Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
SWIPED, BOOSTED, YOINKED
Jett
Ihave dubbed Lennon my official distraction.
If I wanted to peel those layers back and really look at myself in the mirror, I’d call her an obsession.
Even though standing with Lennon in the kitchen while devouring my basic-as-fuck dinner only intensified any and all thoughts about the woman. Her cagey and evasive comments didn’t help.
And since my distraction is ruling my mind and body, I know she stayed at the manor last night. I saw her coming out of the locker rooms this morning wearing a fresh outfit. Her eyes weren’t swollen, and she didn’t look like she’d been put through the ringer.
In fact, she looked as bright as the winter sun shining across the lake and mountains.
Since there was no way for me to watch her without unwanted attention from the staff of the manor, I walked the property for over an hour, had breakfast with Harlow, went to town to visit the animals, and had lunch with Dean at the Combover.
When he wouldn’t stop talking about letting me off the hook for car theft, I decided I’d had enough.
Through it all, I’ve lamented on my current fixation far too long. I have more questions than answers, and I don’t fucking like it. I need more information about Lennon Shaw, and she’s clearly not going to hand it over willingly.
I knock on the ancient wooden door that’s standing a few inches open. A voice comes from the other side. “Come in.”
I push it open the rest of the way. My brother-in-law-to-be sits at his desk working on his laptop. “Hey. Do you have a second?”
He looks up at me and lifts his chin. “Always.”
He’s alone, which is an oddity. Since I got here, Devon is with Harlow, taking care of Harlow, or making sure Harlow isn’t overdoing it after handing over one of her kidneys to me. “Where’s your fiancée?”
Devon leans back in his chair as I take a seat across from his desk. “I’ll tell you where she’d better not be, and that’s on the tennis court or hiking her way up a mountain. I don’t care what the doctor says she can do, it seems too early for any of that. How are you?”
“Better than ever. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so bored I could poke my eyes out just for fun, but other than that, I’m good. And I’ve been hiking, so I’m sure she can too.”
He shuts his laptop. “It couldn’t have worked out better. I can say that now that we’re on the other side and moving on with life. Our wedding will be at her grandma’s house amidst the construction, and Felicity is planning our wedding reception. By the way, you’re a groomsman. Save the date.”
I sit back in my chair and rest an ankle on my other knee. “When’s the big day?”
He shrugs. “As soon as possible. Keep your schedule open and don’t go far—not that your sister will let you anyway. Makes me a happy man to see Harlow like this. There’s no one more important to her than her family. She wants you here and is willing to do anything to make that happen.”
I hold my arms out low. “I’m here, aren’t I?”
“For now.” He picks up his Montblanc and starts to thread it in and out of his fingers. “She’s desperate to make that permanent. She’s even mentioned giving you a portion of her grandma’s land.”
I hike a brow. “Moving to Winslet and moving into your new backyard are two very different things. No offense, but that’s not going to happen.”
“Thank fuck.” He flips the pen, catches it, and smirks. “Now that we’ve got that taken care of, what can I do for you? Maybe I need to put you to work around here since you’re so bored you’re stealing cars.”
Devon is no nonsense and all business, exactly as he has been since the first time I met him.
He spent almost two decades as a secret agent for British Intelligence.
His career as an MI6 ended when he was burned and his identity made public.
The entire thing was so harrowing, he left the Motherland, moved to the States, and bought a run-down estate to make it into a five-star resort.
“I already have a job I hate, but thanks. I’m here because I want to know what you know about Lennon Shaw.”
He tosses the pen to the desk. It lands with a thud that reflects the new expression on his face that reminds me of stone. “Why?’’
“Why not?”
“Because she’s my employee and a damn good one. Something you might not know about me yet, I’m fiercely protective of the people who work their arses off for me. Lennon is one of my best. I don’t want anything to mess that up.”
I tip my head a fraction and motion between him and me.
“I know I’m standing up for you at your wedding, but you don’t know me well either.
I’m not going to fuck up anything. I was trying to do something nice and buy the woman new tires so she doesn’t slide off the side of a mountain when the snow and ice hit, but she freaked the fuck out on me. ”
“You hotwired her car and stole it,” he deadpans. “What did you expect her to do? Do they teach you to hotwire shit in the Army?
“Hardly. I taught myself how to do that on my grandma’s old car. The only thing to do when you’re in high school and live in the middle of nowhere is get drunk in cornfields and fuck around when you’re not drunk. I was the king of both.”
Devon leans forward. “Let’s get back to Lennon. Why are you asking and what do you want to know?”
“I’m curious what her backstory is.” I keep throwing that word around and even I know it’s more than that.
Devon sighs. “I hired Lennon at the height of my past colliding with Harlow’s present.
I had more drama than I could handle. There was no reason for me to dig into her past. Her resume was enough to win her an interview, so I gave her a chance.
She’s good at her job and exceeded expectations.
Aside from what everyone around here thinks, I do not use my resources with the CIA and British Intelligence to dig into every person I meet. ”
“You did on me,” I counter.
He doesn’t look the least bit apologetic. “That’s different. Everything is different when it comes to Harlow. You could’ve turned out to be a tosser. Thank fuck that didn’t happen. Though watching you steal cars on surveillance was an eye opener.”
I’m about to demand he drop the car thief shit, but my cell vibrates. “Hang on. I need to take this.” I press go on the call. “Hey, Clive. You about done with the car?”
Clive’s hollered laugh pierces my ear. “Fuck no. What do you think I am, Wally World? I’m a one-man shop operating on prayers and brewskies. But I am calling about your little project. Seems we’ve run into another speedbump.”
“At this point, I feel like you’re taking advantage of me,” I mutter.
“I’m not calling to add to your list of shit that needs to be fixed.
I’m calling about something else.” I can tell he’s in the garage from the echoing in the background and tools clanking around.
“I might be small potatoes, but that doesn’t mean I don’t do shit by the book.
My daughter came in to catch me up on computer work. That’s when we found it.”
“Found what?” I demand.
“It’s hot.”
“Hot?”
“Yeah. Swiped, boosted, yoinked.”
I roll my eyes. “When is everyone going to quit giving me shit for that? I’ll file this under no good deed goes unpunished and call it a day.”
“Not you. The car. It was reported stolen in Alabama a few months back. Wondered what you knew about that?”
I shift my gaze from Devon. “Excuse me?”
“Yepperoo. Looks like you’re not the first person to steal this junker.”
“That can’t be,” I mutter.
“Why not?” he bellows. “You’re not the only one good with his fingers, pretty boy.”
Fuck me.
“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” I say.
“Not sure what the point is on you trekking all the way to town from that fancy-ass manor. It’ll still be stolen. I’ve got to do my due diligence and call the Chief.”
“Don’t do that until I get there. There has to be a mistake.”
“Thieves ... takes one to know one.”
“Hold tight, Clive. I’ll get this figured out.” I hang up and turn back to Devon who’s frowning at me like I’m a freak show. “I’ve got to go. We can pick this up later.”
Devon spears me with a glare. “I don’t know what’s going on. I may not look like a ray of sunshine, but I’ll bend over backward to make sure my employees are happy. Do not rock my ship. Got it?”
I’m not about to tell Devon what Clive just shared. I’ve caused enough trouble for Lennon.
At least I won’t tell him until I get to the bottom of this.
A stolen car.
And, this time, not by me.
Lennon
And I thought yesterday was a day.
If something could go wrong on the hotel side of the manor, it has.
Two washing machines kicked the bucket at the same time. One created its own Winslet lake in the basement laundry room. That was fun.
One guest’s room is too hot.
Another one is too cold.
Another can’t sleep because their bed is too hard, regardless of the fact Devon did not skimp in this area.
I haven’t personally slept on one, but I did test one once.
They are plush and feel like a cloud. If I can ever dig myself out of the hellhole I’m living in and can afford one, I’ll consider myself accomplished in life.
Goldilocks looks like a happy bitch compared to our guests’ first-world problems today.
This doesn’t touch the kitchen issue that bleeds into my responsibilities. They have two people out sick. I’ve been delivering room service between cleaning up leaky washers and doing my best to make sure guests are comfortable ... or at least appeased.
Maybe the universe thinks I need a distraction. At least the day has flown by. It’s nearly the end of my shift, though there’s so much going on, I couldn’t go home even if I wanted to.
And home is the last place on earth I want to be right now.
Thank goodness for my radio. I haven’t had to power up my cell since I shut that sucker off yesterday.
I’m about to round the corner to the offices but stop in my tracks.
“Hey.”