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.There’s no way you haven’t had him investigated, the same way you checked out Mona.”Jules didn’t say anything.Her father was right.He knew her.“He’s clean, a regular nice guy.I haven’t met him, so I’m going on what I’ve learned.However, there is the issue of his father being charged for his mother’s murder.I understand Jace doesn’t believe his father is guilty.”“Well, someone had to have killed her.”Jules nodded, knowing her father was thinking like an ex-cop, and so was she.If Sheppard Granger hadn’t killed his wife, then who had?“Sheppard Granger has already served fifteen years with another fifteen years to go.If he’s really innocent, then he’s had a raw deal.”Wanting to change the subject, Jules asked her father about Mona and saw how his face lit up when he began talking.He truly loved the woman, just like Shana had said.Seeing her father fall in love wasn’t as bad as she’d thought it would be.It just needed some getting used to.Something her father said caught her attention.She raised her eyebrows.“New York? You’re taking Mona to New York?”“Yes, to see a Broadway play.Do you want to come?”Jules knew he only asked because he knew she would not go.“Thanks, Dad, but no, I don’t want to go.” She leaned over and smiled before saying, “You can let go of your breath now.”* * *A couple of hours later, Jules entered her condo thinking there was no place like home.Since January, she hadn’t spent more than fifty days here.The others had been spent traveling while handling cases.Now that she was back, she intended to get in her bed and sleep for the next two weeks.She chuckled, wishing that were possible.But like always at the end of a case, there was a lot of paperwork to do.But once all that was done, she would enjoy some time off for a while with no interruptions.One of the advantages of using a fictitious name for her P.I.agency was not having to worry about anyone tracking her down, making a nuisance of themselves.To everyone in the business, she was known as J.B.Sweet, using her initials and her mother’s maiden name.She got a kick out of answering her phone saying, “The Sweet agency.”Another advantage to using a fictitious name was that clients didn’t know whether she was male or female until they met her face-to-face or spoke with her on the phone.It also helped when she had clients who assumed she was a man and were surprised to find out differently once they’d met her.The looks on their faces were always priceless.Deciding to touch base with her sister before she got too comfortable, she pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket to call Shana.According to her father, Shana had gone to the mountains with Jace this weekend but had called a couple of hours ago to let him know she had returned.More than likely, she and Jace would spend the rest of the day.and the night together.Her sister answered on the first ring.“Jules, tell me you’re back.”She heard the excitement in Shana’s voice.“Okay, I’m back.”“Seriously?”Jules laughed.“Yes, seriously.” She moseyed to the kitchen, grabbed an apple from the refrigerator and bit into it.“So what’s going on with you other than being knocked up?”“Hey, behave yourself.I can’t wait for you to meet Jace.”“Oh, you finally want to introduce me to your man? The same man you claimed for months you weren’t interested in?”“And you know why I was reluctant in the beginning.”Yes, Jules knew why.But she believed this time would be different for her sister.Although she hadn’t met Jace Granger, she had a feeling he would be a positive influence in Shana’s life.“So what are you doing later today? I might stop by after my nap.”“We’re going to Jace’s family estate for dinner with his brothers, but I intend to be back here by eight.Why don’t you drop by and meet Jace then?”“I think I will, if I don’t oversleep.My bed is calling my name big-time.If I don’t make it tonight, let’s do dinner tomorrow at Lenny’s around five.”“That would be nice.You get your rest.You’re tired.I can hear it in your voice.”“I will.Talk to you later.”Leaving her kitchen, Jules went into the living room and checked the incoming messages on her landline.Dale Henslowe had called a number of times while she’d been away, and she wished he hadn’t.She had told him the last time he called that she had no time for players or wannabe players.To be honest, she didn’t have time for nonplayers, either.A man was the last thing she needed in her life.They all had a tendency to complicate things.Her work was her life, and that was enough.Now that Shana was making her an aunt, she would be satisfied with that.Aunt Jules.She liked the sound of that and smiled as she headed to her bathroom for a shower.* * *Caden brought his car to a stop in the circular drive of his grandfather’s home at Sutton Hills and glanced over at Shiloh.He could tell she was nervous about being here.He wanted to make her feel comfortable before they went in to meet Jace and Shana, who were waiting for them.Dalton would be joining them as soon as he took care of an errand—right in time for the dinner Hannah was preparing.“Remember that tree over there?” he asked her, pointing to a huge oak at the side of the house.She smiled.“Yes, I remember.”When they were kids, the two of them would sit up in the tree and talk for hours.He had tried talking his grandfather into building a tree house in it, but his grandmother had been dead against it after Dalton had fallen out of the tree and broken his arm.Shiloh looked past the tree to where the roof of his parents’ home could be seen in the distance.“You and your brothers still haven’t gone back there?”He followed her gaze.“No.Neither have we gone to the boathouse.For a while, I thought Granddad would tear it down, but he didn’t.”“You think your father will when he’s released from prison?”Caden thought about her question for a minute.“I honestly don’t know [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]