Page 22 of Thicker Than Water

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Reece

I’ve been in LA for the last couple of days. My attempts to keep Lucía out of my mind have turned out to be a total failure. She’s all I’ve been able to think about. I went out for drinks with my three best friends from high school, Oman, Graham and Dave. Not a single woman I saw sparked any interest. I just kept comparing them to her.

Plus, the email she sent this morning makes me feel guilty for not keeping a closer eye on her.

“Liza, get operations on the phone and get Lucía Vega a new driver,” I say into my speakerphone. “Already on it, Reece,” she responds. Of course she is. Lucía’s email was addressed to Liza, but she put me on copy. It was only a couple of lines, asking how she could go about getting a new driver assigned. She didn’t say why, but I know my cousin. He’s an asshole, and always has been. I wish my dad would let us fire him. But when my father’s younger brother died, my father promised to take care of his son. And he has.

He’s only a couple years older than me. When we were kids, we were close. But as we’ve gotten older he’s changed. He’s accused my dad of treating me differently than he treats him. The truth is, when it comes to Artemis, my dad doesn’t mix his personal feelings with the interest of the company. He’s passed me over for promotions before because someone else was better. His actions just made me want to work harder.

But Coco? It made him angry and he’s acted out in ways that have left my parents up at night worrying and making excuses for him. He’s a shit of a person. I shouldn’t have let him be assigned to her in the first place. I open my email and write to Lucía.

To: Lucí[email protected]

From:[email protected]

Subject: Your request

Luc,

Got your email. I’ve requested a new driver be assigned. He’ll be there this afternoon. Care to tell me why you need a new driver?

R.

* * *

Less than two minutes later, her response pops into my mailbox.

To: RCarras

From: Lucía

Subject: RE: Your request.

Reece,

Thanks for the heads up. I’m not trying to get Coco fired, just felt a little uncomfortable. I can tell you more tomorrow during our yoga lesson.

See ya,

LV

* * *

I respond right away.

To: Lucía

From: RCarras

Subject: Re: re: Your request

All right 55, I’ll let you off the hook. But tomorrow, we’re swimmi

ng. We’ve had four days of yoga. I need to spend some time in the water. I do have other things to do, but if you need something, I’ll take care of it for you. Coco’s not getting fired, unless what you tell me tomorrow warrants it.

See you in the morning.