The Cocky Thief (Stolen Hearts #1)(10)
For his part, the lawyer didn’t play the “poor me and my blue balls” act. “I guess we each have pressing matters to attend to.”
“Meet you downstairs in ten, dear?” asked Isobel.
Jennifer tried to remain cool, but having her mom catch her flirting with the lawyer caused a blush to creep up her cheeks. “I’ll see you in ten.”
“Duty calls?” asked Austin.
She stepped away from the door. “Yep. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
“Maybe I can even make you blush again,” said Austin right before he shut the door.
She couldn’t help the smile as she retreated back to her own room and gently closed the door. Now was not the time for this, damn it. Still, she smiled the entire time as she changed out of her skirt and blouse and into her boot-cut jeans, loose-fitting silk tank top that was the same gray as her eyes, and some black boots with a low, thick heel. If she was walking on grass, she didn’t want to put holes in the perfectly manicured lawn.
After she put her hair in a high ponytail and refreshed her makeup, she made her way back to the hallway. Austin’s door was still shut, but she wasn’t going there. Instead, she went to her sister’s room and knocked on the fancy oak. Every single door in this place probably cost thousands of dollars. Every detail in this place seemed to go the extra mile. Jennifer couldn’t think of a more beautiful place to get married. Except she wasn’t feeling any warm fuzzies at the moment.
Mel opened the door a few seconds later. Mel had already been in jeans and tennis shoes, so she hadn’t had to change like Jennifer. Ugh, what she’d give to introduce her sister to a good under-eye concealer.
“Mom wanted to meet us downstairs. Want to walk together?”
“Yeah. Let me just grab my phone.”
Jennifer took the chance to take a look around Mel’s room. It was pretty much the same as hers. Different comforter and no four posters on the bed, but same size and each room had a great view of the vineyard outside.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
For a few seconds, they walked in silence. Jennifer really wished the words came faster while she was with her sister than they did when she was flirting with the sexy lawyer. Why had she ever let Mel push her away like this? “So...” she finally started. “No more Ben, then?” Might as well jump right into the deep end. Her sister knew her better than anyone already.
Mel rubbed at the back of her neck. “Yeah...he was good in theory.”
“Most guys are.” Except Austin. He seemed to be good in practice as well. Though she doubted saying that would help Mel.
Mel pushed a piece of dark auburn hair behind her ear. “Looking back, I feel so stupid. There were so many signs—”
“You should never feel stupid.” Jennifer stopped and looked her sister right in the eyes. “And if he was enough of an ass to make you feel that way, obviously he’s the one with the problems.”
“Nice words, but you don’t know anything about the situation.”
“Yeah, but we can talk about it. And the more I understand, the more certain I’ll be that he’s a moron. Because you’re one of the smartest people I know and anyone who makes you feel this way deserves to be punished. Understand?”
The corners of Mel’s mouth hooked up and for the first time since she crawled into that limo, Jennifer thought the smile was genuine. Good. Maybe this whole week would be worth it, no matter what Isobel had planned.
When they reached the lower level entryway, Isobel was waiting for them. Once again she seemed overjoyed and led them out the backdoor and to the vineyards, sprouting out random facts about the property. “The house is a perfect example of nineteenth-century architecture. Gregory has gone through painstaking trouble to keep every detail maintained, or at least in line with how it was originally intended to be viewed.
“This house was completed in 1884. There are twenty bedrooms and I swear, each piece of stained glass is its own piece of art.”
By now they were outside and Jennifer could fully take in the gray stonework and the dark-brown details of the windows and peaked roofs that really made the house come alive. It truly was a piece of art, but she knew her mother had an ulterior motive for being the walking tour guide. Once they were far enough from the house, Jennifer stopped. “Okay, Mom. We’re clear of anyone listening in. Want to tell me what we’re really doing here?”
Mel seemed taken aback. “We’re here for a wedding, right?”
Isobel got a glint in her eye that Jennifer was all too familiar with.
Mel must’ve recognized it too because she stepped back and shook her head. “Oh no. I thought we were here for an innocent, happy occasion.”
Isobel clapped her hands together and rubbed them in anticipation. “I’ve been setting this up for months and soon we’re going to walk away with the biggest payday of our lives. Get ready, girls. Our work is just getting started.”
“Okay, Hart.” Austin walked through the rows and rows of grapevines. “I’m here and I’m clear. It’s time to tell me the game plan because I’m not doing one more thing for you until I hear the whole story.”
“No one suspected anything?” said Hart without even a “Hello, Austin. Good job!”
“Since I’m not currently serving as grape fertilizer, we can be reasonably certain I’ve passed the preliminary round of tests. But this place is crawling with staff, some of whom are packing Glocks, so I need to know exactly what I’m getting myself into.”