever we can do to keep the company separate and focus on our new real estate projects will be great.”
“The answer is to make you the face of the company. That’s easier done with more photos and news from you. Didn’t you just go on a business trip?”
“I did, and it was productive. We’ve got a new influx of investment money.”
“Where?”
“Arizona.”
“Yet, no pictures?” She leaned forward. “I know you’re sleeping with her, James, so there’s more to this marriage than a business deal.”
Fuck.
“Why keep it secret? This is good, right? This is exactly what the board said they wanted.”
I turned away, not wanting to ignore my sister and yet not wanting to tell her the truth of my fucked up relationship with Reyna.
“Nothing’s changed,” I finally said.
She sighed and looked at me in disappointment. “You’re determined to be a Scrooge, aren’t you? I know you like her—”
“You don’t know anything,” I bit out.
Her eyes widened. Andrew threw a spoon, effectively taking Amelia’s attention off me. She picked up the spoon, setting it out of Andrew’s reach. She pulled a colorful toy from the bag and handed it to him.
“Why don’t you want to be happy?” she asked me.
The words hit me in the chest like a sledgehammer. For a moment, I couldn’t catch my breath. “I don’t know how.”
I hated the pity I saw in her eyes. “You do know how, James. I’ve seen moments of it with Reyna.”