“What's wrong?”
“Cecelia didn’t do her job getting Harlow’s clothes, and now she has nothing,” Kai snaps, showing him the contents of my suitcase while I stew in my anger. Now I’m glad she’s losing all her access to the house and companies.
“I don't get it. Does she really think she’s so safe in her position that this won't impact her job position if I tell Dad?”
Kai’s brow is creased in thought as he tries to puzzle it out. “Do you think that maybe she actually has something on Dad?”
“What, like blackmail?” Jaxon’s frowning now too, but he doesn’t look like he’s understanding this any better than us.
“Yeah. I mean, she gets away with a lot. Some of the things she does, there’s no way Dad would allow anyone else to get away with. And we know he’s not sleeping with her, so it can’t be because of that,” Kai muses. My heart starts to race in worry. Is Dad being scammed? What could she possibly be holding over his head?
“Fuck, you may be right. I think we need to ask Declan’s PI to look into Cecelia’s background a little more,” Jaxon suggests, and Kai snorts.
“No, I think Declan's PI is as dodgy as fuck too. He’s been waiting on that information about—” He breaks off and looks at me guiltily, but I roll my eyes.
“Look, I don't doubt he had me investigated. I would be disappointed if he hadn't. But he mustn't have done a very good job because Declan didn't know about me being a vet either,” I tell them, waving off the guilt.
“That’s the thing... The PI never got back to him about you at all. He’s been stalling, but we don’t know why. It’s time for Declan to find us a new PI, I think. Thomas has some leeway to check people out with his connections, but he can’t abuse that.” Kai leans forward, resting his arms on his legs. “I’ll call him as soon as we land.”
“And I’ll take you shopping to find some proper clothes.” Jaxon closes the case and puts it to the side. “I'm good at shopping for women.” A frown crosses my face, and Kai groans.
“Dude, really?”
“Because of Jacinta is what I mean! She used to make me go shopping with her all the time.” The jealousy I felt at his words eases away. Of course he would be with Jacinta. The idea of him trudging along after her, carrying piles of bags, is actually kind of adorable. I don’t mind him standing by his sister when he’s not supporting her in trying to label me a gold digger.
“Okay so how about this—It will be dinner time by the time we get to Oahu. How about I book us dinner somewhere and then we can go shopping afterward? The stores are open later in the evening, and we should be able to get you at least the essentials if not everything you need,” Kai suggests, pulling out his phone and scrolling for some ideas. I look down at my outfit.
“Can we make it somewhere casual? I’m not dressed for anything fancy, nor do I have anything to get changed into,” I grumble, still pissed at that bitch.
“Of course, I know this cool little beachfront café that has amazing food. We’ll go there.”
That sounds good enough to me, so I nod in agreement before stretching my arms above my head and letting out the yawn I’ve been fighting.“Harlow, you look tired, and we’re still a couple hours away. Why don't you have a nap? ” Jaxon points in the direction of the back of the plane. “There’s a bathroom back there if you need it, and those seats recline flat.” He points at the seats opposite the sofa. “There are blankets, pillows, and other things up here.” He stands up and opens the cubby storage above the seats then pulls out a laptop bag.
“I’ve got some work I need to do. I’m scouting some new locations for clubs so we can expand our network. We don't have much in Europe, and there’s a rundown resort on one of the Greek Islands that we’re looking at buying.” He opens the bag and pulls out his laptop, putting it down on the table in front of the sofa. “There’s also a cruise line that we’re looking at to expand the Neighpalm brand.”
The draw of a nap is almost too alluring, but the idea of getting to know more about the two of them gives me a jolt of energy that keeps me in my seat. “That's exciting. Are you guys always looking to expand your businesses? What about you, Kai?”
“Well, we’re actually looking at purchasing an ice hockey team. The team is in a bad way financially, so they’re looking for a buyer. I love ice hockey, and it would be a great way to broaden our investments. The energy drink side of the business practically runs itself, so I don’t have much to do with that on a daily basis. I have a great team who deals with manufacture and distribution, and I have another that deals with the extreme sports side of it. With all of that help, I’m not kept as busy as all of my brothers, so I’m looking for more of a challenge.”
“Hockey?” I bounce on my chair in excitement. “Oh, which team? I love hockey.”
“The Colorado Grizzlies.” He gives me a little side eye, probably thinking that won’t mean anything to me.
I wince when he tells me. “Oh yeah, they're having adismalseason. They really need some new blood, and from what I heard their coach is an asshole and a drunk, not to mention those rumors regarding the owner's son.”
I wink, completely delighted by the look of total surprise on Kai’s face. “Chuck and Melinda had me on skates and horses almost as soon as I could walk. They were huge fans of keeping little girls busy and giving us the chance to develop some active habits at a young age. I won’t claim to be as big of an adrenaline junkie as you, but I definitely grew up loving that feeling of flying down the ice or on the back of a horse. I haven’t had a chance to get back on the ice much since I was so busy with school, but I’d love to get out there again.”
Kai’s eyes light up with excitement. “That’s awesome! We’ll have to hit the ice when we get back for a little one on one.”
That does sound like fun, but I’m hit with another yawn and decide it’s time to take the opportunity to nap. Standing up, I stretch again before reaching for the blankets and pillow that Jaxon pointed out. I can feel their eyes on me, and when I turn around, both of them are staring at my ass. They both jump when I clear my throat, sheepish grins on their faces as they realize they’ve been caught.
“Can you pass me the other laptop bag?” Kai asks, running his hand through his hair, a cheeky grin on his face. His request means I have to turn around and stretch up again to reach it, but I’m sure that’s atotalcoincidence. Despite the roll of my eyes the moment I turn around, I’m smiling.
“Don't think I don't know what you’re doing,” I growl playfully, and they both chuckle. Passing him the bag, I take a seat on the chair and Kai shows me which button to press so it lays out. It’s surprisingly comfy, and I put a pillow under my head while he throws a blanket over my body.
As my eyes close, he leans in and gives me a kiss on my cheek, bringing a smile to my lips.
“Next time tell my brothers to let you sleep in a little longer instead of waking you up so early,” Kai whispers in my ear before brushing my hair back and returning to his chair. I crack an eye open and find he’s watching me. When he sees me look, he winks and grins before looking back down at his laptop.
