He was totally losing it. He no longer knew exactly what he wanted. His emotions bounced back and forth along with his priorities.
Jackson exhaled long and loud. “We’re back to that. The damn agreement you two signed.”
“Did we ever leave it?”
Jackson tapped his pen against his folder. The clicking sound thumped through the room. “Derrick, what did you do?”
Derrick wanted to dig in to his work. Buying properties, selling properties, building properties. He could assess a piece of land and pinpoint its future value, see what it could be once he was done with it.
Figuring out Ellie? He needed a team of experts for that mission. Maybe Jackson could be on it. “What do you mean?”
Jackson exhaled a second time. “How did you ask her?”
“You’re coming up with a lot of questions.” For some reason that made Derrick nervous. Very little made him nervous.
“Maybe answer one.”
“I gave her the ring.” There. Simple.
Jackson’s pen stopped midtap. “Gave?”
Since Ellie had treated him to a similar response, Derrick decided to stall. His delivery of the ring had been off. He got that now. Interesting how everyone seemed to know the fake engagement rules better than he did.
“Can you only talk in questions now?” he asked, ignoring the irony of that.
“What do you think?”
Some days it was hard to like Jackson. “Very funny.”
“When you say ‘gave,’ you mean you asked her…” Jackson made a face. “Please mean that.”
“No.”
“Ah, I see.” Jackson coughed, clearly trying to hide a smile. “How did that romantic gesture go over?”
“I slept alone last night, so not well.” Derrick had walked to her door. Before they’d started sleeping together, every night he’d knock and go in. Once they were together and not fighting the sex, where she slept hadn’t been a question…until yesterday.
“Do you really not see the problem or what your contribution to the mess you’re in now actually was?” Jackson asked.
Of course he did. Now. “No.”
“Damn it. I’m going to lose that bet.”
That stopped Derrick. “What bet?”
“The one I made with Spence.”
“Want to fill me in?”
“You’ll figure it out.” Jackson stood and took out his cell. “If you don’t, I’m out two hundred dollars, so please figure it out fast.”
* * *
“I’m here as ordered.” Noah sat at Derrick’s dining room table. “I’m not sure why we couldn’t meet at the coffee place again.”
“Because I can’t go outside without having my picture taken.” Ellie had about reached the end of her patience on that subject. She glanced to where Derrick sat at the head of the table. “We’re going to talk about that, by the way.”
His gaze went to her ring then bounced to her face. “What did you expect would happen?”
He had an uncanny knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. The man built an impressive enterprise that churned out money, yet he failed on a simple people skills level some days. She might lecture him about that, too.
Noah frowned at both of them. “What’s happening? Why am I here?”
“We’re clearing the air.”
Noah started to get up as soon as Derrick stopped speaking. “No, thanks.”
“Sit.” Derrick issued the order. “We’re also engaged.”
He really would be the death of her. Ignoring Noah’s stunned expression, she glared at Derrick. “Really? That’s how you drop that information?”
“If you have a script you want me to follow, please let me know.”
He was in fine Derrick form today. He shot back the one-liners faster than she could come up with them on her end.
Noah sat hard in the chair again. The thud seemed to wake him out of his stupor. “What are you talking about? You can’t marry him.”
Through the haze of frustration winding around her, she could see him. She and Derrick might have an odd arrangement they worked out, but that didn’t mean her brother was prepared for the roller coaster they’d all jumped on.
“Noah, let me explain.” Though she had no idea what she could say.
“At least wait until you see this video.” Noah slipped a thumb drive out of his jeans’ pocket and dumped it on the table.
“What’s on it?” Derrick asked.
Noah didn’t even spare him a glance. “I bet you’d like to know.”
“I can take it and watch it right now or you can save us some time and talk.” Derrick snatched the drive and held it in the air.