Chapter 3
Chapter Three
ASTON
In case you’re trying to catch up, the Cages are “now” as follows:
Aston, Flynn, Hudson, Dorian, Isabella, James, Theo, Sophia, Kyler, Ford, Emily, and Phoebe.
She was even more beautiful than I had remembered. And considering the memory of her still haunted my waking dreams, that was saying something.
She wore a pale pink top with some kind of silk bow thing, as well as gray pants, and I couldn’t help but think of how that top looked exactly the same color as the dress I had last seen her in. The dress that I nearly crumpled in my hands in my haste to have her.
It had been three months since I had seen her, three months since I had ignored her text, and had never called her back. I wasn’t always a complete asshole, but when it came to Blakely, apparently, I could not help it.
“Blakely?” I asked, surprised my voice had come out as coherent at all. Considering it was only one word though, I should not put the cart before the horse.
I should not give myself too much praise.
I looked past her, realizing that she was in my brother’s office, and James just gave me a knowing look. Although what he could know confounded me.
“Hello Mr. Cage,” she said.
Mr. Cage. Well I probably deserved that. “I didn’t realize you would be here today.” Why did it sound like I had a stick up my ass? Probably because just the sight of her felt as if I’d been hit with an anvil.
Weeks of texting, just light conversations with two people who didn’t even know each other, a single coffee date, a single dance, a single kiss that could have turned into more.
Ours was a tryst of promise, a hope that had led to nothing. Because I had made it that way.
And now she was here. In my brother’s office. On my floor.
“I want to introduce you to our newest employee,” James said, and my gaze pulled back to my brother, as I hadn’t even realized I had been staring at Blakely again.
“Excuse me?” James gave me a pointed look, and I cleared my throat before looking back at Blakely. “Welcome to the team. I assume you’ll be working under James since I don’t know what job you applied for.”
I had never sounded so stilted and idiotic in my life .
Her face paled, and I hated myself.
“She’s going to take Johnson’s place. And hopefully do a better job.”
I nodded, remembering the man who had a promising start, and then hadn’t been able to follow through on any of his lofty ideas and lies.
And now it all clicked, remembering what Blakely had done at Howard Enterprises.
“So you’re no longer working with Howard?” I asked, so confused as to why she would be here.
James cleared his throat and gestured me into the office. I closed the door behind him and couldn’t help but notice the way that Blakely stiffened, staring between us.
Because of the way that the company was structured, Blakely would not be working for me. She would only work for James. And yet that thought didn’t make this situation any easier to swallow in this moment.
“Is there a reason that you closed the door?” Blakely asked, her voice smooth, as she stared at both of us.
James sighed. “I assumed you didn’t want your personal business blasted all over the office,” James said rationally, and I felt anything but rational.
“What business?” I asked, feeling as if I were three steps behind. I had purposely not looked into anything that Blakely could be attached to, including Howard Enterprises. Because if I had, I would’ve wanted to reply back. I would’ve wanted to reach out.
And my family was in a state of shambles, and I couldn’t focus on anything else but keeping them sane and healthy. By keeping us connected. We had that blasted dinner later tonight, where I had to somehow break bread with my new family members, and I had no idea how it was going to go.
So that was what I was focusing on, and not Blakely.
“I was fired,” Blakely said simply.
I blinked at her, realizing that statement was anything but simple. “What?” I asked, my voice a growl.
“Aston,” James warned.
I was grateful for the chaperone in this conversation.
“It’s fine. I have a new job now, and I’m happy. There’s no need for anything to be awkward.” She smiled, though I wasn’t sure if it was real or not.
“What happened?” I asked.
Blakely gave me a confused look before turning to James. “You knew that I was searching for a job, and he didn’t?”
“No, your position would be under my purview, not his section. We separate our companies underneath the umbrella of Cage Enterprises so we don’t fight anymore. Brothers and all.”
She blinked, and I had no idea what she was thinking. It was easier to know her when we were just texting, when she was a stranger on the other line. And I desperately wanted to know what she was thinking.
“I was fired because Howard didn’t like our dance,” she said pointedly.
My hands fisted at my sides. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“I’m not kidding you. He put it in different words and found another reason for me to lose my job. And for the past three months?—”
“Three months?” I cut her off. “You’ve been out of work for three months?”
She winced, her cheeks turning a rosy shade.
“Aston. Seriously?” James grumbled.
“Yes. Because Howard didn’t want me to have a job. And I figured coming here of all places probably wouldn’t be the best bet.”
“I’m going to kill him,” I growled.
“You are not,” Blakely said, her voice strong, that same strength that I had liked three months ago.
“Excuse me?”
“This is my business. Yes, he’s a terrible man, and if I had the time and the wherewithal, I could have found a way to sue him or get vengeance, but it doesn’t matter. I have a new job. Your brother hired me. And I’m going to be the best at it. So we don’t need to make things awkward.”
“Oh this isn’t awkward at all,” James said.
I shot him a vicious glare. “Quiet.”
“No I think I’m not going to be quiet. Because this is my office. And Blakely is my new employee. I don’t want you to screw it up with your alpha man tendencies.”
Blakely’s lips twitched.
I shook my head. “He had no right to fire you.”
“He didn’t. And it’s going to be fine. I am amazing at my job, and I’m going to help Cage Enterprises be even more elite than you already are.”
“See, I like the sound of that. We were going to try to poach her anyway,” James said with a shrug, and Blakely looked over at him.
“You keep saying that, and yet I had no job offer,” she said, her eyes dancing.
Why the hell was I jealous of my brother? It wasn’t like Blakely was mine. However James was her boss, and that meant nothing could happen.
Not like anything could happen with us. There was no us . I had put the nail in that coffin quite nicely.
“I’m only going to say this once,” James continued, “Blakely, I’m so glad that you’re here, and we will get your paperwork done as soon as you’re out of this office. However, as I hate awkward situations, why don’t the two of you talk for just a moment before you do that?”
“There’s really no need.”
“And you love awkward situations,” I put in.
A laugh escaped Blakely, and I smiled. And when our gazes met, she immediately turned away, and I sighed. I deserved that.
“I will be in the office across the hall,” James said after a moment, hands in pockets. “When you’re ready, Blakely. You can go over your paperwork and everything with my admin and myself. And you can start on Monday.”
“Thank you, Mr. Cage.”
“Call me James.” He moved forward and held out his hand. Blakely shook it, and for some reason I wanted to rip my brother’s arm off.
Okay, maybe I was acting like an alpha male. I really needed to get control over myself .
James opened the door, and left it open, giving both of us pointed looks, before walking out. That meant I wasn’t about to close the door again.
“You don’t have to worry, I’m not going to make this any more awkward,” she said after a moment.
“There’s not going to be an issue. I am just sorry that you were forced out of your job to begin with.”
“Honestly, I was going to try to find a new place anyway. He wasn’t a good man to work for.”
I sighed. “My brother’s the best.”
“So I won’t be working with you at all?” she asked and winced. “Mostly because I don’t want it to be awkward. Not because of anything else.”
I sighed, and really wished James had closed that door. “I’m sorry.”
She stared at me then and let out a hollow laugh. “I was a little resentful of you for these past three months, which is like no time at all. But we’re both adults, and I realize that you have a life of your own, one that has changed so abruptly, I can’t even imagine.”
I swallowed hard, knowing I didn’t deserve her niceties. “I’m sorry I didn’t call,” I repeated.
“And I’m sorry about your father.”
Ice slid over me, a reminder of exactly why we were in this situation. “I’m the head of the family now. And though we aren’t in regency England where I have to protect the estate and livelihood of my siblings, it’s exactly like that,” I said with a laugh.
“And now you have more siblings,” she said softly.
“So I see you’re watching the news?” I asked dryly .
Blakely sighed and picked up her bag, clearly ready to go speak with James. “Sometimes, but not about you. You should know that I’ve already told James this.”
“What?” I asked, uneasy.
“My best friend in the world is Isabella.”
And with a snap, the door finally clicked closed on anything that would’ve happened with Blakely. There was no way it would ever have worked out to begin with.
“I see,” I said icily, and Blakely just laughed. Laughed in my face.
“You and Isabella are so alike it’s a little scary.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of that. “I don’t know her, so I guess you are going to be the expert in that.”
“You’re going to like the other Cages. I promise.”
“How can you be so sure?” I asked, my voice softer this time. I didn’t hate them. I didn’t know them. I hated my father and my mother for that matter. I hated the situation we were in. But no, I didn’t hate these new siblings of ours.
“I know because of that group chat. You guys were joking with each other and laughing and being just brothers. And that’s how they are. Sisters and one brother, but they’re close. And you guys are clearly close. I don’t know how it’s all going to work, but you’ll find a way. And I understand why you didn’t call.”
“I need to make sure my family doesn’t crumble even more than it already has.”
Her eyes softened for the barest moment before becoming unreadable once again. “That’s all that you can ask for, honestly. I know it’s hard and will continue to be, but I suppose you never calling ended up being the outcome we both needed.”
“And why is that?” I asked, dread in my stomach.
“Because I’m working here. And we’re already awkward enough. So it was lovely to see you, Aston. And I’ll see you around the office. But no resentment here. Promise.”
I wasn’t quite sure that I believed her, but I stepped out of the way when she passed me, without another word.
As I ran my hand over my face, a familiar voice echoed behind me.
“Well, this is going to be fun.”
I whirled on Flynn and narrowed my gaze.
“Don’t worry, you guys were discreet,” Flynn said, and I moved past him, annoyed as hell. My office was on the other corner of the building, and Flynn followed me along, nobody really paying attention to us. If they needed us, they would call out. Because we weren’t the domineering bosses that didn’t want to hear from anyone beneath us. But everybody had a job to do, and they were working cohesively. That didn’t always happen.
I walked into my office, really wanting a drink, but realizing that it was far too early in the day. I would have a drink at dinner. Probably many drinks at dinner.
Flynn closed the door behind him and raised a brow at me.
“So. You never did text her, did you?”
“Of course I didn’t. When would I have had time for a personal life? Between the endless media calls, lawyer visits, or secondary DNA testing, when?”
“You didn’t have to do it all yourself you know. You could have asked for help.”
“You all did what you could, but you have lives. We did the funeral as best as we could, and that was a farce.”
Flynn rolled his eyes as we both remembered the immense funeral held for a man of power, and a man of lies.
We had invited our father’s friends and acquaintances, and they had told stories that I hadn’t listened to, and grieved with us, even though everything felt empty.
The problem was people from both sides of his life had come. People who knew him as Phoebe and Isabella’s father, and people who knew him as our father. There were countless connections in the state alone, and it wasn’t as if he could hide so many lies from every single person around him.
“Denver isn’t that big of a city, more people must have known,” I mumbled under my breath.
“Probably. But you know boys will be boys,” Flynn said as he flopped into the office chair.
“That’s my chair. Get up.”
“No I don’t think I will. Are you going to be okay working with Blakely?”
“Of course I am. It wasn’t like we were anything.”
“But you could have been. I liked her.”
“You saw her for all of five minutes,” I said dryly.
“Yes, but I liked the way that you smiled every time you secretly texted her. ”
I narrowed my gaze at my younger brother. “How the hell did you know we were texting?”
“Because you practically giggled like a schoolgirl when you thought of her.”
“I did not,” I said, aghast.
“Yes, you did. But that’s fine. If nothing’s going to happen, make sure that you don’t go pining around her. From what I heard of her skills, she’s going to be great for our business.”
“We need someone who can organize ten things at once without breaking down,” I said dryly.
“Well, you’re usually the man for that.”
“Right now I’m doing a hundred things at once.”
“And that’s just fine. She’s going to help James, and you don’t even have to see her.”
“She’s going to be working on the same damn floor, Flynn.”
“So it shouldn’t be a problem. You know what’s going to be a problem though,” he said, his voice trailing off.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, really needing a drink. “Dinner.”
“So, do we have our special flow chart yet of who’s going when?” he asked with a laugh.
“No, I’m sure Isabella will have a pie chart of some sort with a color-coded wheel for us,” I said with a laugh.
“That does sound like our sister, doesn’t it?”
Sister.
“Is she older or younger than you?” I asked, a frown on my face.
“Younger. ”
“So she’s a little sister.”
Flynn shrugged. “Yes, which I don’t really think matters in the end. We’re all so close together that I’m pretty sure our moms were probably pregnant at the same time with a couple of us,” he said before giving a full body shudder.
“I really don’t want to think about that.”
“Same. But there’s not much we can do about it.”
I raised a brow. “I think the point of these dinners is we do have to do something about it.”
“Then we make nice. They aren’t the enemy you know?”
“You sound like Blakely.”
His brows rose. “Oh?”
I shook my head. “It seems that fate and the world have collided to hate me. Isabella and her seem to be best friends.”
“No shit?”
“Not in the slightest.”
“Well this dinner is going to be interesting. I wonder if we can get any background on them from Blakely,” he said, a curious glint in his eyes.
“Don’t. Don’t put her in between. We are going to figure this out. It’s not like we’re going to battle.”
“And yet it feels like that, doesn’t it?” Flynn asked. “And look at you being all protective.”
“First off, fuck you.”
“No thanks,” he said, giving me a wink.
“Second, she’s just starting off here, and after having to deal with that asshole boss of hers, she doesn’t need us to be assholes trying to use her for information.”
“What happened with Howard?”
As I explained it, Flynn’s gaze went steely, and he stood up.
“Do you want me to do something about it?” he asked, that blade in his voice that most people didn’t hear. Because he was the happy one, the sweet one. The funny twin to Hudson’s growl.
They didn’t get the blade.
“No. She doesn’t want that handled.”
“I can still look something up.”
“Discreetly,” I said after a moment. “But we’re not going to put her in the middle of anything.”
“Meaning stay away from her?” Flynn asked.
“I know you’re joking with me, but let’s not,” I snapped.
“You’re going to need to get a rein on that temper of yours. Especially if you’re going to work next to her.”
“It’ll be fine. It’s not like we were anything.”
“And isn’t a loss of something that could have been just the worst then?”
“Stop being philosophical and go back to work. And don’t forget to be at my house by five-thirty.”
“I thought dinner was at six-thirty?” he asked.
“And you’re going to help me cook.”
“You’re cooking?”
“I can cook.”
“I know you can cook. I just assumed you’d have this catered. ”
“They don’t need to think of us as the assholes who get things catered on our first dinner. Next time we can order pizza.”
Flynn sighed but nodded. “You’re right. We want to make a good impression. Because Dad really messed us up, didn’t he?”
“Understatement of our lifetime.”
And with that, Flynn went back to work, and I tried to ignore the fact that Blakely walked by my office, smiling as she talked to James.
This was going to work. Everything was going to be fine. And as I looked down at the broken pen in my hand, ink spilling everywhere, I realized that no, I wasn’t fine.