She tilted her head and smiled at him. “Well, I didn’t hire you, did I? That’s why I only asked for a card.”
“Fair enough.” He fished his wallet out of his back pocket. He never actually used the cards because his clients found him mostly through word of mouth, but he always had one or two on hand to keep up appearances.
She took the card from him and studied it, glancing between Jace and the tiny piece of paper. “Jace Lance,” she murmured. “Is Jace your real name? I’ve never heard it before.”
It wasn’t his real name, but he wasn’t about to fess up to her. “Emmaline isn’t exactly common either.”
“Point taken. But most people call me Emma. A bit more modern.”
He took in her decidedly not modern outfit. Her skirt was a feminine, frilly material with blue flowers spotting the material. Emma shifted her weight and he had the distinct impression that this city would swallow her whole.
“Well, um, Emma, I should be getting back.” He stepped away.
She pushed his card into her purse and gave him one last smile. “It was nice meeting you, Jace. Thanks again for everything.”
As she walked down the street, Jace couldn’t take his eyes off her. He’d come down mostly because he needed to figure out who she was. Now that he knew, he didn’t feel any more reassured. Well, he didn’t think she posed a threat to Victoria, which meant he was still done with his job. But the thought of that fish out of water digging through her crazy sister’s life set off every inner alarm bell he had.
As she disappeared into the crowd, he shook off any lingering thoughts of the heiress. As soon as he went upstairs and found Gordon, this job would be behind him. People came to this city every day and found themselves in over their heads. It wasn’t his responsibility to save them all. Besides, if she knew what part he’d played in Joslyn’s arrest, she wouldn’t want his help anyway.
“Emma! You’re finally back. We thought you’d be here hours ago.” Luke held the door to his apartment.
Emma looked between Luke and Michael, who stood behind his brother. She couldn’t tell which one looked more annoyed. “I was doing some sightseeing.” She pushed between the two.
“We had reservations at some amazing new restaurant and both of us left the office early.”
She set her bags and purse down on the pristine white couch in the middle of Luke’s ultra-modern apartment that constantly reminded her how far away from home she was. “Oh no, the boss might get mad at you. Oh wait! You own the company. Besides, you never told me we had dinner plans tonight.”
“You’re Luke’s guest,” said Michael. “And Luke takes care of his guests. It’s one of his rules.”
She could do with a little less of him taking care of her. She knew she should’ve just stayed at a hotel like she’d originally planned. But when Luke learned she was coming to the city to tie up some of Joslyn’s personal affairs that she couldn’t handle from behind bars, he’d insisted Emma stay with him.
But now that she was here and surrounded by cousinly love, and rules, she second-guessed herself. The hard lines combined with the whites and grays of the penthouse apartment were less homey than any hotel she could’ve stayed at. Add to that the scrutiny she was going to face when the guys found out where she’d been pre-sightseeing and she was half tempted to power up that tourist app and find another place to stay.
“Luke, I really appreciate you making reservations for us, but I need to be told about these things ahead of time. Now, I’m sure there’s something we can get delivered for the three of us to eat and it will be just as much fun as going out.”
“There’s a fantastic deli right around the corner,” said Michael. “I’m sure they can send something over in no time.” He looked to Luke. “Where do you keep your menus again?”
“Top drawer to the left of the sink.” Luke slid off his suit jacket. “I guess I can get more comfortable if we’re staying in.”
Emma smirked. Considering suits were pretty much the only thing she ever saw Michael and Luke wear, she couldn’t imagine a more comfortable outfit for them. But she could tell he was trying to hold back his annoyance at changing his plans. Luke was the type who once he made up his mind, there was no use convincing him otherwise. “I’m sorry for making you change your plans.” As soon as she said the words, she regretted them. She wasn’t sorry! They couldn’t make plans and not tell her and then have the nerve to get upset.
She’d read in an article that women apologize almost twice as much as men do. If she was going to be digging around God knew where into Joslyn’s extracurricular activities, she really needed to grow a backbone.
“It’s fine,” said Luke. “This place has some awesome sandwiches and we can reschedule the reservations for another night. I’m sure Michael can convince them to find a table for us later this week.”
Emma slipped out of her shoes and breathed a sigh of relief as the cool air hit her feet. If she’d known how much walking she was going to be doing, she probably would’ve worn flats, but she’d wanted to make a good impression on Victoria.
“I’m going to go get changed,” she said. “Just order me whatever you think is good, guys. I trust your judgment.” Truth be told, she didn’t think she’d ever ordered anything from a deli before. She’d made herself sandwiches plenty of times, but she had a feeling Michael and Luke would raise hell if she ordered a turkey on wheat with light mayo, no cheese, and avocado. But this was a New York deli. Those were practically sacred considering all the wonderful things she’d heard about them. If Michael and Luke thought she should try a mass of red meat, cheese, and mayonnaise between two hulking pieces of bread, she’d live on the wild side for a bit.
“Will do.” Michael flipped through the menu.
Emma set her shoes in the designated area in the entryway before she gathered up her bags and moved into what she dubbed the “guest wing” of Luke’s apartment. She was sure that most of the living spaces in New York were as small as she’d heard, but Luke spared no expense on his lavish living area.
Not that he needed to. None of them were short on funds and, judging from the settlements they all got from their parents’ deaths, they would never be short on cash. The Devereaux family gift and curse. Blessed with money and cursed with early death. Or insanity, in Joslyn’s case.
Emma precariously balanced her items on one arm to free up her hand to open the guest bedroom door. Once in, she set down her purchases and went through them. An Empire State snow globe for Barry, the groundskeeper back home, and a souvenir sweatshirt for herself. Sure, they were cheesy and touristy, but the bus tour really got her in the mood to be a bit silly. Everyone onboard had been so excited and into all the sights and sounds going on around them. It was hard not to get swept away.
Much better than the afternoon she would’ve had by herself if Jace hadn’t recommended the little tour company down the street. She thought back to the tall, handsome Jace. She’d probably freaked him out with all her babbling, but he’d been polite enough to humor her. A guy like him was probably used to sophisticated city women slipping him their phone numbers and batting their eyelashes in just the right way.