Chapter 28
Brynne
He puts his hand on my lap while my phone is being passed around. I try to push it off, but he takes my hand in his. It feels nice. The other three adults at the table are oblivious to what’s happening as they talk about the house.
The waitress returns to take our beverage orders, and for some reason, I decide to be playful and order a café au lait.
“Since I can’t get one at the office even though they seem really popular.”
He grins when I say that, and I find myself smiling back. When I catch Raven looking and smirking at me, I let my smile drop and look at the menu. I know why she’s looking at me this way. We went to Amira’s apartment the night before for dinner, and I confessed about my office shenanigans this week. They both listened with their mouths hanging open. They know me better than anyone. Raven, even more so because we’ve known each other since we were kids. She’s been in my life through every boyfriend, starting with the first I had in secret when I was fourteen.
Mom and my stepdad wouldn’t let me date. To be honest, fourteen was way too young, but I had a boyfriend anyway. It was the best two months of my fourteen-year-old life. We’d make out after school by the trash bins behind a sub shop down the street from the school.
Everything was going well, and my parents had no idea until Oliver found out and let it drop over dinner one night. I don’t think I’ve ever forgiven him. Fucking snake. That was his first, but certainly not last, act of betrayal.
After I finished my confession to my best friends last night, Raven said the most ridiculous thing .
“Why don’t you just be with him?” she asks while she pulls Chinese food containers out of a large paper bag.
“What do you mean, be with him?” I ask.
“Girl, you are too smart. Stop acting dumb,” Amira says.
“It was just a moment,” I say as I mix the drinks. Amira’s apartment is tiny, but we take turns hosting dinner every other Friday night, and tonight is Amira’s turn.
“It was two moments,” they both say at once.
I shrug.
“Don’t shrug at us,” Raven says. “You liked him fine on vacation. You never let loose, and you did with him.”
“And don’t talk about how he stole your job. That decrepit old man screwed you over, not him. I don’t think he knew,” Amira whispers.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. I won’t get involved with someone I work with, especially my boss. Can you imagine how everyone would react? It’s already hard enough without adding that complication.”
I could go on about how unfair it is that after finally meeting someone, life throws a monkey wrench and takes it away from me. I didn’t bother telling them how hard it’s been seeing him every day. It was fine when the news was fresh, and I was angry, but when I thought about it and realized Milton is the bad guy, it’s been impossible to be around him and not remember. So, I just stayed angry.
There’s no way they’ll know how my stomach fell to my feet that evening I saw him in the lobby with the long-haired and long-legged blonde. It took everything in me not to follow them. My reaction was surprising because I’ve never been the type of girl to get jealous. If I was in a relationship and it ended, I moved on. I lost myself in my schoolwork. Later on, I was tasked with taking care of my stepfather. Then, I was doing my best to survive since I was basically homeless. There was no time to worry about a man or a relationship. That was the last thing on my mind.
Now, I need to focus on my exit strategy at Kincaid Architecture because I can’t get over how I was overlooked and discarded. The last thing I need is to get involved with someone with the last name Kincaid.
Kind of late for that .
“What are you thinking about?” he whispers in my ear.
I look up, and his sister is watching us. When I catch her, she averts her gaze and starts a conversation with Raven.
“Just work,” I say.
It’s kind of true. I’m thinking that since the house might be livable by early to mid-April, I will hopefully have tenants by May. The rent will more than cover the mortgage of the house and my condo. I will save as much of my salary as possible, and in two years, I can resign. I can take one year to build my business, and once my non-compete clause expires, I will hopefully have clients in the pipeline.
“Do you think that—” His words are cut off when the server returns with our drinks.
“I promised the kids a pastry,” Lisa says after we’ve eaten. “Come on, honey.” Colin helps Archie off his booster seat, and Lisa takes Milly’s hand. Amira and Raven decide they want pastries, too, and they run off to the display case in the front of the restaurant.
“Everyone looked at those pictures but me,” Colin says.
I stare at him, unsure if I want him to know anything about my personal life, but he holds out his hand, and I find my phone and the pictures. He takes his time going through the before and current pictures. There are also AI-generated photos of what the apartments will look like once the work is finished. When he’s done with that, he looks through my drawings.
“Are you planning on living there?” he asks without looking up from my phone,
“It will be a rental property, at least for a few years. I like my condo,” I say. “The house belonged to my mom. I lost it a few years after she died, but I got it back now.” A sense of pride surges through me. I was able to do this without anyone’s help, and the house will be something I can give to my own child one day.
Well, you better start dating.
I ignore the voice in my head.
“It’s beautiful,” he says. He looks up, smiles, and puts the phone back in my hand. “Sounds like there’s a story there about the house. Does that have anything to do with your former stepbrother?”
“I don’t want to talk about that or him,” I say.
“You’re kind of guarded, you know that? You should try letting someone in sometime.”
He puts his hand on my lap, and I try to push it away. I can’t, so I leave it and roll my eyes. Every time I let someone in, I get screwed over. “Well, that hasn’t exactly worked out for me in the past.” I look him directly in the eyes and say, “I’m sure you know what I mean.”
When I look away, he grasps my chin. “I would never screw you over. What happened was a horrible twist of fate. Imagine how I feel. I thought I was going to get a girlfriend. A beautiful, smart, sexy girlfriend, and fate and my uncle conspired against me.” My eyes widen at his words. I won’t say it, but I thought that too. I thought I would finally be in an adult relationship with a man I connected with. I thought fate was finally throwing me a bone after all the shit that’s happened to me.
“I still want that,” he whispers, and I close my eyes because I know it can never be.
If I wasn’t strapped financially, I’d quit and wait out the year to officially start my business. And I would give him a chance, but there’s no way I can do that now.
“You’re my boss, Colin.”
“There’s no rule against employees dating. My uncle would never make that a condition of employment.”
“Tell me you’re not that clueless?” I ask. “You can’t possibly—”
“Uncle Paddy Cake,” the little girl says as she runs to our table. She goes right to Colin who picks her up and puts her on his lap. “I got you this chocolate cupcake.” She proudly pulls it out of the bag and hands it to him.
The baby starts to wiggle in his mom’s arms, reaching for Colin who takes him and puts him on his other leg, but he goes right for the cupcake. Colin breaks off a piece and feeds it to him.
“I have to go,” Lisa says. “I’m dropping the kids off with my mother-in-law, and then I have to go to marriage counseling.” She rolls her eyes. “Deciding to work on your marriage is easy. It’s doing the work that’s hard. Thank goodness my favorite brother is back.” She kisses his cheek. “Say goodbye to Uncle Paddy Cake, kids,” she says.
After several kisses, hugs, and a meltdown by the baby, Lisa finally leaves. Amira and Raven return, Colin pays the check, and I stand to put on my coat.
“I was hoping we could talk,” he says. “Alone.”
I shake my head. Each time we’re alone, we do everything but talk, and looking at him now, the last thing I want to do with him is have a conversation. What I’d like to do is strip him naked, climb into bed, and not worry about getting out until Monday.
“I have plans with my friends.” That part is untrue. Amira has plans with her family for the rest of the day, and Raven has hair appointments starting soon.
“No, she doesn't. We’re actually on our way out,” Raven says. “Thanks for breakfast, Killah.”
He hugs both of my friends, and they leave soon after.
And I'm alone with him again.