I froze. In a carefully neutral voice, I said, "You heard what?"
"That you're looking for another law firm."
Damn it.I didn't want him to know. Not yet. I tried for a casual shrug. "Where'd you hear that?"
"It's a small town. Word travels."
He was right about the town, and yet, I found his story hard to believe. It was true that I'd been seeking out other law firms, but I'd purposely avoided talking to anyone within a hundred miles of here.
I said, "I don't care what you heard. Is that it? Are we done?"
"No. Not by a long shot. I also heard you're looking for a job."
I sighed. Now, this Icouldblame on the size of the town. I'd been applying all over the place, with no luck. When it came to potential employers, everyone was oh-so-nice, but every single one of them had fallen into one of two categories – those who thought I was looking for kicks, and those who thought I was looking to do unpaid charity work.
Either way, it wasn't helping me pay my billsorto complete my art history degree. It was all so incredibly frustrating. I'd been just a few semesters away from graduating when I'd been derailed by a sudden lack of funds, along with the need to keep a better eye on the estate.
So, of course, I was looking for a job. What elsecouldI do? I gave Derek an annoyed look. "So?"
"So I’m here to offer you one."
I crossed my arms. "Oh yeah? Where?"
"At the law firm. You could clerk or something."
I wasn't stupid. I saw the job offer for what it was – just another way to keep me under their control. I gave him a thin smile. "Don't you need a law background for that?"
"Normally. But you're practically family. We'd work it out."
I felt my jaw clench. "Let's get one thing straight," I said. "You're nothing like family."
In hindsight, it was hilarious to think that I'd once felt otherwise. Until just a few months ago, Derek had been like the brother I never had. Now, he was a thorn in my side that kept coming back, no matter how many times I plucked it out.
"Oh come on," Derek said. "Don't be like that. Wearelike family." He gave me a hopeful smile. "We've always been, right?"
"Oh, sure." My tone grew sarcastic. "Just like Aunt Vivian is family."
His smile disappeared. "What's that supposed to mean?"
But from the look on his face, he knew exactly what it meant. Aunt Vivian was married to my dad's brother. And just like Derek, she took a keen interest in my affairs. But whereshewas content with merely swiping my stuff, Derek seemed determined to ruin my life – and, the way it looked, steal a lot more than a few wine glasses.
When it came to estate-management, he and his dad were either crooked beyond belief or incredibly incompetent. Either way, they weren't doing me any favors.
"Look," I said, "I don't know what you mean to accomplish with these little visits, but let me tell you again. I willneverforgive you for what you did."
He practically groaned, "But I’mtryingto make it up to you."
"By what?" I snapped. "Looking to get Joel arrested?"
He tensed. "What do you mean?"
His reaction only confirmed what I'd heard through the grapevine. "Oh, just stop it," I said. "Like you said, it's a small town, so don't pretend that you care one bit about me, when you're going after him anyway."
Just thinking about it, I wanted to scream. On that godawful day, I'd done everything they asked. And for what? I hadn't saved anyone – not meorJoel.
Derek stood there for a long silent moment before looking down to mumble, "Well, if he's doing something illegal, it's notmyfault."
"Oh yeah? Well, he wouldn'tbefighting anymore if you hadn't interfered." I was shaking now with long-suppressed rage. "How could you?"
