Page 20 of Meant for Two
Then the startling realization struck him. Could Blair behismate? It was a notion Zane hadn't considered before. Come to think of it, every encounter he’d had with her had triggered such a reaction.
As he considered the concept of Blair being his mate, a few obstacles stood in his way. Despite Jeff denying it, Zane believed Blair was his best friend’s mate too.
When he pictured Jeff and him sharing someone as wonderful as Blair, joy slammed into him, until he realized that Blair didn’t seem to like Jeff. In fact, whenever those two were together, they clashed. But, as the saying goes, opposites attract.
Zane was staring off into space when John bumped into him. As pleasant as it had been to picture a life with Blair, losing focus could cost him his life.
“Oh, sorry man. I didn’t see you there.” John’s apology lacked any sort of sincerity.
Zane wanted to punch this ass, but he smiled instead. “No problem, man. I was thinking about what else my company could do to improve the security system.”
“You installed everything in the Development?” John asked.
“My partner, Jeff Granger, and I did.” He hoped the nameGrangerwould carry some weight.
“Good for you. Does this model have the works?”
Zane wasn’t certain what that entailed, but maybe he wanted to know if the system could be customized. “We have the basics in here now, but the owner will have a lot of options to beef up security.”
“I see.” John leaned in closer. “I thought maybe you were Blair’s new beau.”
Zane wanted to be, but he thought it unwise to tip his hand. “Nah. She’s too picky.” He lied in order to see John’s reaction to the statement.
“You’re so right about that. Not only that, she’s entitled.” Then John winked—actually winked—before turning around and walking out.
Zane couldn't find words to respond to the man. Deep down, he hoped John had been the one to break into the Hensley's place so that he would face the consequences. But why would he commit the crime? He and Blair had already parted ways. The whole idea of John’s guilt was something Zane needed to find out about.
As soon as John and the couple left, Zane went to look for Blair. He found her in what would be another bedroom once the house sold. “John is gone.”
“Good.” She ground her teeth.
Zane pulled up a chair across from her desk. “Tell me why you suspect that jerk might have robbed the Hensleys.”
Blair seemed to swallow a smile. “That jerk, as you call John, used to be my boss.”
Zane whistled. “I assume he’s John Gaines then?”
“Yes.”
“I’m guessing you two obviously dated, and that things didn’t work out.”
Her lips pressed together. “You could say that. I don’t appreciate men cheating on me.”
“Ouch. I can’t imagine any man cheating on you.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Thank you, but John was all about being a big shot. He lived for people thinking he was this superstar realtor.”
“As a macho man, I imagine he thought he had a right to do as he pleased,” Zane stated.
“Exactly.” She took a long breath, possibly trying to decide how much to tell him. “There were three of us in his firm, but I brought in most of the revenue,” she said.
He could put the pieces together. “When you found out he cheated, you dumped him, quit the company, and started your own firm. That made him vindictive.”
She dipped her chin. “Right, except that he fired me. Mind you, I was about to quit, but he wanted to beat me to the punch.”
That was a shortsighted move on his part. “If you were the best salesperson, how is his firm doing now?” Zane asked.
“I don’t check, but Avery does. Apparently, his sales are almost non-existent, which was why John was forced to hire two more people. So far, they haven’t been able to replace what I brought in.”