Under My Skin (Stark International Trilogy 3)

She made what could have been scary seem like an adventure, and I will be forever grateful.

We didn’t want to overwhelm the little girl, but we did want to celebrate, and so we’ve laid out a spread of chicken strips and pizza and invited a few friends to come join. Charles and Harriet have already stopped by and left, and I’m guessing that this newest arrival is Cass and Siobhan.

I follow Ronnie to the entrance hall and see that I’m right.

“I’m Ronnie,” the little girl announces to Cass. “And that’s my daddy and my aunt Sylvia.”

“I know,” Cass says. “She’s my best friend. I guess that makes us friends, too, huh?” She’s looking down at Ronnie and speaking with such comfortable assurance that I’m both impressed and intimidated. I still feel a bit like I’m putting on an act when I talk with her. As if I’m only playing the role of aunt or mother, but not really living the part.

“I’m Cass, by the way. And this is Siobhan.”

Ronnie contemplates Cass, her bow-like mouth puckering, then looks up at Siobhan. “Do you like dogs?”

“Are you kidding?” Siobhan says. “Dogs are awesome.”

“Aunt Sylvia says you have a dog,” Cass adds. “Can we meet him?”

Ronnie glances at me, and I nod, and she takes off running. “Come on!”

Cass shoots me an amused glance. “We’ll be back,” she says and they hurry to Ronnie’s room. Fred’s tucked away there in his crate, the king of Ronnie’s newly redecorated princess-themed room, courtesy of Nikki and Damien, who managed the overhaul in just a few hours.

“You doing okay?” Jackson asks, sliding his arm around my waist as we walk back into the living room to join Nikki and Damien.

I’m not sure if he’s talking about the situation with my dad or settling in to having a little girl around, but right now, either answer is the same.

“I’m great,” I say, bending to snag a piece of pepperoni pizza from the box on the coffee table. “You’re free. Ronnie’s here and she’s happy. Fred’s housebroken. And my resort is safe because my architect can get back to work.” I flash a smile to Jackson and Damien in turn. “I’m not even worried about the investors who’ve pulled out because I am going to burn up the phone lines and find new investors on Monday.”

“Actually, you’re not.” Damien glances at Jackson. “It’s covered.”

I look between the two of them, confused.

“I talked with Damien earlier,” Jackson explains. “Why should I ask someone to gamble on a project that I’m not willing to gamble on myself? And, frankly, I don’t consider it a risk. I think we’ll end up filthy, stinking rich.”

“You’re already rich,” I say. “But I know how much the shares cost, and, Jackson, that’s a serious chunk of change. Are you that liquid?”

“We are now,” he says, and I feel a nice warm flush from the way he pulls me into that equation. “I’m going to talk to Isaac Winn about selling him my thirty percent interest in the Winn Building—the portion that’s not part of Ronnie’s trust—and buying out the rest of the Cortez shares.”

“Jackson! You’re sure?” The Winn Building represents a landmark in his career. I can’t believe he’d want to let go of it so completely.

He lifts a shoulder as if this had been nothing more than a casual decision. “I’m familiar with all the relevant players. I think it’s a sound investment.”

“It is,” I say. “The resort is going to kick vacation and leisure ass and make us a huge profit. But, Jackson, that was the first building you kept an ownership interest in. You really want to get out altogether?”

“Sylvia has a point,” Damien says. “And thirty percent is steep. Especially to sacrifice on a property like Winn that has the potential for serious growth.”

Jackson’s eyes are on me. “I think Cortez has a similar potential.”

“I agree with you,” Damien says. “And that’s why I have a suggestion.”

We both turn to him.

“Sell Isaac a fifteen percent interest in Winn. I’ll cover the difference personally.”

I gape, then realize my mouth is hanging open. “But you never do that.” He’s wildly protective of his personal assets. In fact, when the investors first made noises about pulling out after we lost our original architect, Damien had specifically declined to invest personally.

“Never’s a very long time,” Damien says as he looks straight at Jackson. “And this time, I think it’s worth the risk.”