“Came to see how Con was spending my donation.”
Vanessa’s hands propped on her hips. “After your move? You’re lucky Reggie let you in the door. Just when I think you aren’t a total asshole, you always surprise me, Lucas.” She nodded to the table. “You want to see what your money is doing? Well, here’s part of it. We’ve expanded our sack supper program a little and we’re hoping to do even more. In the gym you’ll see some new equipment, and a bunch of new pads and headgear for the kids as well.”
“Good to know it’s going to good use.”
“Did you think it would go to bad use?” Elle asked, her tone wry.
“Not at all.”
“You back to get your ass kicked? I’m sure Lord would be happy to take you on.” This also came from Elle.
I looked down at my clothes. “Not interested.”
Elle shrugged. “I’m sure the guys have extra clothes. And they’d probably love to throw some punches at you. I don’t think that would ever get old. If you’re lucky, you might be able to walk out under your own steam.”
I laughed at the feisty little redhead. “Reggie has barred me from the gym until they’re done training.”
“And you’re listening to orders these days?” Vanessa asked, a reluctant smile tugging up one corner of her mouth.
She’d been the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen—until very recently.
“When it suits my purpose,” I replied, deciding I’d had enough small talk. “I seem to have made the acquaintance of a friend of yours, one who has run into some trouble lately.”
“Friend? I doubt you travel in the same circles as our friends,” Elle shot back.
“Yve Santos isn’t someone you consider a friend?”
“How the hell do you know Yve?” Elle set down the peanut butter knife and wiped her hands on a paper towel as she stepped toward me.
“It seems she employs my brother at Dirty Dog.”
Elle’s head tilted to one side for a beat. “The hipster kid who drives a Karmann Ghia?”
I nodded. “Yes, that’s Levi.”
“He’s your brother? And here I thought you were hatched from the spawn of the devil.”
“Elle,” Vanessa said in a warning tone. “Be nice. If Lucas is here out of concern, we don’t need to bust his balls too hard.”
Hearing crass words from the regal blonde amazed me. “Leahy really has rubbed off on you.”
“In the very best way possible,” she replied with a grin. “But we were talking about Yve.”
“Tell me about her,” I prompted.
“How about you start with explaining your cryptic-as-shit statements about her being in trouble,” Elle said.
“Has she mentioned anything to you about why she was afraid to stay in her apartment the night before last?”
Elle and Vanessa looked at each other. Both their heads swiveled back to me, and they looked confused. “No. Why?”
“Because she ended up at my house.”
Elle’s nostrils flared. “If you took advantage of her, I swear I will skin you alive and roast your balls over an open fire.”
I stared down the little redhead. “I’ll be sure to let Lord know that you’re so interested in my balls.”
“Dick.”
I raised an eyebrow.
Elle’s shoulders relaxed the slightest bit, and she lifted a hand to her mouth. “Shit. I wonder . . .”
“What?”
“Nothing. It’s really none of your damn business, and if Yve wants you to know, she’ll tell you.”
Women. Stubborn as hell. Elle’s defiant expression told me that demanding more answers would get me nowhere, so I tried a different tack.
“What about buying Dirty Dog? You know about that?”
Elle’s eyes lit up. “She’s really going to do it? Yay! I was so worried that she wouldn’t dive in. That’s so awesome.”
Vanessa frowned. “I didn’t even know it was for sale.”
Elle filled her friend in, and the information proved to be exactly what I’d come here to learn—at least on that topic.
“Harriet is selling off all the businesses she owns. She’s officially retiring from everything, except she didn’t really tell Yve. Yve found out because Harriet got a letter from her business broker, and Yve opened it. Shit, Van. She was devastated. That shop is her life. It wouldn’t be what it is without her.” Elle’s eyes shot to me. “But you didn’t hear any of that from me. And if you tell Yve I told you, I’ll deny it until they seal me into a crypt.”
It wasn’t everything I’d wanted to know, but I’d take it. I nodded. “As delightful as this has been, ladies, I’ll be going.”
“Oh no, you’re not,” Vanessa said. “You’re going to get those billionaire hands dirty and make PB&J. It’ll do you some good to do more than just write checks from your ivory tower.”
I opened my mouth to tell her that would happen when hell froze over, but we were interrupted.
“You throwing my words around, princess?” Con said from the doorway.
“Thought I’d drop by and see how you were spending that ivory-tower check,” I said, turning to face him.