Chapter 3
Late! I'm late again , I groan, carefully weaving through the throngs of suit-clad office workers scurrying about at lunch break.
I shrug deeper into my beige Hermes cashmere coat, wishing the cold February away and longing for summer days.
I catch the strap of my baguette bag slipping off my arm and hunch it higher on my shoulder as I sprint into Drew & Daze Restaurant.
The warmth that hits me is welcomed, but I spare no second to appreciate the warm ambiance or appealing decor.
Instead, I dash to the corner table by the window, which my brother already occupies.
He has that look of impatience in his eyes, but I don't flinch, even though I've kept him waiting for almost thirty minutes.
I shimmy out of my coat and settle on a chair before he can offer to help me.
“I know, I know, I'm sorry… I couldn't slip out of the office without those vipers slithering at my heels.”
He snorts, and I keep going, “It's always something with those ladies! I think they made a pact to frustrate me! ”
“Well, hello to you too, Dee. I'm doing fine, thank you for asking.” I catch the sarcasm in his voice and quickly lean over the table to place an apologetic kiss on his cheek.
“Forgive me, Dean. I'm sorry. Oh, I've said that a hundred times already, and I've only been here three seconds!” I groan, exasperated. Clearing my throat, I glance at him and catch the laughter in his face before he draws his features blank. I swallow back my grin. What an ass!
“Hi, my dearest big brother! How are you doing today?” I chirp as sunny as a summer sun.
Dean barks with laughter, shaking his head from side to side.
“I feel better now that I've gotten under your skin a little.” I roll my eyes at him, unable to keep myself from smiling.
“You look…drained.” He adds, and I can hear the note of concern in his voice.
I sigh, knowing that I can't keep anything away from my brother as much as I can't keep anything away from my best friends.
Well, anything except that one little secret.
I shut the door firmly on that memory and give my full attention to my brother.
“They are making things so incredibly difficult for me at work.
And it's exhausting. If they aren’t trying to poach my clients, they're running their mouths to staff and new clients about how I use my bedroom tactics to score such high numbers in my sales and marketing campaigns.”
Dean arches a brow in question, “Bedroom tactics?”
I glance at him and grimace, “Ridiculous, isn't it?”
He mimics zipping his lips and throwing the keys away. I give him a playful shove, “Hey! Watch it, or I'm telling Mom!” He lifts his hands in surrender and chuckles.
“Anyway, as I was saying, they're besmirching my name to anyone who cares to listen. What do they take me for? Do they think my degrees mean nothing? Those are proof of my intelligence, right?”
Dean nods. “Right. And what does your boss or HR say about this?”
I lean back into my chair and sigh. “They keep sweeping it under the rug. My boss calls it healthy competition.”
Dean's face grows serious. “Then I'd better set him straight, shouldn't I?”
I sense the anger hovering beneath the surface from the way he folds his arms across his chest. I sigh, “No need to. I don't want you charging in there and fighting my battles for me. The thing is,I wouldn't even care about the viciousness if the pay was worth it.”
“Why don't you reconsider working with us? A toxic work environment is harmful to you. You deserve better pay than the lousy checks you're getting.”
I sigh. I should've known this was coming.
Complaining to my brother about my crappy job meant it was time to start working for the family.
I bring the water glass to my lips and take a sip.
“I know that, believe me. I know I deserve better. I just want to be able to do this on my own and build a legacy for my children just like our grandparents did. You understand?”
Dean nods and waves our usual waiter over to take our orders. Mine was the usual – roasted chicken wings and kale salad. Dean chose creamy tomato pasta with Burrata. I paired my lunch with sparkling water, but Dean ordered a bottle of champagne. I raise a brow in question, but he laughs it off.
“How is Lenny? You're obviously in a mood,” I tease, but he doesn't take the bait. He focuses on chewing his mouthful of spaghetti before responding.
“She’s great! Battling color schemes with the wedding planner already.” He smiles, deep in thought, and I watch entranced. How utterly beautiful it would be to be in love. He catches my eyes on him and chuckles.
“You look so happy,” I say, reaching across the table to hold his hand. “And I am so happy for you.” I add quietly, squeezing his fingers.
He nods in understanding. His ex, Marcy, had done a number on him. He’d been framed for embezzlement by Marcy and her lover, Dean's accountant. But the truth came out, thanks to Cole's barrage of private investigators. Cole … I shouldn't be thinking about him right now.
I reroute my wandering thoughts back to the present and smile at Dean.
“I'm glad you're happy that I'm happy,” he says. I chuckle before he continues. “Because I have something important to tell you. It's good news.”
My fork freezes halfway to my mouth, “Good news?” I chirp in excitement. Dean nods, “Yes. Great news. I've secured a job for you at a better company, because I'm fed up hearing you whine about your evil colleagues–”
“What!”
“Don't interrupt, I'm not done.” His warning glare forces me to swallow the rest of my objection.
“We are worried for you. I know you want to strike it out on your own, which is why I'm not demanding you resume work tomorrow at McLean Enterprises. I showed your resume to someone, and your achievements did all the work. I had zero influence over your new role in the company. Your work speaks for you, Dee.”
I feel the anger building up in me as he stares at me with admiration in his eyes.
Dean had no right! None! I'm old enough to find a new job, which I'm in the process of doing, – so he didn't have to pull the rug from under my feet.
Before I can reject his offer, he continues.
“My ears are full of your complaints. And I'm getting married, Dee.
Do you want me worrying about what those vipers are doing to you while I'm honeymooning?”
I swallow the urge to giggle at the puppy dog eyes he’s throwing at me.
I understand his frustration. Since I was born, eight years after Dean, my brother has done his best to protect me.
Being the only children of two workaholics meant I spent more time with Dean than with my parents.
Don't get me wrong, our parents loved us and one another, but they lived for putting out corporate fires in boardrooms. That was how they had met and fell in love.
Dean had been my lifeline until that kiss when I was sixteen. From then on, I became strong headed about accepting his help. After all, he had brought the heartbreaker, Cole Prime, into my life. I grit my teeth at the memory of Cole, the malicious playboy. Why, oh why am I thinking about him again?
I focus on my brother, groveling, and I quickly grab my phone and take a photo of him for a keepsake.
“Oh no!” He groans, and I chuckle.
“Nice to see you grovel, but I'll pass on the job offer. I can get a job by myself. I'm twenty-four years old, not fourteen.”
I put an end to the conversation by resuming eating. Dean stares at me, aghast. “You’ll pass?”
I nod, biting into my chicken wings, “Yup!”
Dean glares at me for a long minute before slipping his phone from his jacket. Curious, I watch as he taps on his screen before I hear the dial tone. Who was he calling? The answer comes no sooner than the thought forms in my mind.
“She said no,” Dean says flatly .
I hear the one voice I didn't expect to hear reply. “Put her on.”
Dean hands me his phone, and I know tomorrow morning, I'm going to be standing at the rotating doors of whatever company Dean has secured a job for me, with no protests whatsoever.
“Hello, Mom!” I chirp.
“Save it. Be at whatever address Dean gives you tomorrow morning at eight sharp. Your new employer recognizes talent when they see it. You should be grateful for a better opportunity to develop your career, not wasting away at that backwaters firm-”
I shut my eyes at the calm voice and put a halt to her tirade before she could request a physical meeting to convince me further.
“I'll be there, Mom. I’ll take the job,” I cut in, giving Dean a dark look. Mom is the secret weapon we both pull on one another. But I didn't expect him to bring her into this. It was just a job!
Mom’s voice suddenly turns sweet, “Good! Now, how is my sweet baby doing?”
By seven-thirty the next morning, I grudgingly stepped down from a taxi after a long night of relaying my family’s interference with my job to Gina and Merry, my best friends.
I cannot remember my life before them. They'd both agreed I needed this career move, even though we didn't bother checking out who my new employers were.
Instead, we spent the night crafting a detailed resignation letter for Garrick and Company, my former firm.
After that, we selected all my outfits for the week.
Not asking Dean for my employer's name, and not looking up the address he gave me on Google, is a decision I regret now as I stare at the revolving doors of Prime Universal Supermarket Headquarters.
Shit! I'm going to be working for Cole. Oh, Dean is so dead the next time I see him!