Page 21 of Lumi

Lumi: That’s blackmail!!!!

Damian: Come to the beach with us. I’m old and have a poor memory. Tomorrow, I won’t remember what happened. I promise!

Lumi: I’ll come, but if you ever mention any of it to anyone, I’ll never forgive you.

Damian: You have my word, princess!

Present Day

Shaking the memory from my mind, I hung my towel, dressed, and went to find Lumi, who handcuffed us again.

“I sent Jolene the video of our discussion from yesterday,” she said as we ate breakfast.

“Good.” I downed the large glass of water and reached for a banana.

“What would you like to do today?” she asked.

I shrugged. “It’s Friday. We should go out. I’m invited to a house-warmin’ party tonight.”

“Who is hosting?”

“Logan. Remember him?”

Lumi watched me like she was a scientist studying a new species and finding it odd.

I stopped chewing my banana. “What?”

“I’m surprised that you want me to come to Logan’s party. Are we talking about the same Logan you got into a fight with at your thirtieth birthday party?”

I shrugged again. “That’s almost nine years ago.”

Lumi’s face wasn’t very expressive, and it was hard for me to read her.

“Where’s the party?” she asked.

“A ten-minute walk from here.”

“Logan moved to my neighborhood?”

“It’s nothing special. The apartment belongs to Big Red.”

“Who?”

“Ye’ve met him. He’s a colleague of mine. Anyway, Big Red and his wife moved in with her dad, who’s sick. That’s why they’re renting out their place to Logan.”

Lumi was thoughtful for a moment, and then she nodded her head. “I’m in. But in return, you’ll let me work a few hours.”

“No problem, as long as we can go to my gym first.”

“Let me work first, and then we’ll go to the gym.”

I groaned. Being handcuffed was turning bloody irritating.

“You can watch a movie with a headset on while I answer emails and make some important phone calls.

“All right, but then ye have to not only come to my gym but also work out with me.”

“Why?”