Chapter Four
Two days later, Sloane sank into her big brother’s welcoming hug. Donovan’s solid presence never failed to calm her.
He was the logical one. She was the tenacious, go-for-what-she-wanted-no-matter-what one. Until her job at Organic Chemistry. She’d stayed there longer than she should have. It was her first job after returning to San Diego. She’d always been appreciative of the opportunity and remained loyal, no matter what they threw at her. That decision had ultimately cost her. But no matter. A good lemon meringue cupcake had ended up giving her the boost she needed. Fortified by sugar and cream, she’d opened her tablet and started scouring job posting sites for her next potential gig.
She was okay. Mostly. She was still unemployed, and the swirling in her stomach hadn’t ceased entirely. She’d been thrilled to get a call from her brother last night, inviting her to the shop. He had some family business he wanted to discuss with her. She’d leaped at the opportunity to get out of her apartment and away from her personal turmoil.
Donovan stepped back. “Thanks for coming. How you doing?”
Peachy keen. Gainfully unemployed. But she wasn’t ready to say that out loud just yet. Then, it would be real. Really real. She’d quit a decent job with no backup plan in place. And although she’d come seeking some “here’s the plan” advice from Donovan a few days ago, she’d ultimately decided to figure things out on her own. Besides, hopefully, she’d have a new job soon, and this moment of unemployment would just be a little blip in her plan for world domination.
“I’m good. What about you?” She sounded normal, cheerful even.
“Busy, but good.” Her brother walked around his desk and sank into his leather chair. “Did you see what happened with August a couple of days ago?”
Sloane sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk and dropped her purse at her feet. “Yeah, I was here, actually.”
Donovan’s head cocked to the side, his brow furrowing. “You were? August didn’t mention it.”
Like she would be surprised by that. Sloane’s lips quirked. “When does August mention things?”
Donovan’s expression cleared. “Good point.” His eyes narrowed. “Wait. Why were you here in the middle of the day?”
Prepared for the question, she had her answer ready. “I got off early and decided to come see my brother, but someone was off getting his engagement photos taken.”
A gloriously goofy grin bloomed across his face, which was hilarious, because “goofy” was a word that would have never applied to her brother before he met his now-fiancée, Jada. A sickeningly sweet expression took up residence on his face as he reached out to trace a picture frame on his desk. Sloane didn’t have to crane her neck to know the photo was of Jada. She loved that her brother had found love, but she still had her role to play as the little sister, so she rolled her eyes and made a gagging noise.
He cleared his throat and sat up straighter. “Back to why I asked you to come down here.”
A serious expression settled on his face, while his voice deepened, which only made her roll her eyes harder. They’d lived in the same house too long for her to be intimidated by his business owner persona.
He side-eyed her.
She grinned harder.
He shook his head. “Did you happen to notice the line when you walked in?”
Her eyes widened. “Uh, yeah. It’s crazy out there.”
Every table was filled, and the line was out the door. She’d had to use the skills she’d honed in ballet classes as a kid to wind her way through the rambunctious crowd.
He chuckled. “I presume you know why.”
She could play dumb, but one, that was nonsensical, and two, she was already lying to her brother. No need to add anything to her apologize-for-this-later list. “August went viral.”
An understatement.
She loved social media, and she saw in real time how the videos of August blew up on the app still known as Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Because the store had been full, there’d been several videos to choose from, from all around the store. And like the fool she was, she’d watched them all. The man did not have a bad angle. His voice was pure velvet, his words pure poetry.
But hey, she didn’t have a job to worry about. She had nothing but time to watch and catalog every minute movement of his handsome features. The right eyebrow that went up slightly higher than the left while he ranted. The pinkness of his tongue. His biteable Adam’s apple that bobbed up and down. The flex of his shoulders under a polo that barely seemed up to the task of holding the wide body parts inside.
They were calling him SugarBae, and really, she couldn’t blame them. His passionate response to those dweebs was panty-melting. What woman attracted to men wouldn’t find another man passionately defending women and railing against toxic masculinity attractive? That inner fire and innate sense of good is what had attracted her to August so many years ago. Back then, August had decimated all her defenses, and she’d had to work overtime to rebuild the walls around her heart after that whole situation blew up in her face.
As she sat there, undoubtedly odes to his goodness and hotness were being written and recorded about him. Yes, she’d watched some of those videos and had tracked the #SugarBae hashtag before she’d come to her senses and stopped. She was not a smitten seventeen-year-old anymore. She was an adult and knew idolizing men was a recipe for disaster. Her last relationship was testament to that. After that relationship met its demise three years ago, she’d returned to San Diego.
Her brother’s laughter brought her back to the present. “He did, much to his dismay. I’m surprised you didn’t bring it up as soon as you walked in.”
“Well, I was here when all that went down, and you’re right. In real time, he was definitely horrified when the place erupted in applause. He bolted to your office.” She’d waffled on whether or not to go after him. After all, they didn’t have that kind of relationship, not anymore. But he’d been concerned about her earlier, so she’d gone after him.
She’d slipped inside the office. He’d been sitting at the desk with his head in his hands.
“Hey,” she said softly. “You okay?”
He looked up. “I’m fine.” His voice sounded fine, but his beautiful eyes told a different story.
“Okay, but…”
“I’m fine, Sloane.” His lips twisted into a faint resemblance of a smile. “They’ll forget about me in five minutes.”
She wasn’t so sure, but she said “okay” after a moment’s hesitation, and left him alone. What else was she supposed to do?
After all, they weren’t close. Not anymore. Even when they were, he was very good at keeping his thoughts to himself.
Returning to the present, she focused on her brother. “He said he was fine, so I decided to keep my two cents to myself and let y’all handle it.”
And because she was a marketing professional, she asked, “So what did y’all decide to do about it?”
Donovan grimaced. “That’s the thing. We haven’t done much beyond coaxing him out to the front to take selfies with his new fans. He does it, and then goes back into hiding.”
Sloane groaned. “Seriously? What are you paying that marketing company money for? Y’all have to capitalize on the moment. You can’t buy advertising like that.”
“I’m aware, Sloane.”
Sloane waited to see if he would add to his statement. When he didn’t, she threw her hands up. “That’s all you have to say? Donovan, have I taught you nothing? He went viral and you guys did nothing? Did you even look at social media?”
“Briefly.” He continued when she groaned. “In my defense, I’ve been busy. When it all went down, I was taking engagement photos. I’m planning a wedding, running a business, and making sure I stay in somewhat decent shape during the offseason.”
“Blah, blah, blah.” She loved her brother, but really. “Part of running a successful business is courting potential customers, and when you’re handed a golden opportunity like this, you can’t let it slip through your fingers. You let the public do the work with you and Jada last year, but y’all should really up your game and do some work yourself. Aren’t you about to open a second location?”
“Yes, Sloane. Any other aspersions you’d like to cast against my character?”
She rolled her eyes. “Stop being dramatic. And didactic. You’re not the only one in the family who knows big words.” Education had been drummed into their heads by their parents. “Anyway, I digress. You have to take advantage of this opportunity. Give me your phone.”
“Sloane…”
“Give me the phone. Don’t worry. I’m not going to sext Jada or whatever you’re worrying about. I’m just going to show you how social media is done.”
Donovan groaned. “Really, Sloane?” But he handed over the phone.
Her brother might not put much stock in social media, but he was also a control freak and would be logged in to all of the store’s accounts to monitor them and delete anything the marketing company posted he didn’t like. Sloane opened Instagram and went to Sugar Blitz’s page. She scrolled through a few posts. Gross. Nothing but generic tripe that didn’t reflect the personalities of any of the three owners. Yay, they made cupcakes. Big whoop. So did a million other companies in San Diego. She could do better in her sleep.
She scrolled through her brother’s photo album. He was very organized. She very carefully avoided any folder that could even be remotely related to his fiancée. No brother dick pics for her. Actually, no dick pics for her no matter who was sending them. Why did men think the sexual organ was so visually appealing or that women were dying to being confronted with images of them before they had their first coffee of the day?
She stopped at a photo of August and Nicholas standing in Sugar Blitz, the natural sunshine streaming in through the win dow bathing them in perfect light. He and Nicholas were laughing. That really was too much handsome in one photo, even if only one of them made her heart race like she’d been running in the hundred-meter dash, something she’d never willingly participate in. Exercise was a necessary evil, according to all the medical experts, so she reluctantly put in her time in the gym, but she hated every second of it.
She opened a photo editing app on the phone, adjusted the lighting in the shot, and after a moment’s hesitation cropped Nicholas out of the picture. Sorry, she mentally apologized to her friend. He could get his own post later, but today was all about August.
The all-important caption was next. “August is here, right?” When Donovan nodded, she quickly typed. Spontaneity and authenticity were important.
WE SEE ALL THOSE POSTS ABOUT #SUGARBAE AND WE LOVE THEM. TO SHOW HOW MUCH WE APPRECIATE THEM, WE THOUGHT WE’D LET Y’ALL KNOW AUGUST IS HERE NOW! Come meet your feminist king and get 15% off your order when you show this post.
She reread the post to make sure there were no typos, stared at his photo a second longer than was strictly necessary, and pressed Send. She cross-posted to Twitter.
She quickly checked the stats on Instagram and handed the phone back. “There. One thousand likes in two minutes. See how easy that was.”
Donovan shook his head. “August isn’t going to like this.”
“August isn’t going to like what?” The voice of the man in question filled the room.
Sloane twisted in her seat. She’d tried to prepare herself, but fine was fine, and could a woman ever really prepare herself for all this? She’d been around August and Nicholas countless times over the years, but it still never failed to hit her how good-looking they were. Photos didn’t do them justice.
They came in, all pure athletic grace, and took seats at the small conference table a few feet away.
“Hey, if it isn’t my favorite Dell, who also happens to be the prettiest and smartest member of the family,” Nicholas said, with a flirtatious wink. He’d flirt with a fish if he thought he’d get a reaction. He was a pretty man, there was no doubt, but he’d never made her heart go pitter-patter. Not like…
Sloane rolled her eyes. “How was last night’s date, Nicholas?”
“Great, but I’d drop her in a minute if only you’d give me a chance.”
Sloane snorted. He was kidding. They both knew it. Everyone in the room knew it. Donovan was barely paying attention, his head buried in something fascinating on his computer.
August only briefly met her eyes. He nodded but remained quiet. She would not acknowledge the shiver the quick glance sent through her.
“Thanks for joining us,” Nicholas said.
Us? She shifted a suspicious gaze to her brother. “No offense, guys, but what are they doing here?”
“Well, they do co-own the business with me,” Donovan said.
She shot him a look. “I’m aware, but you said you needed to talk to me. You said it was very important family business, and I couldn’t say no, remember?”
“Yes, and it is about family business. This business.”
Was it illegal to kill your sibling if you had just cause? Surely no jury would convict her. She worked her jaw side to side, in search of calm, before responding. “What do you want, Donovan?”
“I want to offer you a job.”
“You told him you quit your job?” August asked.
“You quit your job?” Big-brother tone had made an appearance.
Sloane winced. Shit. She should have been prepared for that, but she didn’t expect to see August today, given that he usually avoided her like the plague. Double homicide was going to be the charge, a little harder to get out of, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her. She glared at August, who was already whispering “fuck” to himself. Yeah, well, join the party. She’d been fucked over at her last place of employment. “Yes, I quit a couple of days ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? And how does August know?” Bewilderment spread across Donovan’s face.
“Well, I did come by the store to talk to you about it, but you were out shooting your engagement photos.”
“I called you last night.” Add hurt to the list of her brother’s emotional whiplash.
“Yes, but back to the day I quit. That was the day August made his speech.”
“And?” Donovan crossed his arms. Uh-oh. Overprotective big-brother mode had been activated.
“Right. Well, as it so happens, I was inspired by what he said and decided to take control of my own destiny, so to speak. I went home and made a plan. Hopefully, this is temporary unemployment, a small blip that we’ll laugh about in the future.” Her brother didn’t look convinced. Maybe because she was still trying to convince herself. But she made sure her gaze didn’t waver. Her brother would smell weakness in an instant and start putting together an action plan before she could blink.
He propped his elbows on the desk, steepled his fingers, and tilted his head to the side, just like their mother did when she suspected her children were up to some bullshit. “I see. Like I said, I want to offer you a job, and it looks like it’s coming at exactly the right time.” He held up a hand. “Let me get it all out before you object. As you know, we employ an outside company to handle our social media. However, I haven’t been happy with their performance in a while. It’s very rudimentary, nothing that’s going to move the needle. Now is the time to devote more time to growing our following, as we prepare to open a second location. Courting viral moments rarely works out in anyone’s favor, but luckily for us, we recently had one drop into our laps, and we need to take advantage of it.”
August groaned. Donovan continued like he hadn’t heard him. “Which you yourself admitted and demonstrated less than ten minutes ago, dear sister.”
Oops. A miscalculation on her part. She hadn’t thought her brother was going to offer her a job, if only because they’d been down this road several times before. She loved her brother to pieces, but she didn’t want to rely on him. She didn’t want to rely on any man. That hadn’t worked for her mom with her dad, and she’d vowed as a young girl to never find herself in the same position.
No, Donovan would never do her wrong, but she also didn’t want to ride the coattails of her famous and successful brother. She wanted to earn everything she did on her own, through her own merits. The last time he’d asked, she’d told him if he offered her a job again she’d replace all the sugar in Sugar Blitz’s coffers with salt. He hadn’t asked again. Until now.
Donovan continued speaking. “This is the perfect time for you and me. I’ve already relieved the company of their duties. You need a job.”
While her big brother was correct, she had some tricks up the ol’ sleeve, as well. “Yes, I need a job, but I have several prospects already. I have an interview tomorrow, and I’m not lying about that.”
Her brother sighed. “Is there anything we can do to get you to change your mind?”
Again, her gaze caught on the silent man sitting a few feet away. “Nope.”