Right. It wasn’t as if Drew and Jeff broke their asses working or anything. Not like she did, anyway, and not like most of the populace. As far as she could tell, they brewed as little beer as they could get away with, then used Bobbie as their only outlet for sales; most through her catering business, with the remainder being those two crates they sent along with her every week for Monsieur Provard.
If she paid off her brothers’ initial investment, which she could easily do now with the funds she’d been squirreling away for a new boat, they wouldn’t be due any more monthly checks, which would mean they would no longer be enjoying what she believed was the majority of their income.
Bobbie felt that she held all the cards right now, but she didn’t want to spook the pair who she now knew had bilked her out of the money Buck had paid. She needed to play things cool.
It was difficult, but Bobbie lowered her eyes and tried to look repentant. “I’m sorry, Drew. I…” She quickly thought up a plausible lie. “Buck came to see me this afternoon because when I did his brother’s wedding, I wouldn’t talk to him, and he said he had things that needed to be aired. I had all intentions of just sending him away today, but then he got an emergency call from the police about something being thrown in the river that might be alive. He needed to get his scuba gear on—that’s the business he and his brother are starting, a diving company—so I offered to drive him while he suited up. Which meant we never got a chance to talk, because he was so busy.”
Her brothers looked…relieved?
“Well, you aren’t to see him again,” Drew ordered harshly.
And…right. Seriously? Neither asshole bothered to ask what had been found in the river. That tracked for her selfish siblings.
Bobbie ignored that lapse and filled them in on future plans. Sort of.
“Ihaveto see him Sunday night, because he’s caring for a little puppy I’m adopting that he pulled from the river. Her name is Reyghan.”
No response of course, except twin looks of disbelief.
Bobbie filled the stunned silence. “And since I was unprepared for a dog and have to work all weekend…” She gave a weak smile, along with what she hoped looked like an apologetic shrug, “…he’s picking up supplies and keeping her until then.”
Like hell was she letting them know that she’d also be seeing Buck at the police station tomorrow.
“A dog? Are you fucking kidding me?” Jeff finally spat. “You can barely take care of yourself without our help. How do youfigure you’re going to make things work with a goddamned mutt?”
Yeah. Sure.Delusional much? Her brothers had never “taken care” of her in their entire lives, unless it was to screw her over.
Drew’s voice rose. “And what about your trips to Canada, huh?” he continued. “What are you going to do with the bitch, then?”
It wassohard not to yell back.
“I’ll take her with me.” Bobbie answered as evenly as she was able. “People have dogs on boats all the time. They get used to it, especially if you start them off as puppies. She’ll be no bother at all.”
Her brothers exchanged an odd look, but that wasn’t anything new. The two were always plotting one thing or another. She let it slide.
“You’ll have to ask Monsieur Provard if it’s okay,” Jeff put in.
“I’ve already thought of that,” Bobbie apprised. “If he doesn’t want her in his guest house with me, we’ll both sleep on the boat.”
Bobbie had had enough of this shit. “Listen. I need to get back to work, so if you’ll excuse me…”
Drew got up in her face again. “One final word of warning, and you’d better heed it. Your visit with Sothard on Sunday will be your absolute last one, understand?” he barked. “And you’ll make it fucking short.”
“Or?” Bobbie knew it was ballsy of her, but she couldn’t help prodding.
Drew reached forward and gripped her chin, hard. “Or things might get pretty ugly for youandhim around here. He wants to open a local business? Let’s see how that works out for him if he keeps trying to see you.”
Yeah.Nowtherewas an overt threat.
Too bad, so sad. They weren’t winning this one.
She’d not only be letting Buck know to watch out for the pair, she’d be filling his brother Mason in, as well as Chief Ildavorg. If her low IQ brothers thought that they could pull some nasty shit to drive a wedge between her and Buck, or scare him off again, they could kiss her ass. Now that she knew some of the double-dealing the pair had engaged in fifteen years ago, they wouldn’t be getting away with any such thing, this go-round.
Bobbie sucked in a breath and curbed the anger that wanted to spring to the surface. “I’ll… I’ll tell him Sunday night that I can’t see him again. I’ll say he’s not welcome anywhere near me.”
“Good. And make it believable,” Jeff snorted. “You can be such a fucking pushover sometimes.”
Oh really?
