Triple Diamonds (Mystic Nights #2)(52)
She didn’t pick up on it. She was too excited about her new venture to notice. “I have great credit. And a little put away. Hopefully enough for a small down payment.”
“This is going to take a lot of work.” He kept the shock from his voice.
“I know, but with the boys gone in a few months, I figure they can help me over the summer with labor. And I can keep working at The Mystic until I’m ready to open. With them in college, more of my money can be spent here.”
Not wanting to discourage or dissuade her, or show his suspicions, he smiled and reached for her hand. “It is a great location. And I’ll help when I can,” he murmured. But he continued to wonder where she would get the start up cash.
His reward was a bright smile and she leaned over and kissed his cheek in her exuberance. “Okay, I’m ready to eat. Let’s head to the diner. The boys are going to be famished. They have been at it all morning. And they got home so late from studying too,” she was shaking her head.
“Sure thing.” He smiled at her to put her at ease and put his car into reverse as she settled more comfortably into her seat.
“Have you mentioned the restaurant to your brothers yet?” He looked at her from under his lashes to gauge her reaction. He tried to keep his tone neutral.
He saw her stiffen slightly in her seat. “Yes. They know. They want this for me too. They are willing to do whatever they can to help me.” She ended her words abruptly and looked his way.
Jewel sensed something in his tone. He didn’t sound as excited for her as she’d thought he’d be. His eyes were probing. “They’ve known I’ve always wanted this. They know I gave up a lot to come home and raise them. They want this for me.”
“I’m sure they do,” he replied cautiously. His thoughts were a whirl. They would do anything to help her. He was sure of that. But what was anything? Theft? Robbery? How could she come up with the money to convert this old farmhouse into a high end restaurant? No matter how good her credit was, the banks would want some capital expenditures on her part to cover any loss if the restaurant wasn’t a success. It took a while to make a restaurant successful. He carefully chose his next words. He didn’t want to spook her or alert her of his ever growing suspicions. “Your brothers, once they go to school, will they be home often to help with the new restaurant?”
She didn’t answer right away. Again, he felt her stiffen beside him. “I’m not sure. And I don’t want them to lose focus of their educational goals. I’ll take my time. I don’t foresee opening for at least a year. Maybe even longer. As you said, the equipment needs alone will be quite expensive.”
He dropped the subject for now. They were almost at the diner.
“My brother and I had a rough start in school too. Too many parties, too many distractions. It’s good that they focus on school,” he added.
He heard her sharp intake of breath although she tried to mask it. “My brothers are good boys. They have had their scrapes and have done things, like I’m sure most boys have done, but they’ll achieve their dreams too. They have some friends I don’t particularly care for like Justin, but again they need to learn that for themselves. That’s why it is important for me to achieve mine, set the example so to speak.”
Justin? Who was that? “I wasn’t criticizing, Jewel. Just making conversation. You know I work at the youth center, and you also know, I’m sure, too many of our young people commit errors, youthful blunders,” he enunciated the last words, to drive his point home, “that have cost them their futures. Your bothers are nearly eighteen, and again, I’m not trying to insinuate anything, just sharing some wisdom from a man who has seen a lot and lived it.”
He saw Jewel was still upset at what she perceived to be a slight. She obviously wasn’t happy with their turn in their conversation, but she began to relax with his words. But he wondered at her over-reaction and defensiveness. Guilt perhaps?
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take it personally. It’s just I have had three years of people giving me their advice where my brothers are concerned. But I’m sorry.” She let out a frustrated sigh, then added, “I know it’s because you care.”
He cleared his throat. But her words were true. He did care. About her. Them. But with the things going on at the casino, and the things he was seeing with his own eyes—her brother’s actions, well, things weren’t adding up and it was scaring the hell out of him. And he wondered what she meant about friends they shouldn’t be associating with. He’d never heard her mention these concerns before. All of that weighed heavily on his mind, plus the fact that he had already misjudged a person whom he thought he loved. He just didn’t want to go down that road again. His trust issues ran too deep to do that again. “I do care. A lot.” His admission came after a long moment of silence as all those thoughts swirled in his mind.
Her sprinkle of laughter as he pulled into the Sea Shack Diner did wonders to lighten the mood. “I love this place,” she clapped her hands in delight and then made quick work of her seatbelt. The tiny shack served great seafood and also had amazing views of the Mystic River. It wasn’t fancy but the atmosphere was charming and rustic, very relaxed. And that was the mood he had been going for. He still was trying to ponder a way to bring up the rash of thefts that was going on at the Casinos. And he needed to ask her about the guy at the Mohegan’s. Was he the Justin she had just mentioned?