The Sapphire Affair (Jewel #1)

“I’ve got more details,” his client said, and Jake could practically hear the man bouncing on the other end of the line. He didn’t know Andrew well, but he was willing to bet the man was on the deck of his Miami home, watching the sun peek above the horizon, some sort of excitement in his step.

“Tell me,” Jake said, his voice still gravelly with sleep. He’d called Andrew last night and given him the latest report.

“My IT team was able to decipher a few more e-mails. And one of them specifically references a deal with the Frayer mine.”

Jake sat up straight in bed and pumped a fist. “Excellent!”

That was the sort of info that made his mission airtight. Exactly how he needed it to be as he zeroed in on the prize.

Jewels.

And jewels equaled his payday, and his payday meant college for the kids.

He talked more with Andrew, then he swung his feet to the floor and headed for the shower, ready to tackle the day with a laser focus.




The sun glared at her. Shining brightly. Mocking her.

She sat up in bed, rubbed her eyes, and tossed off the sheets. She made her way to the bathroom and brushed her teeth, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

She swore there was a devil on one shoulder, an angel on the other.

You caved.

But it felt so good.

You don’t trust men. Men are trouble.

Hello? Who said anything about trust? We were discussing orgasms.

You are supposed to focus on business. On your own business. On your stepdad’s business. Not that hot-as-sin man’s business.

But I didn’t even get down to business with him the way I wanted, so back off, Angel.

She spat out the toothpaste, rinsed her mouth, and stretched her arms.

She left the bathroom, wandered to the safe, and tapped in her new combination. H-A-P-P-Y-T-U-R-T-L-E. The door popped open, and her diamond was safe and sound with the new combo. Even if they never found more or uncovered any other details, at least she had a jewel that she could turn into cash, and use it as a gift for her mother.

True, it didn’t come close to covering the original investment her mother made in the business, nor the missing money, but ten thousand dollars was nothing to scoff at. Convincing her mother to take the money from the diamond was entirely another matter. But Steph would cross that bridge when she came to it. For now, she grabbed her phone and headed to her tiny balcony. The sliding glass door squeaked as she opened it. She held a hand over her eyes as she soaked in the most beautiful sight in the world. Even from her less-than-world-class accommodations, she still had a view of the crystal-blue ocean and the endless sky.

She inhaled.

Drew the natural beauty into her lungs, letting it feed her, fuel her. All that blue, from the gentle waves in the water up to the clear sky. The very definition of happiness. She closed her eyes briefly, enjoying the warmth on her skin.

When she opened her eyes, she zeroed in on business. She clicked the screen on her phone and spotted an e-mail from her brother.



The video is up and running. I imagine you’ll be inundated with dive requests now. Love ya, miss ya, stay out of trouble.



She scrolled through the rest of her messages and nearly clapped with glee because the video ad he’d made was working already. She had two new inquiries for scuba tours. From her post on the balcony, she responded immediately, crossing her fingers that the inquiries would turn into tours. That this was happening. Her business was growing stronger, and she had her mom to thank for it. The woman had rescued her business from the pit of despair.

She dialed her favorite person.

“Namaste, my love.”

Steph laughed. “You’re such a yoga dork.”

“And a happy downward-facing dog to you, too. How are you? How is everything going in the Caribbean?”

“It’s great. Prepping for my tours and just seeing some old friends,” she said, thinking Devon and Sandy qualified, right?, even though she’d been mostly busy with Jake and snooping on her stepdad. “And I saw Eli, too. Haven’t pilfered his watch yet, but he does have a swank Rolex.”

Her mother hissed. “Bastard. Lying, scheming, cheating, Rolex-wearing bastard.” Her mom sighed heavily. “Shame on me. I think I just earned myself ten points of bad karma. I need to go apologize to the universe for that verbal tic I just unleashed. How is the dear?”

Steph flashed back to her brunch with Eli, cycling through terms to describe the man—chipper, upbeat, happy. Instead, she went with: “He’s his usual self. The weird thing was he mentioned something about focusing on his charitable endeavors these days. I never knew he was a big charity guy.”

Her mother scoffed. “Ha. He was hardly a big charitable supporter. Getting money out of him was like bleeding a rock.”

“You mean, you don’t know how to bleed a rock, Mom? If you’d just asked me I would tell you,” Steph joked.

“See? If I’d only thought to ask you. I need to skedaddle, darling. I’m trying to catch a morning yoga class. Your friend Lance is going with me.”

Steph tilted her head. She hadn’t known Lance to do yoga. “Lance? My boat guy Lance?”

“Yes. He’s quite flexible.”