BILLIONAIRE ANGEL (Point St. Claire, where true love finds a way) by Robyn Grady

“the wheels were turning. The police were investigating. Papers were with the insurance company. I made a decision. I kept quiet. Rick thought I was making a mistake.”
    “I told her we should come clean and go back to plan A,” Rick said. “Both of you moving in with me. We had a big argument about it.”
    Ann explained, “I was filled with guilt. Later, I was sure someone would turn us in.”
    “Not us , Ann,” Billy pointed out. “Turn you in.”
    But now...she was certain Ann was telling the truth. That didn’t excuse the fact that she had made that huge decision without her. She would have fought her on it, like Rick...who Billy suddenly had more respect for.
    “The insurance money went through,” Ann went on. “We paid out the mortgage. You had money for college. I started up a business.”
    “The cafe?” Billy asked. “Or the sex shop?”
    “You know I love health and cooking. From day one, I adored my cafe, but it was slow to kick off. After some research, I found out what others have known for centuries. What our courtesan ancestor must have known. Sex sells.” Ann’s expression changed. “You almost came across the ring one day,” she said. “You were looking through my jewelry box and I came in. The blood froze in my veins.”
    Billy crossed her arms. “Maybe that was the time to tell me.”
    “Maybe it was.”
    Jax summized, “You decided to move it on instead.”
    “I sold a lot of erotic jewelry,” Ann said. “There’s a huge market.”
    Billy sat down beside her. “You didn’t, well, get more into that scene, did you?”
    “I sold books, jewelry,” Ann said, “that was it. I kept the ring hidden there for a while. One day a lady came in looking for something different. She was prepared to pay a great deal.”
    “Mrs. Garfield,” Jax said.
    “I showed her the ring,” Ann said, “gave her a price. She walked out one very happy customer and that was the end of the whole long, unpleasant episode. Or so I thought.”
    Rick added, “She always intended to repay the insurance money.”
    Jax cocked an eyebrow. “How?”
    “I had ideas of telling them,” Ann said, “that the ring had shown up and they could have their payout back.”
    “But the insurance company went belly up a year after the payout,” Rick explained.
    Billy wasn’t happy, but she could see how events and circumstances had conspired. She searched her sister’s eyes.
    “Were you ever going to tell me?”
    “I always wanted to,” Ann said, reaching for her sister’s hand. “I’m almost glad you found out. I don’t know that Mom would ever have forgiven me…”
    When Ann’s voice hitched and she hung her head, Billy squeezed her sister’s hand and then brought her in for a hug.
    Finally that mystery was solved. And now?
    Well, she’d made a plan. It was time to push forward. Time to move on with her life.

Chapter 15
    An hour later, Billy was back in the passenger seat of Jax’s vehicle when, standing outside, Rick handed something to Ann who passed it on to her sister.
    Billy studied the envelope. “What’s this?”
    “Open it on your way home,” Ann said, and then smiled softly at Jax. “Thanks for helping make this right. This last bit...” She leaned in through the window and dropped a kiss on her sister’s forehead. “Well, now all the loose ends will be tied.”
    On the road again, Billy ripped open the seal. Hands on the wheel, Jax glanced across and grinned. “Looks interesting.”
    She extracted a bank passbook and opened it to the identification page. “It’s a bank account made out in my name, opened eight years ago.” She flipped to the next page and made a sound like she’d lost her breath. “There’s a single transaction. A deposit. A big one.”
    When she told him the amount, Jax let out a long low whistle. “The purchase price of the ring from Mrs. Garfield, I presume.”
    “There’s a note or card in here, too. No. A photo . It’s me and Ann selling homemade