Page 53 of Pucking Rebound
“Your dad owns a restaurant?” I ask.
“A chain of them, as well as coffee shops.” Pausing for a beat she adds, “I own them now. Just please don’t ask me why I am working for the Eagles, because I can’t tell you that until the?—”
“End of the season, I know, you’ve said.” I finish her sentence.
Moving onto her back she stares at the ceiling while I park my ass on the floor and lean my side against the chaise.
“When my dad’s health declined, my world started to crumble. Then my dad had his second heart attack, and he was kept in for a week for observation and Graham showed up. It was surprising, but also nice, and I was grateful when he started visiting regularly. I actually loved it when he showed up by my dad’s bedside with snacks, and books written by my dad’s favorite author. He was… too good to be true.”
Nibbling on her bottom lip, she looks like she’s fighting the urge to continue.
“If it’s too painful, you don’t have to tell me, Lola.”
Rolling her head to the side, her eyes hit mine. “I want to.” She takes a minute to gather her thoughts. “Graham moved fast. Within a week, we were dating and he cast me under his Prince Charming spell. Within two weeks, he told me he loved me and said he was going to marry me because hejust knew.”
“Wow.” That’s fast, although I can see how that could be possible. Lola is fucking beautiful and I can see myself falling for her quite easily. Panic weaves its way around my throat, making my palms sweat because I can’t let myself think those spiraling thoughts.
Remember, Jordan, this is just a hook up for her. To help her forget her ex.
It’s foolish of me to think it’s anything more.
Her face falls. “I believed him.” She rolls her head back to center. “He stepped in to help run the restaurants and cafes with me when my father couldn’t, and every day he swept me off my feet with his good looks and romantic gestures that helped take my mind off Dad’s declining health. Not once did I question his intentions. I thought they were honorable.”
She’s going to fucking drop a bombshell soon. I can feel it.
“He once told me that he wanted to be a director of my father’s business. I had to explain to him that we would look at it once we were married in a few years, which caused him to have a mini breakdown. He blamed me for his nasty words and angry mood that made him punch a hole in the wall. He said I didn’t love him enough to want to marry him sooner.” Blinking faster, she adds, “He had this uncanny ability to make me feel like everything was my fault.”
The mood in my studio changes. I can feel her growing sadder, while anger crawls up my spine. If he so much as touched her, I will fucking end him.
Moving back onto her side, she lays her hand under her cheek. “He’s a master manipulator. I didn’t see it then but I see it now.”
“Please tell me what the fuck happened, Lola?” I’m one step away from having a cardiac arrest myself and have to loosen my tie that feels like it’s strangling me.
“He stole over one hundred thousand dollars from me. He’s been siphoning it away for months.” Tears run down her cheeks soaking into the fabric beneath her. “My father must be spinning in his grave, knowing how careless I’ve been. He was a savvy businessman and would never have agreed to let Graham become a director.”
Every cell in my body is thankful she had the foresight to shut Graham’s request down.
What a cunning fucker. “How did you find out?” I lay my hand on her cheek.
“From the bank statement I picked up from the mailman today when we were leaving my old apartment. When I called the bank they confirmed every transaction outlined on the paper statement was legitimate and had been made using my login details to transfer money to a Mr. James Kennedy.”
“James?”
“Graham is his middle name. Which I didn’t know either. I checked both his job application form when he applied to be a chef at one of our restaurants, and his employee record and they both say Graham. There is no mention of James.” She clears her throat. “Over the phone, the bank confirmed transfers from my account and into his from not just one, but three of my accounts.”
Motherfucker.
“In my head, I knew it was Graham, but my heart didn’t want to believe it.”
“But it’s true, right?” For her sake, I wish it wasn’t.
“Yeah.” She confirms with a nod. “There was nothing big or obvious but lots of smaller transfers made over the last year.It was all the evidence I needed for me to visit the police station and file a report against him.”
“You went to the police station alone?”
“Yeah,” she replies, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.
My blood turns cold. “I would have come with you. You should have called.”
