Close Cover (Masters and Mercenaries #16)(71)

“I was almost certain she wasn’t a real lesbian,” Zep explained. “Camilla, not Dawn. Dawn wore a wallet on a chain. I was pretty sure about her, but Camilla was on the fence.”

“She wasn’t on the fence. They had a lovely wedding.” Jean-Claude shook his head.

“And then I had a lovely portion of their honeymoon. It’s not my fault Dawn’s a long-haul trucker and she needed to get some TVs to a Walmart in Reno.” Nothing was ever his brother’s fault. Zep just fell into bed with women. “And I’m glad you’re home because maybe you can talk to Armie about his deputy.”

“Old Paul?” He’d been around for twenty years.

“Nah, he retired. Armie hired someone from a SWAT team in the city,” Jean-Claude explained. “Pretty thing. You would never guess she was a sniper in the military. Or that she would have terrible taste in one-night stands.”

Zep’s eyes went wide and innocent. “Or that she could hold such a mean grudge.”

Remy held a hand up. “Nope. Your dick is on its own.”

Zep leaned in. “Damn it, Remy. She’s mean. She follows me around and punishes me for every tiny infraction.”

“Translation, he speeds a lot. And parks wherever he wants to. And is often drunk in public. Armie gets lazy, but Deputy Roxie takes a hard line on all things.” Jean-Claude shook his head. “You’ve got your hands full with that one. She’s very interested in building codes and making sure everyone follows the rules at all times. I have no idea what Armie was thinking.”

Armie had probably been thinking that bringing in a woman who didn’t have ties to every single person in the community would make life easier on him. More than once he’d caught Armie trying to arrest his momma for her con games only to find her yelling that he couldn’t arrest her because she’d changed his smelly pants when he was a baby.

“You’re on your own with the deputy.” He sat back, already falling into the old rhythms. The bar didn’t open until noon. The bait shop opened at seven, but no one ever actually went down there until the bell rang letting them know someone was waiting. It made for some nice lazy mornings. “Either of you know what’s up with Josette? We’ve been happily divorced for years and suddenly she’s interested in talking again? What happened to the horny professor?”

“The horny professor also turned out to be the married professor,” Zep replied between bites of his chocolate donut.

“And wasn’t Josie surprised when he wouldn’t leave his wealthy wife for her,” Jean-Claude finished. “She tried for about a year after your divorce came through. Apparently a quarter of a wharf wasn’t enough to entice him away from his wife.”

“And that has what to do with me?” He’d been shocked when she’d called, but let it go. The fact that she seemed to be trying to get him alone didn’t make a lick of sense. They’d said everything they needed to. And then, of course, Lisa had a few rough words for his former bride. Most of them four-letter words, but she’d been creative, too. “I haven’t seen Josie since I left town.”

Zep shrugged. “I heard she had a rough time the last few years.”

Remy didn’t understand. “How could it have been all that hard? She walked away from me with two hundred thousand dollars in her pocket. I had to spend most of my cash paying off her bills. By the time I was done, I had next to nothing.”

“I don’t know what happened from when she left town to coming back last year, but she’s living out at her daddy’s.” Jean-Claude leaned back, looking thoughtful. “She wouldn’t do that if she still had enough money for a motel. That girl fell on hard times. I guess when you’re hurting, it’s easy to go back to what you know. She wasn’t counting on you finding a new love. Or that she would be so very forceful about your monogamy.”

Zep laughed. “I hope someone got that on tape. I’m going to hit the head. Be right back. And I’m a little short of cash, brother. I thought I’d take a couple of shifts this week.”

He disappeared into the back of the bar.

Remy groaned. “He spends all his time flirting with whoever’s in front of him. Trying to get any work out of him is completely impossible.”

“He’s better than he was.” Jean-Claude shifted in his chair as though trying to fortify himself for what was to come. “I’m sorry I pushed you the way I did. I’m sorry I blackmailed you.”

“Why did you?” It had been plaguing him since Jean-Claude had reached out months ago with his demands. They’d been friends as well as family once.

“I have to get out of here.” Jean-Claude stared out the big bay windows. “You know I never wanted this place. I did it because I didn’t know anything else. The truth of the matter is I’ve been a terrible cousin to you. I could have bought out exactly what you needed to pay off Josette, but I forced you to sell me the whole thing or nothing. It was out of spite, and I hate myself for making you make that decision. I was jealous and mean spirited and I need to be more. I’m thirty-four years old and I’ve been waiting all my life for one woman to wake up and realize I was always the man for her. I can’t be here with her back in town. I can’t spend one more minute of my life pining over what I can’t have.”