The car door groans loudly when I open it, and I do my silent please-don’t-die prayer to the Corolla gods.
“Hey, Bree,” Jerry says as the screen door slams behind him and he lights up a cigarette. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”
“My sister’s engagement party,” I say, getting in.
Aunt Dolores, who can’t stand Jerry and all his bass playing, scowls at him. “You should get a longer bathrobe, Jerry. You don’t have the legs to pull off that shorty robe.”
Jerry laughs and shakes his head, obviously believing she’s flirting when really, she’s dead serious.
I slam the door to the car and start up the engine. “That wasn’t very nice.”
“Well, it’s not very nice of him to wear that stupid shorty robe. For God’s sake, does that man have no sense of shame?”
“Yeah,” Isabelle pipes up from the backseat. “For God’s sake, he should get a long robe.”
I cringe and give Aunt Dolores a sharp glare, then a matching one for Isabelle in the rearview mirror. “Watch your language, Isabelle.”
“God’s not a swear,” Isabelle says.
“When you use it before the word sake it is,” I say, as if that makes any sense at all.
Unrolling the windows, I let the hot breeze in so as to push out the stiflingly hot air in the car. First purchase when I’m a lawyer—a new car with air conditioning that works.
CHAPTER 3
The Ghost of Christmas No Future
Leopold
I must say, that call from my mum has really lowered the fun factor this morning. I’m out here snorkelling in the warm Caribbean Sea, but I’m not enjoying it nearly as much as I should be. Her warning keeps popping into my mind.Your father has sent someone. Do exactly what he says.
Those haunting words have an unfamiliar feeling brewing in my gut. I’m guessing it’s worry based on what I’ve heard from other people who experience it. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t like it one bit. It tags along, no matter how far I swim away from shore.
I know! Booze!
Booze will definitely help rid me of this feeling. Turning back toward shore, I flip quickly through the water until my knees scrape the sand below me. Then I stand and walk, lifting my knees high in the air while I hold my arms out wide to the side to help me balance.
Oh, shit. The visitor has arrived. Turns out it’s Seth Hughes, my father’s lawyer, and an unidentified woman. Seth, a short, bespectacled man in his sixties and my dad’s favourite henchman, is wearing his usual barrister uniform—black suit, white shirt, plain blue tie, patent leather shoes. He looks completely out of place on the beach and is clearly uncomfortably hot based on his red cheeks.
His companion appears to be in her mid-fifties, is wearing a short-sleeved button-down shirt adorned with enormous flowers of various colours over a pair of khaki crop pants. Her hair is stuffed into a dark-blue ball cap, and she’s got aviators on, making it difficult to gauge her mood.
Pasting a grin on my face, I tug off the mask and wave, calling, “Hi Seth! Welcome to Fantasy Island!”
He says nothing, leaving his poker face in place while I splash my way toward them. Even from here, I can feel the level of disgust for me he brings everywhere.
I smile at the woman. “I’m Leo. I was just about to make a pitcher of margaritas. Who’s up for a little refreshment?”
Seth dabs at his forehead with a tissue. “This is not a social call, as I’m sure you’ve guessed.”
“I did, but there’s no reason we can’t mix a little pleasure with our business, is there?” I wink at the woman, hoping the old Leopold charm will help lighten things up some. But nothing. She just continues to stare. Gesturing toward the woman with one hand, Seth says. “This is Ms. Jolene Fita. She’s the private investigator who will be keeping an eye on you during your exile.”
What now?
Right before my eyes, I can see all my lovely little loopholes closing up and disappearing. Before I can say anything, Seth holds up his briefcase. “We’ll be in the kitchen. Join us as soon as you’re dressed.”
***
I sit at Pierce’s dining table with Seth, Jolene, and Pierce, all of whom are sipping tea while I skim the contract in front of me. My head is spinning with words like “refrain from sexual contact, alcohol, recreational drugs” and “must find gainful employment and hold a paying position for a minimum of six months. Must not quit, get fired, or change jobs during that time.”
