Chapter 2
My cell rang again. I groaned, opening it quickly. “What?”
“Turn around,” Brice said.
“Huh?”
“Turn around, Meredith.”
I did and my eyes widened as I spotted Brice leaning against his Porsche wearing a business suit. He held up a handwritten sign that read “I’m an idiot.”
“Can’t argue with that,” I said to him on my cell.
“Who is the sexy guy?” Peggy asked. “Oh, Meredith, tell me he’s your boyfriend from the city.”
“No.” I hung up the phone and blinked, positive I was seeing things. “He was my boss and, I thought, a really close friend. Nothing more. Though he had issues grasping that concept. Apparently, he thought I should be servicing all his needs. Not just the ones in regards to acquisitions.”
Samson went to charge out the door, and I whistled to Jeremiah, who grabbed him by the collar. “No, Samson,” Jeremiah said. “Let me do it.”
“Jer!” I gulped.
He gave me a wide-eyed stare. “Mer.”
Brice flipped the sign over and I couldn’t help but grin as I read what it said out loud. “A really, really big idiot.”
Taking pity on him, I motioned for him to come in before turning to my brother and Jeremiah. “Can you two go to your corner and play nice?”
They grunted and shook their heads no.
Peggy and Marsha snagged them and dragged them back to their table, leaving me standing with Landry, who looked entirely too amused by what was unfolding.
Brice jogged across the street and entered the diner with a huge smile upon his handsome face. “Am I forgiven?”
“Pathetic? Yes. Forgiven? No. But I’ll take pity on you and have lunch with you if you’re hungry. I do kind of miss the times you weren’t being a moron and were actually a nice guy.”
He blushed and loosened his tie. “Yeah, those were few and far between, huh?”
“You said it, not me.”
Brice approached and pulled a chair out for me at the nearest empty table. As I made a move to sit, he caught my elbow and locked gazes with me. “Meredith, I really am sorry. About two seconds after you slammed the door in my face, I had major regrets. I need to make this right between us. You’re the first—”
“Woman who didn’t fall all over herself to get in your pants?” I asked, poking the bear.
He tipped his head, his sandy blond hair flopping in his eyes. “Yes, but that wasn’t what I was going to say. You’re the first person I’ve let my guard down for. Hell, my closest friends don’t know as much about me as you do. I can guarantee no woman I’ve ever dated knows a quarter of the things you do about me. Why is that?”
I patted his arm gently. “I don’t know.”
“When Dad had his stroke, you dropped everything and came with me, to be by his side.” He exhaled slowly. “The thanks I gave you was to try to take advantage of you. I don’t know what I was thinking…well…I know what I was thinking, but I…”
“Brice,” I said softly. “You were off the hook with the idiot sign. And I know how hard on you that was, being by your father’s bedside.” I patted his arm gently. “Katie tells me he’s doing better, that he’s able to hold a fork in his left hand now.”
Brice eased me into the chair and took a seat next to me. “You check in on him?”
“Of course I do.”
Landry approached, looking at Brice as if he wanted to help Samson in the attacking him category. “What can I get you?”
Brice lifted the menu and glanced at me. “What do you recommend?”
Taking the menu from him, I pursed my lips and pointed to the specials on the board. “I recommend you take a moment, breathe, and pretend for five seconds that you’re not the sole heir of millions.”
Brice reached over and took my hand in his. “Good advice. I guess I’ll go with the chicken salad and an iced tea.”
“I’ll have the same thing.” I stared up at Landry. “Can you put the cheese in a side dish for him? I don’t want to hear him moan and groan about the fat in it. Better yet—” I grinned from ear to ear. “Put it on mine. I’ll eat it. I don’t care about the fat in it.”
Landry didn’t laugh, but Brice did. He squeezed my hand. “I missed you, Meredith. Tell me you’ll come back to work. I bought your apartment.”
My breath caught. “You did what?”
He did his best to appear innocent. “I, uh, might have bought your place in hopes I could talk you into coming back to work for me. I wanted to be sure you had a place. I know you love that apartment.”
Giving up, I dropped my head onto the table.
“Meredith?”
I looked up at him. “I don’t know how to get things through to you. I really don’t.”
Landry, who was hovering, took over the conversation. “Buying the apartment is a sign you want to control her, own her. Doesn’t appear the woman is for sale.”
“Who are you and why are you in this discussion?” Brice asked, his temper poking through.
“I’m a man who knows what he’s talking about.”
Brice glanced around the diner and gave him a sarcastic look. “Yeah, I’m sure you do.”
Standing, I pointed to the door. “Get out, Brice. You will not come into my town and act like this. You want to be a dick, go back to the city, you’ll fit right in there.”
He sighed. “Shit, Meredith, I’m trying here. I dumped everything and drove all the way here to beg, which is not something I’m accustomed to doing, only to have you shove me away again. Listen, I get someone burned you, and I have the sense that I remind you of him, but, dammit, you have unrealistic goals for me. I am what I am.”
I took a step back. “Brice, you understand we aren’t a couple? That we never have been and that I have never expected you to do anything other than show me some respect? And, Brice, I thought we were friends. Good friends.”
He was quiet a second before adjusting his tie and standing. He stormed toward the door and I stood there, too stunned to move.
“What the hell was that?”
“That,” Landry said, “was a man who just figured out the woman he’s fallen for isn’t into him the same way he’s into her.”
“Brice has not fallen for me. He is totally in love with himself. No one can compare to that and we’ve never even—”
I found myself being spun around. The next thing I knew, Brice had his lips pressed to mine and his tongue inching into my mouth. I gasped, giving him more of an opening to kiss me. I pushed on his chest to get him to stop and finally he did, keeping his mouth close to me. “You’re wrong, Meredith. I don’t love just myself.”
I opened my mouth to say something but found myself at a loss for words and closed it again.
Brice put his forehead to mine. “It’s okay. I understand now, sort of, that you don’t see me in that light. I can’t say I can grasp that, but I can respect it. I can also respect you… I do respect you. Hell, I fully grasp the concept that you do my job better than I could ever hope to do, and that, in addition to being beautiful, sassy and smart, you’re something I’ve never had before. A real friend.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a hug. “And I always will be your friend.”
I spotted Samson being held back by Peggy, Marsha and Jeremiah. My brother wasn’t known for restraint.
Brice pulled back and cleared his throat. “Will you consider coming back to work?”
“Brice,” I pleaded.
“How about as a private consultant? You could stay here, where I know you love being, and still work.” He lifted my chin. “I know you like your job, Meredith. You see an antique and your eyes light up. You belong with me.” He cleared his throat. “I mean, you belong at the auction house. You live for that next great find. The thrill of the acquisition, and you’re a walking book of knowledge.”
It was true. I loved working for the auction house, but I’d already taken steps to start a new life. “I can’t, Brice.”
“Give me one good reason.”
“Because I’m in the process of buying the building next to this one and I’m opening my own antique shop. It will be small, personal, and what I’ve always wanted to do with my life.”
He lifted me off my feet and laughed. “Meredith, that’s great! I know you talked about wanting to own your own place, but I didn’t think you’d do it so soon.”
He set me down, and I nudged him playfully. “Not only did you teach me how to lie to your girlfriends while you were out with another, you taught me a thing or two about investing.”
He grunted. “Do you not want me because of the others?” he asked, his expression serious. “They’re gone. I’m done. Just say the word and—”
I pressed my finger to his lips. “Keep your black book. You’re not ready to let it go just yet. Someday you will be. But not now and not for me.”
He closed his eyes a moment and then kissed my fingertip. “This isn’t helping sway my opinion that you are indeed the perfect woman.”
“Yeah, well, I am, but still…” Laughing, I widened my eyes.
He took my hand in his. “Promise we’ll keep in touch and that this won’t drive a wedge between what we have.”
“I promise.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Yes,” I answered. “You can have lunch with me. It’s one and we always have lunch together at this time.”
“Mer.” He eased his hand into my hair and put his forehead to mine. “Thank you.”
“For what? You know I love to eat and that I’m a total crank when I skip a meal.” I wanted to lighten the mood.
Brice didn’t let me. He tugged gently on my hair. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to put into words what you’ve done to me.”
I touched his arm. “Brice?”
“Three years ago, you walked into my office to interview for the job and you’re totally right, I saw a gorgeous woman. Nothing more. I didn’t bother to look past that. From day one, you’ve never given an inch with me. You’ve even thrown a coffee pot at my head.”
I cringed, knowing what was coming next.
“With the hot coffee still in it.” He chuckled, keeping hold of me. “You’ve also made me laugh. Made me open up and admit things I’d never in a million years tell someone else.”
“Brice.”
“No,” he said. “Let me finish, Mer.”
“Okay.”
“How many nights did we spend stretched out on my floor, sitting in front of the fire, eating Chinese and going over paperwork?”
I thought about the nights he was describing and warmth spread through me. “Too many to count.” I wasn’t sure where he was going with this.
“How many times have we been at your place, watching some old movie that I didn’t even know existed?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “How often, in those times, have I been the one to tell you things about me, but never once did you open up about yourself. Like the time I admitted I’d never been in love before. I asked if you had and you changed the subject, asking about my mom and how she was doing.”
I stilled. “Brice, that was like two years ago. How do you even remember that?”
He met my gaze. “I remember everything about our time together.”
I wasn’t sure what to say.
Brice caressed my cheek with his free hand. “Thank you for giving me that. For showing me there is so much more to be had with a woman besides sex.”
Samson roared and was coming at us in an instant.
Brice thrust me behind him and faced my brother.
Samson narrowed his gaze on him. “You even suggest that you’ve shagged my little sister and they’ll be looking for your body for a hell of a long time.”
Brice glanced back at me, and I knew he was about to laugh. I also knew Samson wouldn’t take kindly to it. “This is Samson? You talked about him like he was quiet and reserved. You forgot to mention he’s huge and all too willing to kill for you.” He snickered, and I shoved in front of him just as Samson threw a punch.
I didn’t even flinch. Not even when Peggy screamed and Brice gasped, yanking at me. I stood my ground, knowing my brother well. He drew to a sudden halt, his fist less than an inch from my face. I blinked and brushed his arm aside, looking very blasé about the entire ordeal. “Samson, what have I told you about that temper of yours?”
“Move, Mer. I’m killing the asshole. He wants you to be his personal whore. Not his personal assistant.”
“Bullshit,” Brice shot back.
I sighed and grabbed hold of their ears. They yelped, and I tugged hard, drawing them down to my level.
“Ouch, Mer!” Samson squirmed.
Brice simply leaned, obeying like a good boy.
I looked back and forth between them. “Gentlemen, we have a problem. You,” I yanked harder on Samson, “have a temper that knows no limit. And you,” I yanked on Brice, “get sick pleasure out of screwing with people. That equals a fight and that is simply not acceptable in my book. Am I making myself clear?”
They glared at one another. I yanked harder. “Am. I. Clear?”
“Y-yes,” they stuttered.
I released Samson first and pointed toward Jeremiah. “Go. Behave or I’ll call old widow Sareson and tell her you want to rub her feet again.”
His eyes widened, and he put his hands up. “I quit. I’m sorry.”
Patrons chuckled.
I released Brice next.
He sighed. “I know. I know.” He swallowed hard, tapped a finger on his leg and averted his gaze. “I am not always right. I do not control everyone and every aspect of life. Money does not equal endless power. I will be more mindful of other’s feelings and…” He glanced at me. “Shit, I forgot the rest.”
“And you will not be…”
“A spoiled rich boy,” he finished, looking proud of himself.
I hugged him. “That a boy. There is hope for you yet.”
“Does that mean you’ll think about letting me take you out on a date? A real one. One where you realize I’m actually trying to win you over, since the last three years of me trying seemed to pass right by you?” He winked.
I schooled my face, taking his hands in mine. “As much as I would love to do that, I can’t. You see, I’m not in the market for new contestants in my game of mating.” I hummed the song. “To tempt that would be—”
“Sacrilegious,” Landry finished, reminding me he was close enough to overhear everything that had taken place.
Brice shot him a questionable look but refrained from commenting. I was proud of him. The Brice of old would have been a complete ass to Landry.
I put my arm out to Brice. “Feed me or risk my wrath.”
“With pleasure.”