The Lies I Told(52)

He crossed his legs, brushed imaginary lint away. “I own an apartment building in that area. It’s not super popular.”

“Which makes it a good investment. Especially since you’ve also bought the Church Hill building for the next restaurant.”

“Assuming the bottom doesn’t fall out of the real estate market,” he said, smiling.

I wasn’t stupid. I’d been in love with Jack, but I wasn’t blind to what he did. In high school he’d dealt drugs, and later he had become a serious dealer. When he finally got caught, he was over eighteen, so his juvenile record couldn’t be held against him. But he’d still done three years in state prison. Once out, he was up on his feet very quickly. There’d been no whiff of trouble, but that kind of swift recovery was rarely legal.

“There’s always risk, but you’ve never been afraid of that. And you’ve always had a head for numbers,” I said.

He grinned. “I do.”

“I can broker this deal, but I’ll warn you my rates have gone up.” Risk required higher fees, and I never apologized for being good or ruthless when it came to work.

“I don’t want cheap. I want the best. Plus, I don’t see this as my only deal, and I’d like to work with someone I know and trust.”

“You trust me?”

His gaze settled on mine. There were no hints of humor. All business. “We’ve had our ups and downs. Most of the downs were my fault. But you handled the last sale well.”

“I don’t trade in illegal deals.” It had to be said at least once, out loud.

His expression would’ve given a choir boy a run for his money. “This is a straight-up real estate transaction.”

It wasn’t. But again, it all had to be spoken for the record, just in case.

“What property do you have in mind?” he asked.

“It’s the building next to Marisa’s. Since you own her building, it makes sense to acquire the one next door.”

“And the tenants?” he asked.

“You can raise the rent or renovate and turn it into condos. Either way, you make money.”

“How many tenants are in the building?”

“Fifteen. Like Marisa’s building, the units are super large and can be broken up into more apartments or condos or office suites.”

“I don’t have to wait out their leases?” Jack asked.

“I wouldn’t have suggested the property if I thought that would be a problem. The job of breaking leases is mine.”

“Okay. Send me the paperwork for the apartment building, and I’ll look at it.”

“Do you have the same plans for Marisa’s building?” I asked.

“For now, I’m keeping it as is.”

“I’d think you’d want to convert both at the same time. More efficient.”

“No, for now Marisa’s building stays as is.”

“Okay.”

Business settled, he relaxed back in his chair. “Speaking of Marisa, how’s she doing? She looks good.”

“She’s getting stronger every day. She was always the toughest of our lot.”

“What about her memory?”

“Other than the missing days, fine.”

“Still no idea how she had the car accident?”

“I think she had a slip,” I said. “She says she wasn’t using, but I don’t believe her. Even a little can make her paranoid. The problem is she’ll never be totally well until she admits her mistakes.”

“Good luck with that. She never acknowledges it when she’s wrong.”

“I’m not pressing. She’s still fragile.” Marisa had insisted on going to the doctor alone today, and I hadn’t liked the idea at all. She needed a second set of ears. But I knew my sister well enough to know direct assaults weren’t effective.

“You like her best this way, don’t you?” Jack asked.

“What way?”

“Fragile. You two always butted heads when she was firing on all cylinders.”

“That might’ve been true, but I want to see my sister healthy, whole, and thriving.”

“I remember how you fussed over her and Clare in high school. They were both sick a lot, and you were always coming to their rescue.”

“All the doctors said it was stress. They needed me.”

“You were their real mom.”

That was why I’d never been in a rush to have children. I’d already raised two. “I loved them both.”

He eyed me. “We all knew how obsessed you were with your sisters. Didn’t think you’d ever find the time for a man in your life. How’d you meet David?” Jack asked.

“In the hospital after Marisa’s accident.”

“An odd place to find love. But even flowers grow up through the rocks, right?”

Jack’s curiosity over David was puzzling. He wasn’t the jealous type, and he didn’t get that attached to anyone. “That’s what I say.”

“What’s David’s deal? What does he do for a living?”

It felt odd to be talking about my love life with an ex. But better than more endless talk of Jo-Jo and how much he loved her. “Stock trader. Lived in New York, came down here last year. Originally from California.”