Although I hadn’t expected such a call from Gabby, I appreciated her protectiveness of Mari.
“No need to worry, Gabby. I met Mari when she stopped by looking for her ex. I happen to know her brother because he handled security for my buildings. I offered Mari a place to stay. That’s it.” Obviously, I stayed silent on how much I wanted to kiss Mari again and then some.
“I’m glad I needn’t worry. You keep being nice, you hear me?”
Although Gabby might be nosy, I knew I’d hear it if I harmed a single hair on Mari’s head. Little did she know I liked Mari. Big time. “Of course. Didn’t you just say I was a good man?”
Gabby laughed. “All right, all right. I’m glad you offered Mari a place to stay. She was pretty stressed out when she checked out of here.”
“I can imagine. Anything else you need to lecture me on?
“No, but thank you for listening,” Gabby countered smoothly.
After that call with Gabby, I wondered just what the hell I was thinking with Mari. Perhaps the issue was that I wasn’t thinking. I certainly hadn’t been looking for romance. Work occupied all of my time, and I knew Mari would probably consider me a rebound.
Yet, I was ignoring all of those contingencies. I wanted her.
When I reached my office building after returning from the short stroll from Trent’s office, I welcomed the blast of cool air that hit me when I walked through the doors.
“Hey, Greg,” I called, lifting my hand in a wave just as the security guy hung up the phone at his station, where he manned all the comings and goings in the building.
“Howdy, Nash,” he replied.
Strolling over, I asked, “Schedule’s all set for an extra guy during the nights?
“Of course, sir.”
“How many times do I have to tell you not to “sir” me?”
Greg shrugged. “It’s a habit. You’re my boss.”
“I hired you to manage security because I’ve known you since elementary school, Greg. It’s damn strange when you call me sir. Now that we got an extra guy lined up for nights, I’d like to plan to keep that staffing level in place going forward.”
“Not just while Miss Channing is here?” Greg asked in return.
I nodded. “That’s right. She prompted it because of her situation, but I think it’s good for the business and our tenants.”
“Will do. I’ll make it permanent on the schedule, and get going on making sure we have staff lined up. Anything else you need today?”
“Nope. Thanks for everything.”
After I stopped by my office and caught up on everything Lydia had left in a list on my desk, I called Mari.
Chapter 12
Mari
I sighed as I set down my fork and looked across the table at Nash. “Oh my God. I think I could live off biscuits and gravy.”
Nash’s lips curled in a slow grin, and he winked. Butterflies took flight in my belly, spinning madly as heat prickled over the surface of my skin. Nash Reynolds was dangerous. Everything he did felt like a seduction. To make matters worse, I didn’t think he was purposely trying to seduce me—at least not constantly.
“I know I could,” he drawled before lifting his coffee cup and taking a swallow.
He had called me this morning from his office, announcing day two of my NOLA experience. This time, he took me to a diner on the outskirts of town. Gulls called, and a soft breeze gusted off the Gulf waters as we enjoyed breakfast out on the deck of this little diner. All they served was breakfast, and they closed at noon.
After Nash set his coffee cup down, he added, “I promised you a thorough NOLA experience. Biscuits and gravy are a big part of that.”
“Well. Thank you. I doubt I would have found this place on my own.”
“My pleasure.” He dipped his chin in acknowledgment.
At the word pleasure, my pulse skittered wildly, and I could manage nothing more than a shallow little breath. “Do you need to get back to the office after this?” I asked, grasping for something to talk about, anything to get my mind off of thinking naughty thoughts about Nash.
“I’m yours for the rest of the day, darlin’. I did promise I’d give you the week.”
Oh dear God. Every time he called me darlin’, my toes curled, and my belly flipped. A little thrill also raced through me at the word promise. It was just words that were getting to me now. “Don’t you need to go back to work?”
“That’s the advantage of owning my own company. If I feel like moving things around, so I have time to spend with you and make sure you enjoy New Orleans, then that’s what I’ll do. This week, you’re my priority.”
“Oh.” I snatched my coffee up and took a quick swallow.
Mentally trying to do anything to stop practically panting over Nash, my mind latched onto Brett. Thinking about Brett was sure to pour cold water on anything. “Brett left me a message this morning.”
Nash’s gaze sharpened immediately. “What did he say? Did you call him back?”
“Of course not. I certainly don’t want to talk to him. I wanted to delete it, but considering the weirdness, I thought I should save it. Here.”
I fished my phone out of my purse and tapped my screen to pull up the voicemail before handing it to Nash. He hit the speaker button, and Brett’s message played again. Just the sound of Brett’s voice grated on my nerves.
“I don’t understand why he’s calling. At all. He screwed me over big-time. Whatever. It’s stressing me out that he knows where I’m staying.”
Nash eyed me for a long moment before he nodded, almost as if to himself. “I need to tell you something. I have a friend who’s a private investigator, top-notch. I asked him to do a little digging. Not only did Brett run up every credit card of yours, but he opened four accounts in your name.”
Anger flashed hot inside. “What? Are you kidding me?”
“This is not the kind of thing I would kid about.”
I shook my head and let out a shaky breath. “All right. I’m trying to wrap my brain around the fact you hired someone to dig into this behind my back, but thank you. Is there anything else I should know?”
Nash took a breath and rolled his shoulders. “Brett also applied for a business loan under your name and put a tracker on your phone. Don’t worry; my friend rerouted it to a burner phone that he carries. He’ll drop it off every evening with the security guard where you’re staying. That way, it’ll look like you’re in the building where Brett expects you to be.”
I felt sick, and my gut churned. I was suddenly hot and cold all over. Oh my God. I immediately pulled up my phone, swiping through the screens to see whatever Brett had put on there.
“You’re not going to see it, Mari.” Nash paused, studying me. His gaze felt as if it were boring into me, and I didn’t like how vulnerable and unsettled I felt. “I haven’t spoken to Max about this, but I think we should tell him today. My buddy’s good at tracking things down because that’s his job. But your brother has more tools at his disposal.”
I took a deep breath, letting it out in a gust. “I know, I know.” I took another sip of my coffee. “I’m guessing it wasn’t easy for you to wait to call Max.”