Chapter 7
SEVEN
Travis
Un-fucking-believable.
The woman whose grandma bid on me at the bachelor auction is the same woman Lucas hired? It’d be almost comical if it didn’t mean that I’ll have to work with her every day.
I thought in the two weeks I was away communing with nature that I’d shed the shame of her rejection, but as soon as I locked eyes with her, all that anger came rushing back.
Maybe if I’d bothered to ask Lucas the name of the woman he was hiring, I could have headed this off, but it was his and Camila’s thing. And I trust my brother’s judgment. If he hired her, she’s likely a good fit for the job.
I haven’t spoken to either of my brothers since I left except to respond to Lucas’s text earlier today when he asked me to meet everyone at The Third Rail tonight. Never did I expect to find Isla there. I thought with any luck, I’d never see her again.
When Grams asked how the date had gone, I told her that Isla was nice, but we wouldn’t be going out on another date. I have no idea how Isla spun the story to her grandma, but Grams didn’t reach out again about it, so I assume Isla must have said something similar.
Then again, I’ve been away for a couple of weeks, and Grams doesn’t text. Maybe she didn’t want to call me again when she knew I was on vacation. Does she know Isla now works for the company? Surely she and Gramps have stopped by? But Isla seemed as shocked as I did tonight.
What a mess.
I’m going to have to talk to my brothers about this. But I’m going on this stupid call, so I’ll have to wait until Monday morning to address it with them. We can discuss the situation and go from there.
Monday morning rolls around, and I pull into the parking lot at the RENT-A HUSBAND office a half hour earlier than normal. Lucas tried to get this meeting this weekend, but I don’t work that fast. I needed time to wrap my head around the entire situation and the shock of seeing the woman who occupied my mind too much on vacation now works for my company. So the plan was to be here before Isla arrived, but there’s a car I don’t recognize already parked at the back of the house. I grit my teeth and make something that sounds like a growl in the back of my throat.
I guess we’ll be having this little meeting outside then. There’s no way I can speak freely with Isla in earshot.
I spent the weekend in my shop, working on a coffee table. I’ve always found furniture making somewhat meditative, helps to clear my mind. Maybe it’s the rhythm of the sandpaper over the wood when I’m nearing the final stages, or the back and forth of wiping stain over the wood and watching it soak into the grain. Hell, maybe it’s just that my mind solely focuses on something other than whatever’s bothering me.
But by the time Sunday night rolled around, I felt sure of what needs to happen—we need to find someone to take Isla’s place. She’s only been here a couple of weeks, so how much of an impact could she have made? Besides, she’s in her probationary period anyway.
So rather than going inside to wait for my brothers, I fuck around on my phone until I see Lucas pull in. Josh is right behind him, and only then do I exit my truck. I lift my chin in greeting as they make their way over to where I’m leaning against the driver’s side door of my truck.
“What the hell, bro? It’s way too early for this shit.” Josh yawns and takes a giant swig from the takeout coffee cup in his hand.
I roll my eyes. “Sorry, Sleeping Beauty. It’s only an extra half hour.”
“Feels more like five,” Josh grumbles.
“Pretty sure I can guess what this is about given that you bolted out of The Third Rail on Friday night, and you didn’t return my calls or texts all weekend.” Lucas sets his hands on his hips and stares me down, falling straight into his big brother role.
I cannot accurately describe how much I do not want to tell them what I’m about to. But it’s the only way my brothers will understand why Isla has to go. A large sigh leaves my lips.
“You and Isla bang or what?” Josh asks.
“Is that what she said after I left?” I cross my arms.
Josh shakes his head. “She didn’t say anything. Ran out of there right after you.”
Interesting. It was clear to me that she was as surprised to see me as I was her. I wasn’t sure what tale she would spin to my brothers behind my back.
“You remember that stupid bachelor auction Grams made me do?”
Josh laughs, but the serious look on Lucas’s face remains as he nods.
“She was the one who won the date with me. Actually, it was her grandma, but she bought it for Isla.”
“All right, so what happened? You guys went out, had a one-night stand, and now you feel awkward? Bro, this is my wheelhouse.” Josh slaps a hand on his chest. “I got you covered. I can give you all the lines to smooth this over.”
“That’s not what happened,” I say between gritted teeth.
“What did happen?” Lucas asks.
“We had a good time. I thought we had a connection. We both had a little too much to drink, but we weren’t blitzed. I invited her back to my place, and she accepted. We got there, I got naked, she got her hands on me, and she bolted before anything else happened. Made some lame work excuse about why she had to run out of there.”
Both my brothers are quiet, and I know why. They know that, unlike Josh, I don’t invite women back to my place. Not unless I’m really into them and think it could go somewhere.
Lucas nods in understanding. “Any idea why she just bailed?”
I think back to how I told her that I hadn’t been with a woman since my ex and shake my head. There’s not a chance I’m telling my brothers it’s been that long since I’ve gotten laid. They’d probably have a similar reaction to Isla’s.
“But you see why it makes things really awkward.” I uncross my arms and shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans.
“Yeah, I get it,” Lucas says.
I heave a sigh of relief. “Perfect.” I push up off my truck, ready to head into the office. “If you need help going through resumes or anything else, let me know. I feel bad because I know you and Camila did a lot of work finding Isla, but there’s got to be someone else for the job.”
Josh opens his mouth to say something, but Lucas beats him to it. “Isla’s not going anywhere.”
I pull my hands from my pockets and fist them at my sides. “What the hell do you mean? You heard what I just said.”
“I did, yeah. So what if things are awkward for a bit? They’ll chill out soon. It’s not like you guys actually slept together.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Did you miss the part where she was stroking my cock?”
“I caught that. But it doesn’t change the fact that she’s perfect for the job. Do you know how many systems she’s gotten into place in the two short weeks she’s been here? How much stress she’s taken off my shoulders by taking on so much of the admin work that was always tossed in my lap?”
“Big bro is right. She’s sorted shit out, man. We can’t let her go just because she didn’t want to fuck you.”
My fists tighten enough that my knuckles go white. But he’s right. I know he is. I draw in a deep breath and let my head fall back so I’m looking at the sky.
“What I can’t figure out is how she wouldn’t have realized there was a possibility that her boss could be you,” Lucas says. “She looked as surprised as you when she saw you on Friday.”
I lower my chin and cringe, palming the back of my neck. “I told Grams to use my middle name for the auction. I didn’t know who’d be there, and I didn’t want anyone looking me up on socials.”
“Nicely done,” Josh says, looking over me like a proud teacher.
Makes me wonder how many times he’s given women a fake name. I probably don’t want to know.
“Will it really be that bad working with her? After some time passes, things should be fine, don’t you think?” Lucas says.
I kick at a pebble on the asphalt. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Glad that’s settled.” Josh claps his hands together. “Can I go sleep in my truck for the next twenty minutes until it’s officially starting time?”
“No,” Lucas says. “We have more to discuss, and I’d actually prefer to do it before Brady gets here. Let’s go inside so I can get a coffee.”
Josh groans.
No sense putting off the inevitable, I suppose. Time to go greet my new employee.