Chapter 3
I watched the two of them disappear through my office door and sat back in my chair to think about the morning’s unexpectedness.
I’m not one for chasing after women, that’s usually the other way around. But lately I find that I’m tired of being chased.
The game of cat and mouse with me being the mouse was no longer as exciting as it had once been. It had been months since I’d had anything approaching a serious relationship, much to my mother’s despair.
The woman has only one thing on her mind, which is why I’ve been avoiding her weekly brunches.
If I had to hear one more time how I was depriving her of one of life’s most precious gifts I’d shoot myself.
I don’t know why she doesn’t get on Gavin’s ass the same way, but he never seems to feel the sharp edge of her tongue when it comes to grandchildren. She saves it all for me.
“Okay how do you know Giavanna?” He barged back into my office and plunked his ass down in the chair in front of me.
“What makes you think I know her?” I pretended interest in the report I’d been reading.
We know each other too well and until I know what’s going on with me, and her, I didn’t want him sniffing around my shit.
“Come on bro, you were practically eating her with your eyes and she was all shy around you when she’d been talkative and excited before.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Nosy fuck! He sat there pestering me for the next ten minutes but I refused to answer him.
He finally got frustrated and got up to leave. “Fine, I’ll just ask Gia.”
“What did you call her?” I’d already made up my mind that that’s what I would call her when we were alone. How dare he?
“Gia, why?”
“Don’t call her that. Her name is Giavanna.”
“Nah, I like Gia better.”
“Gavin!” His playful mood dropped at my growl and he gave me a look of surprise.
I looked away so he didn’t see too much and wondered again just what the hell was wrong with me. I’ve never been jealous over a woman before in my life.
“Fine, have it your way. We’re going to be busy all day so if you need me I’ll be in her office.” He closed the door with a smirk and I knew he was going to make my ass suffer.
We’ve never competed over a woman before, but this is the first time he’d be working this close to someone I had an interest in. I already hated that he was going to be closed up in her office alone with her all day.
I made it to lunch before I couldn’t take it anymore. I stormed out of my office, startling poor Mary who was sitting at her desk having her usual afternoon salad.
“Where are you going in such a hurry?”
“I’m going to see how Gavin and the new architect are getting along.”
I walked down the long hallway to the other offices headed to the one in the middle where we’d decided her office would be.
They weren’t there and it didn’t look like anyone had been in a while. I walked to the other end of the hall where my brother held the other corner office.
He wasn’t there but his assistant was. “Where’s my brother?”
“He’s with the architect in her office.”
“They’re not there.” Dammit Gavin, if you took her to lunch I’ll forget the love we share and strangle your ass in your sleep.
She looked towards the connecting door that led to the office next door to Gavin’s. “Oh, they moved her from that one to this one here since it’s closer and Mr. Chandler said they’d be working together a lot.
Son of a bitch. I moved towards the door and came up short when I saw the two of them sitting there with their heads close together.
“Oh hi bro, what brings you here?” I squinted at him with visions of his bloody carcass playing through my head.
“What is she doing here?”
“She works here remember? You hired her this morning.”
“No, I mean here in this office. Why isn’t she in her office, the one we chose for her?”
“Oh that, I decided that since we’re going to be working so close together on this project with a lot of late nights in our future that this made more sense. Less back and forth.”
Oh you did-did you? Mom’s going to be making funeral arrangements pretty soon for your ass little brother.
Since there was no argument I could make without making myself look like a complete ass I decided to leave it alone for now.
I didn’t say anything more to him as my eyes went over her bent head. She hadn’t uttered a word this whole time and since my eyes never left her I knew she hadn’t picked her head up.
“Was there something you needed Evan?” I glared at him before turning and leaving the room to storm back to my office.