“Ryley, sweetheart, you look absolutely stunning tonight.” She grabbed me into a massive bear hug. “This isn’t your usual haunt though, is it? What brought you here tonight to hang out with all of us oldies?”
I loved Aunty Gloria; she was a real girls’ girl, and my mum and her had been thick as thieves for years.
“I think that’d have something to do with the gentleman standing beside her,” Uncle Mick replied, sounding none too impressed.
“Hmm, I can see who she’s with, Mick. I just want to know why.” Gloria looked Jackson up and down with distrust painted all over her face.
“Uncle Mick, Aunt Gloria, let me introduce you to my date for this evening, Jackson Caine.”
I turned to Jackson, bringing him into the conversation.
“Pleased to meet you.” Jackson held his hand out to shake theirs, but Gloria kept her hands firmly at her side. Uncle Mick shook his hand, but frowned as he did.
“Are you? Do you two? Erm.” Uncle Mick was lost for words. That was a first.
“Isn’t it obvious, Mick? They’re together now. Ryley must’ve upgraded. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”
All eyes landed on me, and I felt myself getting hot and flustered, redness moving over my chest and creeping up to my face.
“Yes. Something like that.” I managed to get the words out. God knows how with how tight my throat felt. This would get back to my parents by morning, I just knew it. My anonymity was slipping through my fingers quicker than grains of sand.
Jackson snaked his arm around my waist and gazed at me with as much adoration as his frozen heart could muster.
“It’s all pretty new at the moment. We’re taking things slow.” He placed a kiss on my cheek, and I let out a low breath I hadn’t even realised I’d been holding in. It must’ve looked like a romantic gasp, as Gloria pressed her hands over her heart.
“Oh, aren’t you two just the cutest couple here tonight. I can’t remember the last time I saw Ryley so enamoured. It suits her.” She winked at me, and then spotted another friend of hers across the room. Waving at them, she gave her excuses and left the three of us to our awkward encounter.
“So, Caine, you say? Jackson Caine?” Uncle Mick was scrunching his brow in thought, trying to piece together some long lost memory.
“I own a few local clubs and bars,” Jackson stated proudly. “I have one currently in the building and licensing application stages. Elite. Have you heard of it?”
I took this as my cue to jump in, but I didn’t need to.
“Yes, I’ve heard of it. So you’re the Caine trying to push through the late license for the new… establishment.” Uncle Mick’s cheeks took on a rosy hue.
What sort of establishment was this Elite club? It looked like Uncle Mick wasn’t too keen, so it didn’t take a genius to guess it involved women and… other stuff.
Jackson took a swig of his whiskey, and that nervous tic in his neck kicked back into action, but his face remained passive.
“Yes, that would be me.”
Uncle Mick nodded thoughtfully and furrowed his brow, obviously wrestling some moral dilemma in his head.
“I saw that on my desk a few weeks ago. I’ll look into it for you when I’m next in the office. I’m sure we can get that all signed off.”
Jackson’s demeanour changed in an instance.
“Thank you, sir. That would be really, really helpful. The delays have cost us a lot of time and money.”
Uncle Mick’s face relaxed slightly. “Anything I can do to help. A friend of Ryley’s is a friend of ours.”
“Thanks, Uncle Mick.” I gave him another hug and he chuckled.
“Actually, I’ve also been looking into planning permission for another venture. A new charity of mine.” We both turned to face Jackson as he spoke with renewed vigour. “I’m looking for investors and funding for a new initiative. A place of refuge for the homeless people of this city. It’d also serve the men at risk in our community, sufferi
ng with their mental health.”
Woah. I felt my ears prick up in an instant. A charity? Jackson Caine was investing his dirty money to help other people. What was in it for him? He didn’t do ‘charity’.