“He seemed like a decent guy.”
“They all do—right before they stab you in the back.” She swore under her breath and her face pinched. “I need to get damage control going on this right now. Legal will have to be ready to file a suit if he even tries to trademark a similar pill.”
Quinn’s stomach soured. “But wouldn’t that be a good thing for mothers all over the world? Isn’t it better that they get the help they need to feed their babies than that you make billions?”
“Easy for the billionaire to say.” She pulled her phone out of her purse and began dictating an email.
Quinn picked his jaw up off the ground. “Ginny, what the heck?”
She hit send. “I—”
Before Ginny had a moment to explain herself, Ben and Avery found them. Ben gave Ginny a brotherly hug. “Welcome to the family.”
She said thanks. Avery complimented Ginny’s dress, and the girl talk began. Quinn watched her for a moment, impressed with how easily she’d switched from hard-nosed CEO to sweet future sister-in-law. The change was so smooth, Avery was clueless to the argument she and Ben had stumbled into.
Ben shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the floor.
Quinn touched his arm; his brother was usually the life of the party. “What’s going on?”
Ben looked around. “This isn’t the time.”
His desire to keep his mouth shut only made Quinn more curious. Besides, he could use a distraction from the niggling worry that all was not what it appeared with Ginny. There was a side to her he wasn’t familiar with, and it scared him. Maybe Ben had seen it too. If he had a warning, Quinn wanted to hear it. “Tell me.”
Ben leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Stevenson called John. He didn’t want to bother you tonight. They have another buyer for the hydraulics you guys were working on. A company out of China.”
Another buyer meant the overseas company was aggressively going after his designs—trying to one-up them in the market. “How did they even know we were working on that? Did Stevenson leak the information?”
Ben shook his head. “We have a confidentiality clause with them, which is why they called about the other buyer.”
“Then how?” His team was locked down. It didn’t come from them.
“Dad.” The word was barely loud enough for Quinn to hear it. Or maybe his body was trying to protect him from the emotional damage the information would bring by muting sound. The room was really quiet.
Quinn pulled out his phone and dialed his dad. He didn’t want to have Dad confirm the information—didn’t want to know he’d been duped. But he had to find out, because not knowing would eat away at his soul. The phone rang and rang. He left a message. “Dad, call me back.” There was a risk giving his father his private cell phone number, but it was one he had to take. He needed answers.
Ben was also on his phone. He switched it to speaker, and Jordan Stevenson picked up. “Jordan, this is Ben. What have you found out?”
“My guy didn’t want to give away his informant, but I threatened him with a lawsuit. He said it was Rick Wilaby. I’m sorry, Ben.”
Ben leveled Quinn with a look that asked if he believed him now. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”
Quinn gulped. He was batting a thousand tonight.
Ben said goodbye and hung up the phone.
“I’m sorry.” He’d let his guard down, let his father in. Talk about coming full circle. He’d gone from one betrayal to another.
Ben forgave him with a nod. Ginny, however, was still giving him the cold shoulder while she discussed wedding plans with Avery.
Quinn needed a minute to let the latest revelation settle. “I feel like an idiot. I can’t believe I fell for his act.”
“Don’t beat yourself up about it. You’ve always seen the best in people. It’s one of your best qualities. Most of the time, they rise to your expectations.” Ben squeezed his shoulder and then pounded him on the back.
Quinn studied Ginny. Was he making the same mistake with her? Was he only seeing the good and ignoring the warning signs that she wasn’t who he thought she was? She’d always wanted to do good, despite the cost. But tonight, she’d turned down Scott without blinking.
The lights dimmed and Lyle waved his arms over his head. “Is the happy couple in the house?”
A smile filled Ginny’s face and she waved back. Quinn tried to play his part, but he couldn’t help but scrutinize her every move, trying to look at her from another angle, to see past his love-filled eyes.
