Evan nodded. “Fine. I suppose since you’re a friend of the family and in the wedding party, it’s appropriate to use first names.”
To his credit, at least Evan had been smart enough to wear a pair of dark sunglasses to shade his eyes. Mara couldn’t see his expression, but she didn’t hear a single note of humor in his tone. He was completely serious. “Are you always this uptight?” she asked curiously, staring out at the water again.
“I’m not uptight,” he disagreed adamantly. “And yes, this is my usual personality. I have responsibilities. A lot of them. That leaves me no time or inclination to be jovial.” He changed the subject. “I didn’t realize you were cohabiting with my brother now.” He sounded unhappy that there was anything he didn’t know.
Mara shrugged. “I’m not. I’m using his guest house. I don’t have much of a choice right now. My best friend is laid up with an injury, and her place is very small. I can’t intrude on her right now. I’m pretty much homeless.”
“You lived in your shop?”
“Yes.”
“And how exactly do you know Jared?” Evan asked sharply, his head turned toward her.
He was staring at her, and just imagining the icy stare behind those dark glasses made her want to squirm. She supposed that Evan was suspicious of any person that his billionaire brothers hung out with, unless they were equally as wealthy, but she was more than a little insulted. Jared was a grown man, and she didn’t need to explain her relationships to a near stranger. But because he was Jared’s brother, she answered, “We’re friends. He’s helping me start up another business, so I guess you could say we’re also business partners.” Except for the fact that Jared was absolutely adamant about getting as little as possible in profit—not a single penny if she’d allow it. But she’d take care of that. “I can’t seem to talk him out of getting the short end of the business.” She caved, hoping maybe Evan could talk some sense into his brother. He was obviously all business, and Mara doubted Evan wanted his brother to make a crappy business deal, no matter how small. Maybe he could help.
“Why?” Evan sounded puzzled.
Mara proceeded to explain her business, her plans, and exactly how Jared had discovered her products to Evan. She also admitted the terms Evan’s younger brother was insisting on.
“The whole thing is frustrating,” she admitted candidly. “I can’t take advantage of him that way.”
“Most people would,” Evan observed. “Jared might not be as good as I am at business, but he’s ruthless when he needs to be. Unfortunately, it appears he’s still merging personal relationships and business. They don’t mix.” He exhaled loudly in frustration.
“Jared runs a commercial real estate business worth billions. He might have been wealthy before he started, but he’s done that all on his own,” Mara answered fiercely. “He’s brilliant.”
“His backup plan,” Evan snapped back at her. “He never planned on doing commercial real estate. He got screwed by a so-called friend in several different ways.”
“One of the ones who died?” Mara asked quietly.
“How did you know about that?” His voice was calmer, but he sounded surprised.
“Jared told me. I know he was betrayed by a friend and his girlfriend. And I know they died. He didn’t explain completely.” No doubt Evan knew the whole truth, which Mara found interesting.
Evan released an exasperated, impatient sigh. “Jared’s a different person since that happened. He and his friend were going to start their own business after college, an architecture venture specializing in renovating old homes. My brother had the capital, of course, and was able to do it on his own, but he wanted his friend and classmate, Alan, to be his partner. Jared was already rich, and it was his passion. He wanted to share it with his best friend. He didn’t need the money, so he was free to pursue whatever dreams he had. Unfortunately, his friend wanted more than just Jared’s business.”
“He wanted Jared’s girlfriend,” Mara said flatly, her heart aching for the younger Jared, who had been betrayed.
“Selena was flighty and completely wrong for Jared,” Evan stated arrogantly.
“He blames himself for their deaths,” Mara told Evan as she turned to look at him, surprisingly unafraid of his fierce words and seemingly snobby indifference. He cared about his family, so the guy couldn’t be all bad. Fascinated, she watched Evan’s face as his jaw tensed and a muscle pulsated with frustration. “He emulates you now,” she added, suddenly seeing the similarities between the two brothers. Jared wanted to be like Evan, cut off from his emotions, making it highly unlikely that he’d ever be hurt again.
“My siblings are nothing like me,” Evan replied, his tone ornery. “And Jared didn’t cause either one of their deaths.”