Until We Touch (Fool's Gold #15)(34)

“Mayor Marsha, like God, moves in mysterious ways.”

“She’s a scary old broad.”

“Tell me about it.” She cupped the wineglass in her hands. “What else?”

“That kid.”

“Percy? He seems nice. Considering what he’s been through, he could be dealing drugs right now. He wants to do the right thing. I find that admirable.”

“He never graduated from high school.”

She smiled. “You say that as if you’re surprised. Larissa’s projects are rarely easy. So you’ll help him get his GED. Talk to Sam and Kenny. They’ll be on board with it.”

“He can’t read. He doesn’t want Larissa to know.”

Taryn’s carefully groomed eyebrows rose. “Seriously?” She held up her free hand. “Don’t answer. Okay—the lack of reading skills adds a challenge, but not an insurmountable one. Sam and Kenny will still help.”

She stretched out her feet until her arches rested on the side of his thigh. “None of this is the problem.”

“It isn’t?”

“No. The town is sucking you in and you don’t want to get involved.”

She was right about that part of it, although the bigger issue was Larissa.

“You think you’re so smart,” he said by way of distraction.

“I am smart.” She poked him with her toes. “You know I’m right. Jack, you and Sam and Kenny were the ones who wanted to move here. Getting involved is a consequence of that. Just surrender to the mob and learn to like it. You’ll be happier if you let them in.”

“I don’t need them in my life.”

“You need some of them. Despite what you want us all to think, you do need people in your life.”

“Maybe,” he conceded.

“More than maybe.”

He didn’t bother answering. They both knew that she was right.

* * *

JACK DIDN’T SLEEP much that night or the next. He couldn’t say exactly what was on his mind, but whatever the topic, it wasn’t restful. Everyone knew that when he didn’t get enough sleep, he got grumpy. So he did his best to avoid everyone in the office.

Which was why he went into the lunchroom at eleven-thirty—before the rest of the staff would descend. He pulled out a soda and swallowed half of it in a single gulp, then wondered what to do with the rest of his day.

The problem was they weren’t looking for clients and that was what he did best. He liked the thrill of the chase. The initial meetings, the presentations that blew away their expectations, the satisfaction of watching them sign on the dotted line. Only, he and Kenny were so good at their jobs that Score was at capacity. Taryn had hired an extra graphics person and was currently torturing three interns from Cal U Fool’s Gold in addition to all the permanent staff. Sam was busy with whatever it was he did with the financial stuff. Kenny didn’t mind not hunting down clients for a few weeks. Only Jack seemed to notice there was nothing to do.

He returned to his office and checked his email. Nothing had appeared in the past ten minutes. He could work out, except he already had. He’d also checked on Percy, read the sports section of two papers and had played computer games for the better part of an hour. Talk about sad.

Maybe he could work on plays, he thought. Design a few new ones, write down some favorites. Just in case Cal U Fool’s Gold ever added football back to their sports program.

He searched for a big pad of unlined paper. There were always several around the office. When he didn’t see one in his office, he headed for Sam’s.

Just to pass the time, he took the long way, by the locker rooms and around back. Which put him near Larissa’s massage room. His steps slowed.

The door was closed, which meant she was busy with someone. As Jack had just seen Taryn a few minutes before, he knew it had to be Kenny or Sam. Because she worked on both of them. It was her job.

As he approached the door, he heard gentle laughter. Larissa’s laugh, he thought, coming to a stop. That was followed by a male voice. A low male voice he recognized. Kenny’s words were a quiet rumble. He couldn’t catch exactly what his business partner was saying but it wasn’t hard to figure out where the conversation was going. Kenny was coming on to her. Right now he was probably picking her up in his big beefy hands and pulling her against him as he—

Jack grabbed the door handle and turned. He swept into the room, prepared to do battle. Although he couldn’t say for what.

But instead of a lover’s tryst, he found Kenny lying facedown. Larissa was standing by his feet, digging her fingers into Kenny’s calf muscles. They both turned to look at him.

“Oh, sorry,” he said, feeling like a prize idiot. “I, ah, didn’t know you were with someone.”

Larissa drew her eyebrows together. “The door was closed.”

“Was it?” Jack tried to smile and had a feeling it didn’t go well. “Sorry. I’ll catch you later.”

He started to leave, then turned back to Kenny. “We need to talk about the kid. Later, maybe.”

“Sure,” his friend said, relaxing back on the massage table. “You know how to find me. Obviously.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

“WHAT THE HELL is wrong with you?” Kenny demanded an hour later as he stood in the doorway to Jack’s office. The question was asked in a friendlier tone than Jack deserved and with only mild interest.