Chapter 41
Colin
The past month has been quiet. Too quiet. Things have been too good, but today, the energy in the office is different. Milton Kincaid is coming in today. I’ve seen him at least twice each week for the past month, and he’s doing well. He’s going to retire officially, but he will still maintain an office and take on special projects if he wants. Starting next year, he plans to travel more and find a girlfriend, possibly wife number five, if he’s lucky.
My office door swings open, and Heath skips inside. “I’m tracking his location, and he’s in the neighborhood. Uncle Milton didn’t let me track him for the past few months. I wonder what that was all about?”
I don’t answer. I don’t bother to ask Heath if he tracks me, but it’s possible since I often give him my phone to do things.
“Anyway, the large conference room is all set. I gave it some extra love and attention this morning. I’m one step ahead of Ernestine, who I still can’t believe you promoted. You should have given me that job.”
Heath’s a great assistant, and aside from his rivalry with Ernestine and his dislike for Brynne, he does a great job of anticipating my every want and need.
“And have you noticed Ice Princess has been smiling a lot lately? I bet it has to do with that ten-thousand-dollar Cartier necklace around her neck. I even heard her laugh the other day, and I asked her if she ran over a puppy on her way to work since I've never heard her laugh before.” I roll my eyes. Brynne laughs all the time. She just mostly scowls when Heath’s around. “And she had the nerve to scowl.” He shakes his head. “Anyway, don’t forget Friday is the potluck. I arranged it.”
“I don’t do potlucks, Heath. Too many people with cats in this office.”
He leaves, but a moment later, he returns with Uncle Milton. He closes the door behind him and then hugs our uncle. Uncle Milton waves to me and the three of us hug in the office.
“Okay, enough of that,” he says as he pushes us away. “Men in my generation don’t hug, but I’m trying to change. Now, Heath, get me a coffee while I catch up with Paddy Cake.”
“Uncle Paddy Cake’s been doing a great job, but if you can get him to fire the witch and the Ice Princess, that would be great. I think it’s time someone gifts her with another broom.” Heath leaves without any more explanation, and I don’t bother telling Uncle Milton about his rivalry with Ernestine and his frosty relationship with Brynne.
We spend the next half hour talking business and catching up on the office. We discuss projects we’ve completed since I started, new projects we’ve taken on, and which architects are handling which projects.
“I’m pleased,” he says. “Brynne would have done a good job, but I felt this comfort leaving things in your hand while I was sick. And don’t get too comfortable. I’m kicking cancer’s ass.” He takes off his glasses and puts down his iPad.
Soon after, he leaves my office to meet with the employees.
As any Kincaid would do, we arrive in the conference room ten minutes before the meeting. Heath comes in on our heels, wheeling a cart with coffee and paper cups.
“Is Brynne okay?” Uncle Milton whispers to me.
“Didn’t you see her?” I ask.
Last night, when I tried to bring up Uncle Milton’s visit, Brynne didn’t respond. She nodded and commented on a television show.
“I did, and she was distant.” I raise an eyebrow and wait for him to say more. “Did you do something to piss her off? I told you not to make her mad.”
“Are you serious?” I ask my uncle, who gives me a blank stare. “You promised her a job and gave it to me. If she’s pissed off, it’s at you, not at me.”
His head rolls back as if my words surprise him, but I’m not shocked that he didn’t make the connection. The man’s been married and divorced four times. That doesn’t just happen by chance. The men in my family are book smart but lack self-awareness, and even though Uncle Milton has always been the most stable and levelheaded adult male figure in my life, he’s not immune to being oblivious.
“ Me ?” he asks as if the idea is absurd. “You think she’s still mad about that?”
“I guarantee it.” But I'll be fine if she’s mad at him, not me.
“And she would usually be here by now. I trained her to think and act like a Kincaid. She’s always early to meetings.” I don’t tell him that she thinks his meetings are pointless and that she would cease most of them if she were in charge.
“Well, you can’t train her like a Kincaid and treat her like she’s not.” He opens his mouth to respond, but people trickle in, so he shuts it. I stare at the door and wonder if Brynne will bother coming to this meeting, but she walks in and stands in the back right before we start.
She looks at me, and I wink at her. She winks back, and even from here, I can see her blush. She’s sexy in a black pantsuit and a royal blue shirt. Her hair is curly today, and I can’t wait to pull it later.
“Brynne,” Uncle Milton says once the meeting is over. She has her back turned, ready to leave, but she pauses and slowly turns around. There’s no smile on her face for my uncle, only detached professionalism. “I’d like you to join me and Paddy Cake for lunch.”
“Can you not call me that in the office?” I ask, giving him the side-eye.
“I think I’ll let you two go and have lunch. I’m on a tight deadline, and I have an appointment.” She looks at her nonexistent watch again and says, “Have a nice lunch.” She walks out before Milton can utter a word. I’m sure she’s lying about the appointment because she didn’t mention it last night.
“I don’t like that,” Milton says. “She’s not even wearing a watch and never once passed up on lunch with me.”
“Well, Uncle Milton, you stabbed her in the back.”
“If you had agreed to come work with me years ago, this wouldn’t have happened,” he says.
“If you were honest with her—”
“I was. I didn’t think there was a chance in hell you’d give up that nice San Diego weather to come back to this frozen wasteland. This mess is on you.”
I stare into his eyes and wait for him to get a clue, but he stares back at me. “Me? You can’t be serious. This is all on you, Uncle Milton.”
“Oh, hogwash.” He waves his hand in dismissal before tapping my shoulder and telling me to follow him, but instead of returning to his office or the elevator, he leads me to Brynne’s office. When we get there, she’s shrugging into her coat.
She looks at us, but she doesn’t smile. It’s bitter cold outside, and I resist the urge to button her coat and put the hat on her curly head like I did this morning. I look down at her black stilettos and worry she’ll fall, and I won’t be there to catch her.
“Brynne, did you change your mind about lunch? We can go to that place you like,” Uncle Milton says.
“Um, no. I’m actually running late to my appointment.” She walks to the door, opens it, and gestures for us to leave.
I grab my coat on the way to the lobby, and Uncle Milton does the same. She’s still waiting for the elevator when we arrive, and we share an awkward silence down to the lobby. I gesture for her to exit, and we follow her out the front door.
I almost stop when I see a tall, Black man standing outside the building. He looks out of place, dressed in jeans, work boots, and a cowboy hat. When he sees her, he smiles. I don’t move as I watch them. They shake hands, and it seems professional, but I don’t like the way he’s looking at her. He’s admiring her body a little too long, and the look on his face is not how you would look at a professional colleague.
And she did not mention this meeting or this man to me.
“Come on, Paddy,” Uncle Milton says as his driver pulls up to the front of our building.
Instead of going in the car, I walk to Brynne and say, “Where are you going, and who is this man?” I don’t bother to pull her aside to ask. I say it so that he can hear me too.
She looks around and says, “This is Sonny, and he’s the builder working on my house. We’re having lunch to go over a few things.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this last night or this morning?” I think my question shocks her, but it shouldn’t. As many questions as I’ve answered about Francesca and my past, the least she could have done was tell me about this Sonny.
“Because he called me about an hour ago,” she whispers. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“What’s wrong with me is that I see my girlfriend going out with a strange man. That’s what’s wrong.” And I’ll never admit it, but he’s handsome, looks successful, and doesn’t have the baggage I have with her. It would be easier for her to walk away from me and be with this guy.
She takes my arm and pulls me away from this Sonny. I also notice that Uncle Milton watches us instead of sitting in his car.
“What the hell?” she asks. The wind blows her hair all over her head. I stick my hand in her pocket, pull out her cute little hat, and put it on her head. “What are you doing?” she hisses.
“I don’t like how this guy is looking at you,” I say. I rub my thumb along her cheek.
“It’s business, Colin. I don’t have to clear my business dealings with you.”
“If I was getting in a car with a woman, you would have plenty to say, wouldn’t you?” I see her nostrils flare at my question. I already know the answer. She’d care, and she’d confront me.
“Okay.” She raises her hands. “But it’s business. Have I ever given you the impression that I would cheat on you with a man I’d invite to meet me at the office? Come on.”
“Where are you guys going?” I ask.
“Just two doors down to the food court.”
“If I have to go find you in that food court, I will make a scene.”
“You better not do any such thing. Go.” She points to the car, and as if it’s a reflex, I bend down and kiss her lips before walking away. She kisses me back but pulls away as if she just remembered we have an audience.
This Sonny is looking with his eyebrows raised, and Uncle Milton is also watching, but he remains expressionless. He’s always been the best poker player in our family.
“Did you just kiss me in front of Milton?” Brynne asks, outraged. She looks around me at him. He lifts his hand and waves at us. I wave back, but Brynne gasps and looks away. “He saw that,” she whispers.
“Well, that’s a plot twist I didn’t see coming,” Uncle Milton says when I slide into his warm, waiting car. “Have we not drilled it into your head about not getting involved with employees?”
“My mother was my father’s employee. Colin the First’s second wife worked for him, and I’m pretty sure one or two of your ex-wives also worked for you. I don’t want to hear it, Uncle Milton.” He, more than anyone, knows that no one in our family asks permission to do anything, and I’m not about to start. Not when it comes to being in a relationship with someone I care about. “And I’m a grown man. I don’t need permission to date.”
“Is it serious?” he asks.
“Yes,” is all I say. His eyebrows rise practically to his hairline at my declaration. Then he exhales as if in relief.
“Well, good. I thought it was your plan to get her to stay. That never works,” he insists. “But if real feelings are involved—” He lets the sentence hang.
“I’m not manipulating her into staying. I would never do that to her or anyone else. For the record, I met her while on vacation, but you blew that up with your little switcheroo scheme. It took me weeks to get her to believe I had nothing to do with it.” I look out the window while his driver maneuvers the car through the busy streets.
“So, she thinks it’s my fault?” he asks as if it’s not his fault. “That’s why she’s so cool with me now.” I don’t bother to answer. “Well, how the hell was I supposed to know? If I did, I wouldn’t have sabotaged you. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“She’s cool with you because you made her promises and reneged,” I remind him again. “She’d be icy with you now regardless of who you gave the job to. And I didn’t tell you because you’ve been dealing with your health, and she didn’t want anyone to know. I didn’t want to piss her off more by telling you.”
“And you’re just letting her go off with that guy?” He gives me the side-eye. “He’s handsome,” he says as if I’m blind. “And he might look ridiculous dressed like a cowboy, but women love cowboys. Heath told me that his mother reads nothing but romance novels about ranchers.”
“Well, he’s doing her house.” I ignore everything he said about the man Brynne is having lunch with. She’s never given me any reason to believe she wasn’t committed to me.
“He wants to do her ,” he insists. “Don’t be na?ve.”
“Well, he can’t,” I toss back. She’s already doing me, and she’s not the type of woman who would go behind my back and screw another man. She’d dump me first. Not that I’m going to give her a reason to do that.
“You know I support you,” he says. There’s no reason for me to doubt him. He’s always supported me. He’s supported me more than my parents. “But this can get complicated. What if things don’t work out? Are you prepared to work with your ex? And knowing how the men in our family are, you’re probably the one who’s going to get dumped. Then she’ll start dating that handsome man in the ridiculous cowboy hat, and you’ll be left looking like a fool.”
Lunch was more talk about my personal life and less about work, but overall, he seems happy about the turn of events. It’s like his devious little mind is already spinning, and I can’t get a read on what he’s thinking. Lunch dragged on for longer than it should have. Instead of forty-five minutes, it was close to two hours. Uncle Milton barely ate, claiming that his chef was making something for him tonight. He seemed tired, but he assured me his doctor said it was okay to come to the office today. He says it’s good for his mental health and that he is sick and tired of being at home.
When the car pulls to the front of the building, I say, “I’ll call you at the end of the week and update you on things.” I expect him to nod and say goodbye, but he opens his car door and steps out.
“I have a few things to do before I go home,” he says. “Don’t worry, Paddy. I feel good.” We go inside and ride the elevator in silence.
The doors open, and I almost walk into Heath. He gives me a sly grin, and my stomach sinks.
“What?” I ask, hoping he won’t say Francesca is here again.
“You won’t believe this,” he whispers. I never realized how much of a gossip my nephew was before he started working for me. He knows everything about everyone in the office, and he loves nothing more than to tell me.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Ice Princess was carried in through this office. Just like Kevin Costner carried Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard.”
“What?” I ask.
“It’s the housekeeper’s favorite movie.”
“Who is the Ice Princess?” Uncle Milton whispers.
“Brynne,” Heath says. “She supposedly hurt her ankle and got this big brute of a man to carry her. I bet there’s nothing wrong with her. Some girls can be so—”
“She’s hurt?” I ask. I pull my phone out of my pocket, and there are no missed calls or texts from her.
“I doubt it,” Heath says with a dramatic eye-roll. “She probably just wanted that man to touch her. No one would do it willingly, so she faked an injury.”
“Heath, I swear to God, if you don’t shut your mouth about Brynne, I will kick your—"
“Boy, why are you talking about Brynne that way?” Uncle Milton asks, interrupting me
“She’s my nemesis,” Heath whispers. “Her and that witch, Ernestine.”
“What man?” I snap, uncaring about his rivalries right now.
“Now, don’t be an idiot,” Uncle Milton says. “I warned you about that in the car.” I leave them by the elevator and stomp down the hall to Brynne’s office.
I’m not sure what’s happening, but a group congregates in the breakroom. I ignore everyone and continue to her office. Heath and Uncle Milton are fast on my heels.
She’s sitting on top of her desk when I barge in. He’s kneeling on one knee and touching her shoe. She winces when he does that.
“Move,” I say to him and shove him out of the way. “What the hell happened, and why didn’t you call me?” I grit out. I do what the idiot was trying to do, and I remove the stiletto. I toss it across the room because I blame it for whatever pain she’s in.
“I slipped,” she says.
“Of course, you slipped because you wear those ridiculous heels in the ice and snow.” I touch her ankle, and she howls. “Ouch,” she says as she moves her foot away from me.
“Why didn’t you call me?” I ask again. I gently rub her ankle, and although she winces, she doesn’t move.
“Because you were busy, and I’m fine,” she whispers. “Why are they in here?”
I ignore the question about Uncle Milton and Heath and eye the man standing up and looking down at us. “You can go,” I say. “Heath, can you see this man out, please?”
“And miss whatever’s going on here? Hell, no. Sir, go down the hall and take a left,” Heath says. “Why are you rubbing her ankle, though? We don’t like her, remember?”
“I’ll get you some ice, baby,” I whisper. “And enough with the stilettos on the icy sidewalk. You need snow boots.” I stand, ready to get the ice because I know Heath won’t do it, but Ernestine walks in with a zip-lock bag full of it. She stops short when she sees us in the office.
“Where’s that sexy Black cowboy?” she asks as she looks around. “I got you some ice.” She looks around again, clearly confused as to why we’re here. Heath is leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, and Uncle Milton is standing there with a smirk.
“I’ll take that.” I snatch it from her and put it on Brynne's ankle, which is swollen. “I’m going to take you to get that looked at.” I lift the bag, and without another word, I pick her up bridal style.
“What are you doing?’ she whispers.
“What the hell is going on?” Ernestine asks. “Put her down.”
“I’m taking her to go get an x-ray, and I’m taking her home,” I say as if it’s the most obvious thing on earth. “And if you ever have another man carry you for any reason, we’re going to have some serious issues.”
“First of all, can you put me down?” Brynne asks.
“No,” is all I say.
“Second, Heath is going to blab this to everybody,” she says. “You’re outing us.”
“I am because you’re hurt, and no one called me.” I step out of her office with her in my arms.
“It’s not that bad, and I can take care of myself,” she whispers.
“Well, you don’t have to. That’s the entire point of being in a relationship. I’m here to do that, but you’re so stubborn that you don’t see it.”
“That’s how all women are, Paddy,” Milton says.
“Relationship?” Ernestine practically yells.
“With her?” Heath asks as if the idea of being with Brynne is unimaginable.
Everyone is now milling in the hallway, and they all pause and stare when they see us. “Brynne and I are a couple,” I announce to everyone. “We’ve been for weeks. So, if she’s ever hurt and no one here bothers to call and tell me, I will fire all of you.”
Everyone stares without saying a word. “Heath, call our family doctor and tell them I’m coming in.”
“Okay, Uncle Paddy,” he says, and I feel Brynne tense in my arms. “I mean, Mr. Kincaid,” he says with a blush spreading across his cheeks. “Not Uncle Paddy. Mr. Kincaid.”
“God dammit, Heath,” I growl.
“I knew it,” Ernestine says. “That’s why he acts like he’s invincible.”
“Put me down,” Brynne hisses.
“No. Your ankle is hurt.”
“Heath is your nephew?” she asks. When all I do is nod, she says, “Milton, why didn’t you tell us that you’re related to Heath?”
“I didn’t want him to have any special treatment,” Uncle Milton says. “He’s a good kid, and I didn’t want everyone to think he was just handed a position.”
“Well, he’s been rude and unbearable,” Ernestine says. “And that’s on his good days.”
Heath crosses his arms and sticks his nose in the air. “No one else feels that way,” he says.
“Honeybee, Ernestine, can we discuss Heath later?”
“Who the hell is Honeybee?” Heath asks, but I ignore him.
“Ernestine, can you please get Brynne’s coat?” She nods.
“So, let me get this straight,” Heath says loud enough for the entire office to hear. Everyone looks at us in silence, and I brace myself for whatever will come out of Heath’s mouth next. “You two have done it?” When I glare at him, he raises both hands and takes a few steps back. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he whispers.
I put Brynne down on the desk long enough for me to take the coat from Ernestine.
“Oh my, God, Ernestine,” Heath exclaims. He pulls on her sleeve, and she tries to push him away, but the kid is freakishly strong. “That day in the office,” he whispers, and her eyes widen with understanding. “Remember how you couldn’t find Brynne and Uncle Paddy’s door was locked?” Ernestine gasps and nods. “I bet they were—”
“Heath, if you don’t shut up,” I growl. He pretends to zip his lips but inches closer to Ernestine and whispers in her ear. She nods at whatever he says.
“Take my car and go. I’ll get Heath to drive me home.” Uncle Milton taps my shoulder and walks away.