Page 11 of Real Forever
“Well… hi,” Madison said. She bit the corner of her lip, trying to contain the smile bubbling up in her mouth. She knelt forward on the sidewalk and began picking up the strewn contents of her bag.
“Here, let me help,” Jake said. He leaned forward and reached his arm out beside her, brushing her shoulder. Madison’s skin buzzed kinetic at the split second of contact. “So, are you going to tell me why we’re hiding?”
“Well, last week, Tammy, the woman who started NorAsana, was here.” Madison stood up and brushed her hands off on her jeans. “She’s the reason Lauren had a panic attack. I was trying to see if she was here again.”
Jake raised an eyebrow as he stood up beside her. “Why not go inside and see?”
She winced, unsure of how much information she should reveal. “Yeah, so… I was hoping to spot her without her seeing me…. so I could follow her.”
“Follow her? Follow her where?”
“I don’t know. Wherever she goes, I guess,” Madison clapped her hands to her thighs. “Look, I really shouldn’t tell you this, but what the fuck. I’m blackmailing her.” Jake’s eyes snapped wide open. “Tammy is ruining my sister’s life, and I won’t let her do it. I don’t know how yet, but I’m going to force NorAsana to give Lauren her money back and make sure the world knows who that bitch really is.”
Madison grew nervous as Jake sat in silence. “I know I sound crazy,” she continued, “but I can’t just stand here with my dick in my hands while Lauren gets destroyed. This fucking company is screwing over so many people. You said it yourself the other day at your office. It’s not right and somebody has to stop them.”
“Your dick in your hands?” Jake laughed.
Madison bit back a grin. “It’s an expression.”
Jake sat for another minute before asking, “So you’re planning to blackmail her into giving you the money Lauren needs to pay off her debt?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“How, what?”
“Like, what’s your plan?
“Oh. Well, so far it’s a one-step plan - follow Tammy and hope she pulls her Benz up to a building with a great big Child Labor Leggings Factory sign outside.”
Jake let out a deep belly laugh, and Madison felt it run up the backs of her legs and spine, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake.Ugh. How can a laugh be so sexy?
He nodded. “That’s quite a plan.”
“Hey, a girl can dream.”
“Well, you’re right—I do think you’re crazy,” Jake said with a playful grin, “but I also think you must be a pretty amazing sister to do this for her. You guys must be close.”
Madison blushed. “Yeah, we are. Lauren and Maisie mean everything to me.”
“Maisie?”
“Lauren’s daughter. My niece.” Madison took her phone out and pulled up a photo of her and Maisie from Maisie’s last birthday party. It was a princess party, and Madison and Maisie were both wearing ball gowns and tiaras. Lauren went all out for birthday parties.
“She’s beautiful. You two look so much alike.”
Madison’s face flushed again.He thinks I’m beautiful? No, he must have only meant Maisie.
Jake continued, “You know you’re going to need a proper plan, right? NorAsana is no joke. They’re a multi-million-dollar business and with all the scrutiny they’ve gotten in the press, I imagine they will have ensured all their dirty laundry is locked up tight.”
Madison tucked her phone back in her purse. “What do you mean, dirty laundry?”
“Well, I mean, anything you can use against them. Problems with their suppliers, tax issues. The sort of dirt they don’t want the public finding out about.”
“How would I even find out?” Madison asked.
“I’m not sure, but I’d try to get my hands on as many of their financial documents as I could and start following those.”
