Vince laughs. “On the contrary. From the looks of it, he’s living large.”
And he just happened to send you of all people a postcard. Bullshit. But I’ll play along.
“What does he mean by ‘good luck’?” I ask, turning to Vince.
Vince narrows his gaze. “He’s concerned because of who paid his debt to me.”
“And who was that?”
“Look, I’m only telling you this because I can tell you aren’t letting it go. My brother Lawrence paid with the promise Joseph never returns.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Lawrence Gardiner, as in Joseph’s ex-father-in-law?”
Vince leans back and crosses his arms. “That’s the one.”
“He hates Joseph.”
Vince holds up his hands. “You don’t have to tell me, I’m fully aware. But he hates what Joseph has done to his daughter even more.”
“He just paid you off?”
Vince leans forward. “Listen to me carefully. Lawrence paid Joseph’s debts. He didn’t pay me and he’s not aware of my involvement and I’d like to keep it that way.”
I laugh. “Are you asking me to keep family secrets, Vince?”
Vince stands up and walks around the desk. “No. I’m not asking.”
It takes all I have not to laugh. I know Vince thinks he comes across like a scary guy, but what he doesn’t realize is I’ve seen much worse. But I keep my expression serious. The last thing I want to do is piss him off. I still don’t fully trust him when it comes to Lucy.
“And Lawrence is fine with Joseph living large on some island?”
Vince smiles and shrugs. “At least now he knows he can’t hurt her anymore. That’s what Lawrence does, he sends his problems away.”
Yes, I know all too well. Well, shit. Maybe he really did send Joseph away.
“Enough about Joseph. Back to Lucy. Why did you use her to try to get your money back?”
“I didn’t.”
Anger boils inside me at his denial. “You punched Joseph so he could pray on Lucy’s sympathy.”
“I told you it wasn’t about money—that was about mending her relationship with her father.”
“I don’t buy that.”
“Look, you don’t have to believe me.”
“I’m with Lucy now,” at least, I’m hoping she’ll take me back, “and as far as I’m concerned, you have no reason to be around her.”
He chuckles. “I think you’re forgetting that she’s living in my apartment, and I’m family.”
“For now,” I say.
Without another word, I walk out of his office and don’t stop until I get to my car.
I’ll be happy if I never see that man again, but I know when I move up here, it will be inevitable. He’s just like Lucy’s father—he has a finger in everything.
I check the time as I pull out of the lot. Just one more meeting, and then I can go see my Lucy. My Lucy. I’m getting ahead of myself. First, I have to convince her to give us a chance. That’s something I’ve been working on all month. When she began texting me back with memories of her own, I was the happiest man.
