Chapter Eight
ZOEY
I was meeting Dean and Alex at a bar on Kingston Street, and I texted them to let them know I was coming twenty minutes late. I had to go home and change; I knew I couldn't pass off the idea to my brothers that ripped clothes was a fashion choice.
At home, I quickly changed into pants and put on comfortable flat shoes. My feet were aching from wearing heels all day. Then I Ubered to our meeting place. I could have taken my bike, but I was going to have a drink or two, and I knew for a fact that my balance would be affected.
When I stepped inside the pub, I glanced around slowly, searching for my brothers. Dean waved at me from the corner opposite the bar. Alex held their two drinks and had already ordered my favorite margarita. I practically ran toward them.
"Hey, nugget," Alex said. That was his nickname for me, since I was the youngest in the household. He'd called me that when I was one year old, and it stuck. I didn't mind it.
I kissed them both and gave them hugs as well.
"I can't believe they're already making you work overtime," Dean said.
Alex cocked a brow. "Knowing our sister, no one's making her. She's volunteering."
"You've got to take it easier," Dean insisted.
I took a sip of my margarita before putting it back down. "I didn't work too late. I just wanted to go home and change. I had a mishap."
"What happened?" Dean asked.
I could have just avoided the topic or made something up, but I was bursting at the seams to share this with someone.
"Well, funny thing. Colton was showing me around his lab. One thing led to another, and he kissed me. Then things escalated, and… well, I forgot I was wearing a tight skirt, and it ripped."
I looked up from my glass a few seconds later because neither of my brothers were reacting. Their expressions were almost comical. Dean's mouth was agape. Alex was blinking rapidly and shaking his head slightly, like he was still trying to process what I said.
"You what?" Alex inquired.
Now Dean shook his head. "You're pulling our legs, right?"
"That's the same Colton with the reputation of being a hard-ass?" Alex asked slowly.
I nodded. "Yep, the same. Turns out the man can kiss like nobody's business."
Dean straightened up. "What the fuck? He cannot take advantage of you."
I tilted my head. "How did you even come to that conclusion?"
"He's your boss."
"No, technically he's my client, and I was very much into the kiss. I mean, obviously he took me by surprise, but…"
My brothers exchanged a glance.
"I've got no idea what to tell you," Alex said.
I heaved out a breath, taking another sip. This was one of those moments when I wished I had a sister or a woman as a best friend. Some things really were best discussed with another female.
"Sorry, I didn't want to make you feel awkward," I said. "I just had to share it with someone, and you two are… here."
"Now, doesn't that make you feel special?" Dean asked.
Alex was silent for a few seconds, taking a sip of his drink.
"So you're now going out with him?" he asked finally.
My eyes widened, and I held up a hand. "Whoa, hold your horses, Alex. We just kissed. We didn't talk about anything else, although he did ask if he could take me out tonight. I told him he would risk you kicking his ass if he did that."
"We might do it anyway," Dean said, "on principle."
"Just so he knows he shouldn't mess around with you," Alex added.
I winked at them. "I’ll let you know if that's necessary."
Dean drummed his fingers on his glass.
I pointed at him. "You’re sitting on something. Spill it."
He grabbed the glass, taking a huge drink. I knew he was just buying time. "I don't know, Zoey. Do you think that's smart, going out with a client?"
I bit my lip. Dean was never one to rain on my parade. I knew if he voiced that doubt, it meant he was seriously worrying.
I frowned. "I don't know. There’s no rule or clause against it… but on the other hand, there is common sense.”
"Yep," Alex quipped. "I agree with Dean."
"Oh, you two. I don't know why I told you."
Alex grinned. "Because we're your brothers and you like to stump us."
I laughed. "It's true. You should have seen your faces."
Dean cleared his throat. "But in all seriousness, you don't think this could bite you in the ass?"
"Dean, you always overthink stuff. We just kissed. There's a chance we’re going to pretend nothing happened. I don't know. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing."
I decided to change the subject. "Do you think we’ve got a chance in hell of seeing our parents anytime soon?”
"We could meet Mom and Dad somewhere in Europe," Alex said.
"That's a great idea," I said. "I think they’d be happy if we went to one of their galleries."
I had to review my account to see if I could afford an overseas ticket. If I bought it well in advance, maybe I could find a deal. I was making good money and had a decent nest egg. But growing up the way we did, I always had a deep fear that I might end up without any money at all.
"Do we know if Mom and Dad are actually selling anything?" Alex asked.
I took another swig of margarita as Dean cleared his throat. "I asked them, and they avoided the topic.”
"Do you think they might need help?" I inquired.
Alex shrugged. "Could be. You know how these things go. Everyone thinks that if your stuff is in galleries, you’re making bank. But most of the paintings just move from one gallery to the next. That doesn't put money in their pockets."
We knew that well. When we were growing up, our parents struggled to make ends meet. They held down small side jobs while they tried to achieve a breakthrough with their art. We got evicted many times.
As kids, I'd shared a room with Dean and Alex right up until they left home. I respected Mom and Dad for never losing their passion, but it did make life more difficult. Now we were all in a position to pitch in and help whenever they needed it. My brothers had solid, well-paying jobs.
"And they don't always tell us stuff," Alex said.
"I can try and get it out of them, then. I think I might just offer to pay for their next hotel or something," Dean said.
Out of all of us, he was the best one at finding ways to help our parents without them realizing what he was actually doing. They never said if they needed money or not, but we liked to help whenever we could.
"All right, so we’ve talked about our parents and about me and my crazy life. What's up with you two?" I asked.
"Work's fine," Dean said quickly. He was an investment banker, so work was taking up most of his life. "I might have started seeing someone."
"Might?" Alex asked.
Dean glowered at him. "I'll share details at some point."
"How can you not be sure?" Alex said.
"Hey, stop badgering him. We each go at our own pace," I said. "And not everyone lets their client kiss them until their skirt falls apart at the seams—quite literally."
Alex shook his head before saying, "Dang, you’re making me blush. Well, I am dating someone."
"Since when?" I asked, perplexed.
"It started last week."
He sounded so confident that I wondered if he was going to introduce her to us soon.
I stayed with my brothers until late into the evening.
Then they waited until I got into an Uber before calling their own.
They always did that whenever we stayed out late.
I was a little bit tipsy, since I'd ordered a second margarita before we ate our fried chicken, and it went straight to my head.
Dean's words were playing in my mind. Was I stupid for kissing Colton today?
It wasn't like I'd planned it, but still, I could have stopped it.
My God, I didn't want to. The second his mouth was on mine, I’d completely forgotten where we were and what we were supposed to be doing. I didn't regret it, not at all.
When I arrived home, I took a long shower, and that completely woke me up. Afterward, I pulled my wet hair into a bun. It was my favorite trick to make my hair wavy.
Instead of going to bed, I went to the living room, turning on my TV and putting on one of my favorite Netflix shows about detectives.
I had no idea how watching people commit murder and others solve it relaxed me this much, but I could practically feel my legs getting lighter as the scenes grew more intense.
My phone screen lit up just as the lead detective made an important discovery.
I pressed Pause, not wanting to miss a moment.
I'd forgotten to confirm to my brothers that I'd gotten home and figured it was them and that they were worried.
It was probably Alex calling. The number on the screen was unknown, but I answered anyway.
“Hello!”
“Good evening, Zoey.” It was Colton.
I shimmied in my seat, grinning. "Hey.”
“What are you doing?”
“Watching my favorite TV show. And I'm also trying to order a gift for Mom’s birthday, something that will be delivered to Stockholm and not cost an arm and a leg."
"When is her birthday?" he asked.
"Next week. My brothers and I decided to surprise her with a tent. My parents like to go camping. We used to camp a lot as kids too. How about you?"
Wow. I had no idea why I'd just told him all that.
"We never did that. Although, my half brothers did mention once that Dad took them camping."
His voice was a bit tight. Crap, how had I stumbled straight into an obviously bad memory for him?
"Do you get along with your half brothers?" I asked.
"I'm trying to," he said. "I'm not doing a very good job."
"Are they in Boston?"
"Yes. They grew up in Maine, but after they finished college, my grandparents asked if they wanted to move here. They manage some of the branches of Whitley Industries."
"So each of your brothers and half brothers is running a branch of Whitley Industries?"
"Yes. Jake runs Whitley Advertising. Cade, the coffee branch. Spencer, the publishing one. And Gabe covers the distillery, which he expanded by leaps and bounds. And of my half brothers, Nick is running a very successful fitness and sports chain. Maddox designs office spaces. And Leo runs a security company. But I’m not very close to them. "
There was a lot of respect in his voice when he spoke about his half brothers’ accomplishments.
"Do you want to be closer to them?" I asked.
He seemed to hesitate again. "I think it's unfair for me to hold resentment toward them.
After all, it wasn't their fault any more than it was ours.
My other brothers, especially Gabe, but also Cade and Spencer, have a much closer relationship with them.
It's just me and Jake who have had a harder time, but Jake is coming around.
They're good people, and that's all that matters.
It's important to my grandparents that we all get along. "
I thought it was very endearing that this grump who was used to running everything with an iron fist and everyone bending to his will was so hell-bent on pleasing his grandparents.
"I think your grandparents are very blessed with all of you," I said.
"Grandmother likes you. And she is very rarely wrong about people."
"I see. So that's why you're warming up to me?"
He let out a growl. I laughed.
"All right, I need to get back to my show," I told him. "It’s gotten to a really good part.”
“Am I distracting you?”
“Yes, you are.”
"I wanted to hear your voice," he said. "Make sure we're on the same page."
My heart rate accelerated, but I decided to play it cool. "About what?"
He hesitated before murmuring, "Everything."
Oh dear God. That one word was so loaded.
“We are,” I said even though I wasn’t exactly sure what I meant. When he didn’t reply, I said, “Good night, Colton.”
“Enjoy the show.”
I sighed as I disconnected the call. Then I noticed a message.
Colton: I wish you hadn’t left the lab.
My pulse went faster. I hovered with my fingers over the screen for a few seconds before answering.
Zoey: Why? What else did you plan to do to me?
I saved his number quickly. Just as I finished, another message popped up.
Colton: So many things.
I crossed my legs, already feeling an ache form between them.
Colton: I meant what I said. I don't do this. I've never taken a woman there before.
Zoey: I believe you.
Colton: I still owe you an explanation.
I frowned. What for?
Colton: Are you free Monday evening?
Zoey: Yes.
Colton: I can't wait to see you.
My face exploded into a grin. I couldn't wait either.