My demands were simple—leave the logistics of the bar alone until Dad could be deemed legally dead. The profits would be split between me and Mom, and she could do whatever she wanted to with her shares. In the meantime, she and I would secure a bar manager and hire a company to keep the place running without too much input from us. Mann Enterprises was a consideration, as long as Jeffrey kept his nose out of my business.

When Cabe and I left the marina, the exhaustion finally hit me. It was the kind of exhaustion I remembered from all those late-night study sessions and weekend track meets. However, despite the disturbing nature of the truth bomb my parents delivered, I had answers, and I felt like they were finally respecting me as an adult, not just a kid to be managed.

But the real reason I wore a smile all the way back to the Franklin family condo might have been my new relationship status. Strange as it seemed, my commitment to Cabe felt more meaningful than anything else that had happened today, and I was looking forward to christening our relationship upgrade with some serious bedroom action.

Unfortunately, my thoughts of sexy times were derailed when we walked into the lobby of the building and Jeffrey Mann was waiting for us.

"Hey, you two. I thought I might find you here. How did the investigation go?"

Jeffrey seemed too happy for my liking, and my suspicious nature took over. He didn't seem like the kind of guy who could afford to wait around in lobbies unless he was sure it would pay off. "How long have you been waiting for us?" I asked.

"Not too long. I was hoping we could shore up some business details before you left town." He patted a large manilla envelope under his arm. "So, did you make any significant discoveries at Sea Isle Marina? I hope my intel was useful."

I wanted to tell him it was none of his business, but he'd been involved enough in my business that I felt obliged. "I found my dad. He was with my mom. They'd been scheming all this time. But we got it worked out."

"Wow. It sounds like you had one helluva reunion. I'm glad to hear you worked everything out. So, is this a real thing now?" He pointed at my hand, which was holding tightly to Cabe's. If I wanted to put his hopes of conquest to rest, this was the perfect opportunity.

"Yes. Cabe and I are exclusive."

He pursed his lips and nodded as if I'd given him a piece of advice that he planned to toss out the window. "Well, if you don't mind me taking a minute of your time, I'd love to finalize the paperwork for the research we did on your dad. Then you two can get back to your fraternizing. I found an empty meeting room we can use." He waved me toward an open door off the lobby. "There's some sensitive information contained in this envelope, so you may want to keep it private."

He looked pointedly at Cabe, which pinged my annoyance radar. "Cabe has been privy to everything that's happened so far. He can join us."

"Suit yourself. Don't say I didn't warn you."

I scowled at his idle threat. He was probably butt hurt because I had thrown him off his long game. We followed him into a room, which appeared to serve as an entertainment hall. Folding tables and chairs were stacked against a wall, and Jeffrey pulled apart a table and spread out the paperwork.

"Okay, June. You'll recognize the first two pages of the contract, which you read and signed when we started the process. It's the last three pages that we need you to sign-off on. It's basically a breakdown of everything our PI did during the course of their job."

Jeffrey hovered at my shoulder as I glanced over dates and locations. A good number of billable hours were listed under research, which I expected. The information I supplied them with wasn't exactly current. The private investigator's research took them to Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Texas. Based on the story Dad told me about his pre-surgery lifestyle, that didn't surprise me.

Then something caught my eye that had me doing a double take. It was me they were following in South Carolina, and the date and location matched the time I was in Columbia for my job interview. They'd even staked out the Embassy Suites and reported everything I had done there, including my time at the bar and the fact that I was accompanied to my room by two men, both of whom didn't leave until the next morning.

Shit.

"Why did you have me followed?"

"That's not my call. The agency's policy is to research their clients. You'd be surprised at how many people use PIs as an alibi to cover their own guilt. It's written in the contract's verbiage."

I didn't doubt it was written in the verbiage. I remembered the night I'd signed that contract. I wasn't looking at the fine print. Beside me, I felt Cabe's presence like a coach after a disappointing track meet. Surely he was remembering that our relationship had not become exclusive until a few hours ago. As for Jeffrey, he looked like he'd just won the fucking Nobel Peace Prize.

"By the way, I meant to ask you how that job interview went. Did you get the university position?" Jeffrey's fake smile had me clenching my fists.

"I got the job." I pretended to be more interested in the contract than his smug face as I continued looking for clues that might make me look like the girl you'd never want to commit to. When I failed to find anymore incriminating evidence against me, I signed the papers and shoved them back at Jeffrey.

"When can I expect a bill for this? I'll be moving in three weeks, and I'd like to have this managed before then."

"It should be within the week. We can certainly provide more discretion if you'd like to keep this under wraps."

"It's a little late for that. Just send it to my personal address." Fuming, I left the room and walked to the elevators without waiting for Cabe. He and Jeffrey spoke at the lobby door for a minute before Cabe joined me. By then, I was certain Jeffrey had planned this surprise visit to fuck me over, since he couldn't get his rocks off any other way.

Cabe pushed the button to call our ride. "You okay?"

"I was, until that asshole showed up."

"I did give you a heads up about that."

"I remember."

The elevator opened and we climbed in. I thought I might suffocate under the silence and guilt. Cabe took my hand, which only made it worse. Was it even necessary to feel guilty about this? I didn't need to justify my behavior to anyone. Not Cabe. And certainly not Jeffrey, the egotistical jerk.

When we arrived at the condo, I disappeared into the bathroom. I needed a minute of privacy to calm down. Staying angry would only prove that Jeffrey's juvenile game had worked, and I was done giving away my power to men. To anyone.

After splashing my face in the sink, and drying all traces of moisture from my eyes, I joined Cabe in the living room. He had poured us both waters, but he had also set a bottle of Sapphire on the coffee table, a bucket of ice, tonic water, and a small plate of lime wedges.

"You had fresh limes?"

"I called ahead."

"You think of everything." I pulled my phone from my back pocket and dropped it on the table before sitting next to him on the couch. "Since you went through all that trouble, I'll take a short one. Are you mixing?"

"Not if you want it done right."

"C'mon. I'll walk you through it. First step, fill the glass with ice."

He picked up the tongs and proceeded to drop in one ice cube at a time. I chuckled as I watched. "A little delayed gratification, eh?"

"Have you never heard of cocktail foreplay? I'm disappointed." He unscrewed the lid on the gin. "How many fingers?"

"It feels like a three finger night."

"It does, does it?" He smiled as he poured. Then he topped off the glass with tonic. As he plucked a few limes off the plate, my phone dinged with a text, and Abeo's name lit up the screen with the message 'Daniel and I are missing our sexy Florida girl'.

Not good.

I didn't bother picking up my phone. I knew Cabe had seen the message. He was leaning right over it, and his sigh filled the space like a coast guard's foghorn.

"Maybe I should have gone with four fingers." I took the drink out of his hand as he let the lime wedges plop into the glass.

He leaned back and put his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. It was a new move for him. Or maybe I didn't know him well enough to recognize the move. "Why do you want to be with me, June?"

I figured the question was coming. Of course, he could have beat around the bush a while before landing on the money question. But I had to credit him for getting right to the point.

"In case you're wondering, I didn't ask you to be my boyfriend on a whim, or to prove something to my parents. I'd been giving it some thought for a while."

"Hmm. That seems unlikely. You were pissed off at me until yesterday."

"Did it occur to you that I was pissed off because I care about you? If I didn't care, I would have dumped you and moved on."

He continued to stare at the ceiling. I took a long drink, searching for that place where I gave less fucks. If nothing else, this would show me how Cabe managed frustration. Or maybe this was something else. Maybe he was hurt. But he knew what he was getting into "dammit."

It wasn't the first time I'd blurted out a curse without meaning to, and Cabe glanced away from the ceiling to look at me.

"I didn't mean to say that out loud. I'm sorry you fell for me. I'm kind of a mess."

"Are you really sorry I fell for you? Be honest? It would have made things easier for you if I hadn't, right?"

"Yes, it would have made things easier. My comfort zone is to play the field and not commit. Do you want to know why?" I bit my lip. Did I really want to do this now? Cabe watched me carefully . . . patiently. "Because every time I've committed I've been cheated on, smothered, or punched."

"You were assaulted by an ex?"

"It happened once—my first serious boyfriend. Dad called the cops on him."

"Your dad deserves points for that. And when you say smothered, you're talking metaphorically?"

"Yes. That was Derek. Like I said, I'm a mess."

"It sounds more like your relationship history is a mess. It's been my experience that you're pretty amazing. And you deserve to enjoy a healthy relationship."

"That was my hope." I offered a smile, but he didn't join me.

"I don't know if I'm the guy you deserve. I make poor choices. I commit too soon."

"Are you saying you don't want to be my boyfriend?" My fingers began to tremble, and I set my drink on the table. Cabe swiftly took my hand and held it.

"I'm not saying that at all. I want this to work more than anything. And I can assure you I won't cheat, punch, or smother you. But I can't guarantee you won't get annoyed or bored with me and decide that you're happier with the sampler platter."

Oof.

"You say you'd never punch me, but that one hurt."

He frowned. "I won't lie and say I don't have the ability to hurt people I care about. Life is a gamble. We all have tons of choices. And some of those choices are going to rub people the wrong way. I want us to be together, but not at the expense of your happiness."

I stared at Cabe, wondering how I'd gotten so caught up in this man. What was it about him that made me want to commit and risk another failure? Was it his sense of humor? His ability to see every side of a story? Those starry eyes? He'd helped me through an emotional tidal wave without jumping ship, even when he saw it sinking.

"I think I get it now. My fear of failure has kept me crippled in the relationship department. But there's always a risk of failure. It follows every path to success." I snorted out a laugh. "That was incredibly corny. And probably something my dad said to me. What I'm trying to say in the most embarrassing way possible is that being with you makes me happy, and I'd like to see where this path takes us."

His smile came on like a sun flare, lighting up those celestial eyes, and I indulged in them without shame. If Cabe was my future, it came with a damned nice view. 

👇          👇          👇

AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you discovered that a private investigator had been keeping tabs on you, would this worry you? Would you be more embarrassed than anything else? Would you know right away who had paid someone to follow you?