NINETEEN
“THAT SHOULDN’T BE PROHIBITIVE,” Gia said to the small group of her father’s associates enjoying Bram’s birthday party.
“It shouldn’t?” Abernathy asked.
“No. Offset the costs against something else.”
He smirked. “Any suggestions?”
“Marketing,” she said straight out. “Reduce its already bloated budget. A better product is easier to sell. Trust me, it’s more advantageous to have a strong foundation to build on.
People like your product, they’ll tell other people.
Does half your marketing department’s job for them.
Substandard materials will give you problems further down the line and that is not a can you want to kick. ”
“Substandard—”
“She’s right,” Baird said. “You have to look again at the primary model. We told you there’d be problems. Hell, even the lawyers told you.”
Oh, Abernathy was… blank.
With perfect timing, Brogan returned to her side with desperately needed wine. “Thank you.”
She held it in two hands while gulping. Alone with her father’s people was one thing. Some of them were Brogan’s people too and she really didn’t want to embarrass him. Once upon a time, she’d have been more concerned about her father. How things had—temporarily—changed.
Baird laughed. “Your girl’s schooling us.”
Was that bad? Was he mad? He didn’t look mad.
Abernathy might be mad. “How do you even know our product spec?”
Yeah, definitely mad.
“You sent them with the partnership request last week,” Brogan said, sipping his Scotch. “I have to admit, I haven’t read the report.”
“Gia has,” Baird said, smile broad. “I had no idea you were interested in business.”
“She’s interested in Spurn business,” Brogan said.
Just then, the crowd moved and she got a glimpse of… ah, salvation!
“Oh, thank you, thank you,” she said. “Uh… excuse me.”
Leaving the small group, she wound her way around others, one person in her sights.
“Roxie,” she gasped, landing on her friend in a hug that almost bowled them both over. Roxie hadn’t been the person she’d spied first. No, her companion was much taller. Her hug’s momentum bounced her from Roxie to the woman’s husband. “Zairn! Thank you for coming. Thank you. Thank you!”
“Don’t get welcomes like this at your friends’ parties,” Roxie said. “See how nice my friends are?”
“Ballard’s the only friend I have left,” Zairn said. “And he lives with us.”
“You pay him, Scroogey.” Roxie patted his chest when his arm went around her. “That’s contractual.”
“Our marriage is contractual, what does that make you?”
Roxie beamed up at him. “A drain on your bank account, sanity, and last good years.”
He bowed to kiss her. “Livin’ the dream.”
“Now I feel shitty,” she said and exhaled. “You just got each other back and you’ve come all the way over here to support me. Unless…” She blinked at Zairn. “Are you and Bram close?”
Until Brogan she’d barely known Zairn. He existed, yes, but had she ever had a conversation with him? No. She probably hadn’t been within fifty feet of him in the past, now she was hugging him.
“Oh no, honey.” Roxie took her hand. “If Z was friends with weeds, he wouldn’t have a knockout like me. No offense.”
Zairn agreed. “There’s truth.”
“You’d still rather be home.” With a guy like Zairn, who wouldn’t? “Home is better than this.”
“Home for what? Whatever we can do there, we can do here.”
“Not…” She squirmed a little. “Anything.”
“What are you talking about?” Roxie asked. “Sex? ‘Cause we can, and do, have sex wherever we want.”
“I vouch for that,” Zairn was cool in the way he spoke and assessed the room. “She does it here, there, wherever.”
“She? I’m not out there doing it myself, Skippy.” Her friend’s head went back. “At parties? Is that allowed? Interesting. Where was that in our vows?”
“LoLo usually does it herself in private.”
“What? Your job for you? Hooking up with a lothario, I had higher expectations.”
“I live to serve.”
“And now he makes me sound like a bitch,” Roxie said with an exaggerated sigh. “I give him points for effort and he did tag-along last minute tonight.”
“He didn’t know about the party?” she asked. “You didn’t know about the party?”
“Casanova is just my date. I was coming to the party for you. He’s an extra.”
“Can’t deny it,” Zairn said. “I wouldn’t be here if my wife wasn’t.”
Signaling him and Bram weren’t close. Good. Selfishly, she preferred it that way.
“Enough about us,” Roxie said. “How’s it going? Has your dad had a meltdown yet? Did we miss it?”
“Ideally that’s what we hope to avoid.”
As Zairn’s gaze rose, she stepped back to see Brogan join their group.
“Irish, you upset Abernathy.”
“Not difficult,” Zairn said. “He’s a guy who deserves to be upset.”
“Oh, are we playing mean girls?” Roxie asked, interest darting around. “Where’s the target?”
“No capers tonight,” Zairn stated. “Husband. Wife. Alcohol.”
“You want to play pretend? I can give you the last three. The last one isn’t so certain. There must be someone we can play with, Casanova.”
“I get a say? Usually you don’t ask before roping me in.”
“Fine,” Roxie said, using Gia’s hand to pull herself away from her husband. “You stand here and be boring. Gia and I will find our own fun.”
“I’ll have Tibbs bring bail!” Zairn called as they ebbed from the guys.
When she glanced back, Zairn almost wore a smile, though Brogan seemed more concerned.
“I shouldn’t run away from him,” she said. “Brogan’s been chasing me around the room all night.”
“Exactly how it should be.” Roxie stopped at the bar, right in front of the bartender. “Good sir, good evening. Gin and It times two.” The guy’s blank face wasn’t encouraging. She couldn’t judge. Until Roxie, she hadn’t known what it was either. Roxie groaned. “God, where do you get your staff?”
Her friend spun around seeking something. Like magic, her husband was already cutting his way through the crowd.
“A matter of seconds and you’re in trouble already.”
Yep, Zairn enjoyed his wife a lot.
“Please go make me a drink, Party Boy,” Roxie said, snatching his sleeves to pull out his cufflinks. “This is what happens when you don’t own the joint. They can’t make my drink. This is basic stuff. Gin and It is basic stuff. Next time have the staff call ahead.”
Zairn smirked, draping his jacket over his wife’s shoulders. “Yes, dear.”
“Are you okay?” Brogan asked, resting a hand on the bar behind her.
“I’m okay. Are you okay?”
“Crowd doesn’t change much between here and Manhattan.”
“Did I really upset your friend?”
“Abernathy is not a friend. And I want to hear you. Always.”
That was usually his condition before an event.
“You know…” Roxie leaned against her a little, watching Zairn walk the length of the bar before rounding it to talk with the bar guy. “People think he has no employable skills, but my guy is actually pretty handy.”
“Who thinks Zairn Lomond has no employable skills?” Brogan asked.
Swinging around, Roxie blinked at Brogan like she hadn’t known he was there. “People think he’s just a sex god.”
“No one in my circle has ever said that about him.”
Brogan was so dry, she wasn’t sure if he was joking or provoking.
“Then you need to widen your circles,” Roxie said, hopping onto a stool. “So, Brogan Spurn, what do I need to know about you?”
“Nothing.”
“You don’t get off that easy, buddy. Are you planning to hurt my friend?”
“Roxie—”
“No,” Brogan said, interrupting. “No one will hurt her.”
“‘Til when? Ever? You planning to stick around that long?”
“Roxie—”
“Let her speak,” Brogan said, eyes set on the wedded beauty. “You’ve appeared in Gia’s life recently. Are you going to hurt her?”
“Difference is, I’ll stick around.”
“You spend half your life on the road.”
“And there’s this wonderful invention called the smartphone,” Roxie said. “I don’t abandon my girls.”
“Good,” Brogan said. “Then I want your assurance that you will encourage her to trust herself.”
“Over her parents?” Roxie asked. “Damn straight.”
“While she’s living with me, they’re not in her ear. She needs space. A sanctuary without their interference.”
“We’ll have her at Crimson Palace,” Roxie asserted. “She doesn’t have to move back in here. She’ll come live with us.”
“Good. We’ll pack her—”
“Wait, I can’t…” Both of them looked at her, just… looked. “I can’t move into Crimson Palace. Yes, I thought about it for like three seconds—”
“That’s long enough,” Roxie said. “We’d love to have you. Brogan’s right, you can’t come back here.”
“My parents won’t allow it.”
“What are they going to do?” Roxie asked on a scoff. “Bet my lawyer’s bigger than their lawyer.”
“I’ll cover any required legal fees,” Brogan said. “If they persist—”
“They won’t get into Crimson Palace. Our security is faultless, completely impenetrable, unlike me when my husband’s around,” Roxie said and clicked as she winked, then cleared her throat. “Sorry, serious, if we need a protective order—”
“You’ve known the guy ten minutes and already been accused of stalking?” Zairn drew their attention to the other side of the bar while putting two drinks in front of them. “Ladies.”
Roxie picked it up to sip and smiled. “And for that, Super-Hot Hottie, I might even have sex with you tonight.”
“My wife could have a problem with that.”
“Nonsense! Bring her along.” Roxie shrugged, leaning in as he did. “I can handle both of you.”
He snickered. “My wife’s not an easy woman to handle.”
Brogan interrupted the flirtation. “Lomond, Gia’s moving into Rouge.”
“Okay.” Zairn didn’t miss a beat. “We can have someone pick up her things tonight.”
Brogan was diligent. “She’s safe at mine for now.”
Safe? Her family home wasn’t… These people, new people in her life, cared more about her future than those who’d raised her. Stupid as it was, all she could think about was her father’s outrage.
The men continued but she tuned out the planning. Her whole life could change. Did she want her whole life to change?
“We’re here to help you.” Roxie’s words seeped in. “Your happiness is what we care about.”
Backing up just a step, Roxie slid off the stool to scoot away with her, putting maybe a meter between them and the guys.
“When I made the deal with Brogan, I…”
“Didn’t expect this?”
“I think about the end sometimes—I try not to think about it, to be honest. He’s here planning for it, like he can’t wait to get rid of me.”
“Guys are different. Brogan’s been here all day and last night, he’s lived how oppressive your parents can be. He’s a smart guy. He’s fixing, he thinks he’s fixing. Men like to fix.”
“I’m broken? My life is broken?”
“I don’t know, honey.” Roxie’s calm helped relax her. “You tell me.”
Tell her.
What could she say to Roxie when she didn’t even have words of sense for herself?