Bad Girl Lessons by Seraphina Donavan, Wicked Muse Page B

the room for her cousin, but when Lisa’s face did not appear she breathed a sigh of relief. She would have to face her eventually, but not after an ugly confrontation with her mother. The receptionist ushered her into the loan manager’s office, which was, in fact, nothing more than a glass enclosed cubicle. Evie completed the application she’d been given and the little man who came in reviewed it. He typed into the computer for several minutes, asking her terse questions. It was hardly a friendly process.
    “I’m sorry, Miss Harper, but we need more documentation before we can approve the loan.”
    “What documentation? My credit is perfect.”
    “Of course, your other loan was paid off without ever missing or being late on a single payment.”
    Evie felt ill. “I don’t understand. I’ve never had a loan here before.”
    “You borrowed money for Mr. Trevor Dupree, for his accounting firm. I understand that the two of you have recently parted ways, but I assure you, I have all the proper signatures on file.”
    “Who witnessed the signatures?” she demanded.
    “Lisa Harper. I believe she’s a cousin of yours,” he offered helpfully.
    “She is. She’s also the woman Trevor ran away with. I did not sign those papers, Mr. Morris!”
    The man appeared visibly distraught. “My only advice to you, Miss Harper, is to retain a lawyer. As Miss Harper is an employ of the bank, I’m afraid I cannot say anything further.”
    “I need copies of the loan documents and I also need all of my account statements for the past six months.”
    He gulped nervously. “Of course, Miss Harper. If you’d like to come back at four, I’ll have everything ready for you.” Evie nodded and walked out of the office. She was absolutely reeling as she made her way towards the doors. She stepped out into the bright afternoon sunshine and wanted nothing more than to see Jackson. Cursing, she slid behind the wheel of her car and made the long drive out to the lake.
    When she got out of her car, she followed the sound of Jackson’s blaring southern rock. He was in his small detached garage, up to his elbows in engine grease and appeared to be happy as a clam. He wasn’t working on his truck, but on an ancient Chevy that appeared to be more rust than metal. Hot, sweaty, dirty and sexy as hell, Evie’s knees went a little weak when she saw him. As if he sensed her presence there, he turned to her with a questioning gaze. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
    “I may not be able to get a loan to buy a house because Trevor forged my signature on a business loan for himself.”
    Jackson pulled himself completely out of the car then, and wiped his hands on a grease covered rag. “Why would Trevor need a business loan? His family owns the building that his office is in. He doesn’t have any employees, and his overhead is next to nothing.”
    “I don’t know. But Lisa knew about it. She ‘witnessed’ my signatures on the documents. What if there’s more? Mr. Morris is supposed to be getting all of my bank statements together for me, as well as the loan documents. I’m supposed to pick them up this afternoon.”
    “And Trevor’s insistence that you get back together is because he is probably trying to cover his tracks.”
    “Probably, but he hasn’t called or approached me today.”
    “You’re not going to meet with him alone. Trevor is now and always has been an underhanded bastard, but this is a new low even for him.”
    “Trevor would never hurt me physically.”
    “He already did,” he said, pointing to her arm, “And apparently he’s a forger and defrauder, as well. You don’t know him, Evie. Not really.”
    Evie had no response to that. “I don’t know what to do.”
    “You press charges,” he said, angrily. “It’s identity theft and fraud.”
    “Oh, god. My mother is going to be impossible about this,” she said.
    Jackson didn’t disagree. Margaret Harper hated scandal of any sort. He put his arm around her