Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
“Y—yeah,” she says.
From that point on, things are as easy as taking candy from a small child.
I tell her about the rumors I’m hearing about some guy suing his ex-girlfriend, not forgetting to mention that it would be perfect for the “Local Happenings” section—I just made that up, by the way.
As Becky listens to me, she reviews the documents related to the case on her computer, which helps me figure out how bad things really are.
For example, when I tell her all the outrageous things Joseph wants Ava to repay him for, she lifts her eyebrows in surprise as she reads the actual list on her screen, saying, “Oh, wow.”
Little by little, she reveals information without meaning to.
Now, it’s time to close the deal.
“So, it’s a ridiculous claim, right? I’m guessing the judge will just throw this case out of the court,” I say as casually as I can, even though inwardly I’m getting nervous.
This is the very information I came here to learn. Everything hangs on the next few short sentences Becky says, and her facial expression.
“Hmm . . .” Becky frowns as she stares at the screen, her index finger scrolling down the wheel of her mouse.
“Do you think the guy might actually win? That would be so crazy,” I say, as if I’m just an unconcerned bystander.
Becky shrugs her shoulders. “Sometimes, the application of the law does result in pretty crazy things.”
Oh, shit. That’s not a good answer, is it?
Mason
“That’s all she said?” I ask again.
“Yeah. Dude, I already told you everything. It wasn’t easy to get anything out of her, okay?” Nathan’s obviously getting irritated because I’ve been interrogating him non-stop since he got home, but he should’ve tried harder.
“You could’ve pushed her for more.”
“Look, your aggressive style may work in the boardroom. But when it comes to real people, you need to be more persuasive. She wouldn’t have told me anything if I were pushy,” Nathan says.
“Look, we’re all frustrated, but let’s not start blaming one another,” Noah says. “Mason, Nathan’s the best man for the job. We agreed on that. That’s why he was the one who went. This is the best information we could’ve gotten out of the judge’s assistant. I think we should focus on what to do next instead.”
I take a deep breath.
Noah makes a good point; it’s not Nathan’s fault. But I can’t help getting all worked up. Too bad the asshole I’m actually angry at isn’t here to take a punch to the face. My fist is itching to meet Joseph again.
“So what were her actual words?” I ask.
“In the end, when I asked her if she really thought Joseph might win, she said she couldn’t give me that information, but it was an interesting case to follow and it would make a good story for the paper.”
“Fuck.”
“Hey, so, when I went to your Facebook profile, it says Sally Fields is a mutual friend,” Ava says as she lounges on the couch, seemingly unaware that a shit show may be about to happen.
It’s just the two of us in the living room right now.
Ollie and the twins are out, but they didn’t want to let me come along or tell me where they were going.
Not going to lie, that made me furious. But my reaction only proved their point—that I was too angry to be outside, hanging around people.
Besides, now I’m alone with Ava, so things are working out pretty well for me.
Liam was here before, until he complained about back pain, and Ava banished him to her bedroom where there’s an actual desk.
“Yeah, Sally Fields. She’s our assistant,” I say.
“Oh! What a coincidence. I know her.”
“Yeah, I know. You already said she’s a mutual friend on Facebook. Plus, this is a small town and everybody knows almost everybody else.”
“Yeah, but also . . . I was actually meeting up with her when you guys saw me at Feral,” she says.
“Really?” I ask. Wait a minute . . . “She just left you to be alone with that creep?”
“To be fair, she didn’t know what he was like. As far as she knew, we were just another couple with a disagreement. She probably hadn’t heard about our break-up yet.”
“Isn’t that one of the first things girls talk about when they meet up—all the spectacular ways their boyfriends and ex-boyfriends fucked up since the last brunch?” I ask.
Again, she giggles. “We didn’t even get to that part, but she did mention she was here for work, and I was wondering why she’d travel to work in Ashbourne. I was about to ask her when Joseph showed up and completely monopolized the conversation.”
Ah, fuck. Every time I hear that name, I want to punch something.
“So, she’s your assistant, huh? Like, to all five of you?” Ava asks.
“Essentially, yeah. We were planning to hire more assistants, but Sally’s been managing pretty well on her own,” I say.