Page 339 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol 4

I honestly hadn’t thought about that option. “I don’t know.”

“Well I think I know what’s going on,” Kennedy said. “It’s going to sound crazy, but just hear me out.”

“Okay…”

“Uncle Jim has always been in my life. And he’s always helped my mom out, especially after we lost my dad. And I don’t know why, but I kind of always assumed that they might end up together.”

“Your mom and my uncle?”

Kennedy nodded.

She was right, that was definitely crazy. Mrs. Alcaraz and my uncle were friends. Not lovers. “Kennedy…”

“So I think he was on a date. He even called my mom to make sure you’d have dinner with us, just so he could make sure that she knew that he was on a date.”

“Wait…what?”

“I think he was trying to make my mom jealous! Because he loves her! And when he came over last night he just wanted to show off his fancy suit and give her some papers to sign.”

“Papers?”

“Not important. Brooklyn, if they get married, we’ll be sisters!”

That wasn’t how that worked. Jim was my uncle, not my father. “Wait, how does all this relate to Project Undercover Daddy?”Oh God, why did I just call it that?

“I guess it’s more about my soon-to-be new dad.” She shrugged. “Sorry.”

“But you said there were papers he had your mom sign?”

She clapped her hands as we made it up the steps outside Empire High. “You’re right. It was probably a marriage certificate!”

I laughed. “So you think he went out with another woman to make your mom jealous. And then immediately married your mom?”

“Well when you put it like that…” Kennedy laughed too. “So scratch the marriage thing. But they really might be in love.”

Maybe.“It always just seemed like they were friends to me.”

“I don’t know…my mom was certainly agitated last night while Jim was out on his date. She kept yanking food out of my mouth and trying to change the subject.”

“That’s because you kept implying that I was down for threesomes.”

She laughed. “Maybe. Or maybe she’s been pining for Uncle Jim this whole time. And even if they’re not already married, they still might get hitched one day. It’s going to be weird when I have to stop calling him uncle, huh?” She shook her head. “I’m going to go tell Cupcake all about it. See you in English class!” She practically skipped away.

I shook my head as I stopped by my locker. Uncle Jim and Mrs. Alcaraz? I hung up my jacket and grabbed a few books. I wasn’t sure I could picture it as easily as Kennedy could. Although if they did get married, I’d get to eat Mrs. Alcaraz’s delicious pancakes every morning. And those empanadas. And even though I wasn’t my uncle’s daughter, Kennedy was right. It would practically make us sisters. Was it possible that the conversation Kennedy had overheard the other night was about that? That I would be related to someone at the schoolifUncle Jim and Mrs. Alcaraz got married? If that was the case, Mrs. Alcaraz didn’t know who my father was. It also meant that the secret wouldn’t be spreading to me anytime soon either.

I sighed and closed my locker. And then I’m pretty sure I jumped out of my skin. Because James was silently leaning against the locker next to mine, his arms folded across his chest, a frown on his face.

“I thought we had an agreement,” he said.

I swallowed hard. “We do.” I looked around. There were students walking around. Unlike Matt, James didn’t seem to care if anyone saw us together.

“You don’t think I noticed you getting closer to Felix these last few weeks? And now he just randomly decides to stop selling to me? You want me to believe that’s a coincidence?”

“He stopped selling to you?” I would have smiled if James wasn’t staring daggers at me. Felix had done what I’d asked. He’d risked his whole business for me.

“Don’t play games with me, Sanders.”

He used my last name like his little brother always did. But he wasn’t joking around with me like Rob. James looked…really pissed. “I’m not.” I tried to keep my voice even. “I didn’t tell Felix to stop selling to you.”