“Heaven’s above,” I groaned, looking skyward. “What am I going to do with you?”
She laughed and I grinned.
“He’s a football player.Americanfootball,” I emphasized because, knowing Hallease, she’d mistake football for soccer. She was born and raised in Canada.
“Oh.”
“Anyway, he’s a big deal in this city.” I stepped back and pursed my lips. “I’m surprised I didn’t know Marjorie was his girlfriend, but she said they keep their relationship information off social media. They want to keep it private.”
Hallease smiled broadly. “Aww, that’s so sweet.”
“No. Please do not start that. This isn’t one of those romance novels you always read.”
“I just finished Tiffany Patterson’s book,Just Say The Word. Oh man, it was so good. She bases a lot of her books right here in Williamsport. You should—"
I held up my hand. “Focus, Hallease.”
“Work. Right.”
“Kelvin Maynard. I want you to poke around his social media accounts, check out the gossip blogs and sports articles. See what you can find.”
“Do you want a full background check?”
“Not yet, but we’ll get there.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “You sound confident. How do we know he’s even cheating?”
With a frown, I tilted my head to the side and pulled my phone out of my pocket. I scrolled to a screenshot I’d saved of Kelvin in my phone after my lunch with Marjorie.
I turned the screen toward Hallease. “He looks like this.”
Her eyes widened, and her lips parted. “Wow.”
I chuckled. Hallease always got like that upon seeing a pretty face. No doubt, Kelvin Maynard was a good-looking man with honey-brown skin, a thick beard, a built frame from years as a professional athlete, and an all-around confident demeanor evident even in photographs. The man screamed sex appeal.
“On top of his looks, he’s a millionaire, travels for work, and his face is plastered on billboards around the city and state,” I added. “He’s definitely unfaithful.”
I hadn’t said all of that to Marjorie, but she’d find out soon enough. Half of the men I investigated didn’t have nearly as much going for them as Kelvin, but still found a bevy of women to fall for their charm.
I stuffed my phone back into my pocket. “Let’s get on it.”
“I will,” she said, but she sounded dejected.
I snorted as I started for my office, which was down the hall from the main area. For someone who worked for a private investigative firm that mainly handled infidelity and relationship cases, Hallease still believed hard in love. After two years and numerous clients, you’d think she’d give it some reconsideration, but she was young.
The fear that one day Hallease might find herself at the wrong end of some cheating bastard reared its ugly head in my mind. I hated to even think of the pain she might be put through due to her belief in love.
I pushed out a breath as I entered my office and smiled, feeling welcomed. I had the same large glass desk as Hallease. Perched on top was my huge flatscreen monitor and behind the desk my black leather rolling chair.
My desk sat directly in front of a large bay window that let in the perfect amount of sunlight during the afternoon and early evening hours. My firm, Stephens Investigations LLC, resided on the bottom floor of a converted brownstone. I enjoyed looking out at street level when I needed a break during the day. The window faced the western part of the city, so when the sun was at its peak, it illuminated my entire space. It also gave a damn good view to watch the sunset on those nights when I remained in the office late.
On some evenings I found myself gazing at the orange, purple, and yellow streaks across the sky as the sun dipped low, darkening the sky. Though I rarely admitted it out loud to anyone, there were nights I watched the day turn into night and wished I had a partner to go home to.
Then I remembered my reality. Most men couldn’t be trusted with my heart. I pressed a palm to my chest and sighed as I turned my back on the window to face my desk. I pulled my rolling chair in closer to my desk. I worked for about thirty minutes, updated a few files before Hallease knocked on my door.
“I was so excited about the rice and plantains, I forgot to tell you that Corey called,” she said, barging through my door, breathless.
“Called? What did he say?"
