Dane shoved his hands in his pockets to hide the fists he wanted to shove in Champ’s face. He never had the urge to punch his brother as he had right now. Sure, the impulse came over him now and again, but not this intense fury to let loose all the pent-up emotions he always held inside when it came to Champ. Good ol’ Champ. The boy who could do no wrong.
“Excuse me for wanting to work hard and make my way into the business the correct way. So Dad gave you control of the company when he retired. I like doing the hard work. I don’t like being handed shit for no reason. That’s exactly what Dad did for you. You do nothing the hard way. You’ve always been handed everything. You’ve always been the favorite son.”
“I’m the favorite son?” Champ exclaimed. “You’re the oldest. Mom loves you more than me.”
“Well, Dad seems to favor you more than me. I guess we’re even. I’m done, Champ. I don’t care to keep reminiscing over family dynamics anymore. I have work to do.”
“It’s past nine o’clock. You know, I didn’t even try your place. I came straight here, knowing you’d still be at work. You should move into the building. Why’d your secretary quit?”
Dane wanted to wipe the smirk off his face. Two little words would do it with ease. “Why do you think?”
“Well, I know it’s not why you think.”
Dane decided to sit back down. The temptation to charge at his brother and have a roll ‘em on the floor fistfight was too much. “You’ve been dying to tell me something since you walked in. I’m sure it’s nothing but nonsense since that’s all your life is. A bunch of nonsense. Go away, Champ.”
“My girlfriend, Mia, broke up with me tonight. She was told I was cheating on her.”
“What, you’re kidding me?” He pretended to sound shocked. Then he snapped his fingers. “Oh, wait, you were cheating on her. Forgive me if I don’t feel bad for you.” Dane picked up his pencil and the mock drawing he was working on.
Mia? The name sounded familiar.
“Your secretary, Ms. Stileano, is the one who told her. They’re best friends. She lied to you, Dane. She’s a liar.” Champ stepped closer to the desk when Dane raised his head slowly.
It couldn’t be. Not Gabriella. She was the most honest person he knew.
“Are you saying you weren’t screwing your secretary on your desk? She lied about that.” Of all the things Dane expected, he didn’t expect that. He knew she didn’t fake the kind of reaction she had in his office. He knew his brother did what she said exactly happened.
Mia! That’s why the name sounded familiar. She had blurted the name in her tirade before walking out of his office—and his life—forever.
“She lied about why she applied for the job. She thought you were me. Mia told her I needed a new temp secretary. Mia thought I was cheating. She convinced her friend to apply for the job and do some undercover work.” Champ laughed. “She got the wrong brother. She thought you were dating her friend Mia.”
No.
No way.
Yet, he saw the truth written on his brother’s face. Champ wasn’t lying, and he could tell when Champ was lying. He did it so often. He watched as Champ continued to laugh as he walked out of the office.
An entire week.
She had lied to him for an entire week. What he had thought so real had all been a big sham. God, he was such an idiot. She played him. She thought he was a womanizing cheater and liar while he had been having lustrous thoughts about her.
His pencil snapped in half as the anger swirled inside. He didn’t like being made a fool of. How dare she.
I’m sorry for lying. I hope you can forgive me someday—her last words to him.
She tried to tell him in her own way what she had done.
Forgive her? Not likely. He couldn’t stand liars. His brother was a compulsive liar, and he could barely stand him. He only did because he was family, and his mother would disown him if he cut Champ out of his life.
She was nothing. He had no problem forgetting about her.
That’s exactly what he did as he grabbed a new pencil.
5
Gabby groaned, grabbing her head as the pain skyrocketed from her temple down to her toes. She pulled a pillow over her head to drown out the insistent pounding going on. When it wouldn’t disappear, she threw the pillow to the floor. Her visitor wasn’t going away.
She got out of bed and swiped her robe that sat in a tangled mess on the floor. Untying the kinks as she walked to the front door, she had just shoved her arms through the sleeves when she approached the door. She grabbed for the ties to knot it together as her hands fumbled with the door locks. Her expression told her visitor she wasn’t impressed or happy about the wakeup call when she finally opened the door.
“You look like shit, Gabs,” her longtime friend and partner, Jaxson Brandt, said as he stepped inside and closed the door. She sneered at him as she continued to tie her robe closed.
“Gee, Jaxson, is that what you tell all the ladies? You owe me a quarter, too.” She needed coffee—lots of coffee. Without waiting for his response, she turned toward the kitchen.
“You know I never go anywhere without a handful of quarters,” he said with a low chuckle. “Late night last night? What happened? Did you have a hot date, and it got a little rowdy?”
“When’s the last time I had a hot date? Junior high?”
Jaxson leaned against the counter as he watched her get the coffee ready, chuckling. “Oh, someone’s cranky. You always get ridiculous with your sarcasm when you’re cranky.”
“Well, someone did wake me up way too early.”
“Hey, Gabs, look at the clock on the wall. It’s noon. Not that early.”
Gabby watched as his finger pointed to the clock on the wall that read it was indeed twelve o’clock.
Well, shit. It was late.
Then she looked at her swear jar. “Pay up, mister. Don’t think because I have a helluva headache, I’ll forget.”
Jaxson chuckled but dropped a quarter in the jar.
“Dish. I need details.”
Gabby rolled her eyes. His words reminded her of Mia’s from last night. She had asked her several times to dish out the details about Dane before she finally caved. “I was with Mia, who must’ve left already. She normally has to be at the theater by now.”
“So you had a late night with Mia. That explains things a little better, sort of. Care to explain a little bit more?”
Gabby turned around from the coffee pot, weighing her decision. It didn’t take too long. She rarely kept anything from Jaxson. Twenty minutes later, after explaining the past week—every sordid detail—Jaxson refilled her coffee cup and handed her two painkillers.
“Bottom’s up, Gabby. Your headache isn’t disappearing like you wanted it to with only coffee. Take the pills.”
“Thanks, Dad. What would I do without you?” she asked with her usual attitude when she didn’t feel well.
Would she ever feel better after the way she treated Dane?
“You’d never survive, that’s for sure. Are you okay? I mean, truly okay. You and Mia never grab the tequila unless it’s desperately needed.”
Gabby swallowed the pills, taking a quick sip of the coffee. “Mia’s boyfriend was cheating on her. That screamed tequila loud and clear.”
“Yeah, but you know that wasn’t what I was talking about. You, Gabs. Are you okay? We’ve been friends for nine years; I know what’s hidden underneath the words you don’t say. This Dane guy, you liked him.”
“Stop being a detective for once.”
“Not possible. Like it’s not possible for you.”
She gave him a strangled laugh. “I wasn’t much of a detective this past week.”
“Not your fault. You got bad intel.” He sighed, nudging her shoulder lightly, so she didn’t spill the coffee. “Are you okay? That’s all I want to know.”
“Yeah, life goes on. It always does.” She smiled, hoping to ease his worries. She didn’t want to continue
this conversation. “What are you doing here? I still have two more days of vacation before I should see your ugly face.”
“And I can’t bug you on your vacation? You know you find me charming and handsome. Don’t lie.” He grinned at her with the most dazzling grin he had. “I can’t believe you used vacation time for something like this. Only for Mia. The things you do for her.”
“And always will.” She took another sip of coffee, nudging him this time. “What are you doing here?”
He pulled his phone out, scrolling to his texts. “A little drunk texting went on last night. I have to say that you made me laugh a few times. I figured you wouldn’t be feeling well this morning. I wanted to make sure you were all right. You usually don’t drink like this. I now see why you were.”
She cringed at some of the horrible texts she sent him as he continued to scroll through them all, laughing as he went.
“Alright, buddy, I’ve seen enough. So Mia and I had fun, big deal.” She laughed when he raised his eyebrows teasingly. “Thanks for coming over. Want to take the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty today?”
“Seriously?” He shook his head, his adorable grin making her feel better. “Never mind, of course, you’re serious. Yeah, why not? It’s been a while since I’ve seen it up close and personal. I’m game. Grab a shower first. You stink.”
“Gosh, Jaxson, you sure know how to win a woman’s heart.” Gabby stood up, placing a hand over her heart as she flicked him a mocking look.
“I never stop trying when it comes to you.” He winked at her as she walked down the hallway to the bathroom.
Several hours later, after taking a trip to the Statue of Liberty, they were back in Gabby’s apartment. They had an amazing time, not that they actually went up to the top. You needed tickets in advance, but Gabby hadn’t minded. She enjoyed the ferry ride to the island and walking around the magnificent statue. Seeing the view from Dane’s office had given her the idea. She had wanted to visit it since that day.
Although, she had envisioned going with him. Relishing in the way his face would light up with excitement and look relaxed for once.
Dreams.
Only in her dreams would that happen.
She had a wonderful time with Jaxson. She wouldn’t let the thoughts of Dane distract her from the nice time she had.
“Game starts in an hour. Up for some baseball?” Jaxson asked, plopping down on her couch.
“That’s a dumb question. You know I’ll always watch baseball. Damn, we should’ve gone to the stadium.” She should’ve thought of that sooner. That would’ve rounded out the evening perfectly.
“Wow. You want to take in all the sights. What’s up with that?”
“Going to a baseball game isn’t taking the sights in. It’s fun. And I’m on vacation, remember?”
“Ah, yeah, almost forgot. You know, normal people go on a cruise, or an exotic island, or some shit like that,” Jaxson said with a laugh, grabbing the remote control from the coffee table.
Then they both pointed at each other and laughed, “Quarter!”
“Mia asked. You know I always do anything for her. Even if it is ridiculous.” Gabby started to walk toward the hallway to the bathroom.
“If she asked you to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you?” Jaxson asked, his facial expression devoid of all teasing.
“She’s my best friend. She’s more fragile than people realize. I need to protect her, sometimes even from herself.”
Jaxson rubbed his chin, grimacing. “I know, Gabs. Forget I said anything.”
She nodded, knowing that Jaxson did understand.
While she looked out for Mia all the time, he liked to look out for her. As she walked to the bathroom, she wondered, who looked out for him? She did, for the most part, but not like she did for Mia.
She changed clothes and took her time using the bathroom, trying not to think about a man she should forget about. Nothing good would come from her daydreaming about him. But damn it. It was so easy to picture Dane’s handsome face. She couldn’t help but daydream. Picture the rare smiles he had bestowed upon her. He would hate her when he found out the truth. She knew it. For once in her life, she wished she would’ve said no to Mia.
But if she’d said no, she never would’ve met Dane. She couldn’t be sorry about meeting him. She was sorry for how it all happened.
“You’re not stinking the joint up, are you? I have to use the bathroom too, you know,” Jaxson hollered from the living room.
She laughed, shaking her head. She should’ve stunk up the bathroom to irritate Jaxson. She wiped her hands dry and walked back to the living room.
“Bathroom is as fresh as the day I cleaned it. Settle down.”
Jaxson stood up, heading toward the bathroom himself. “You were in there forever. What were you doing, if not stinking it up?” He frowned. She must not have shielded her sadness well enough. “Ah, shit, Gabby. I’m sorry. Why don’t you try talking to him? It would make you feel better. Obviously, I’m not helping like I hoped.”
“I don’t think that would help. I don’t want to hear the nasty words he’d say to my face. And you always help me, Jaxson. You’re the best guy friend a girl could have and the best partner.”
“Ah, shucks, don’t make me blush.” He grinned sheepishly, as if embarrassed, then a bright sincere smile emerged. “You’re the best partner and friend a guy could ever ask for. Mia’s pretty lucky that you’re such an awesome friend.”
They didn’t have heart-to-heart talks like this very often. She didn’t know how much more she could take. It meant a lot to her that Jaxson cared as much as he did. “Go take a piss already. Did you find the channel for the game?”
“Yeah. Be right back. Don’t take my spot.”
She smiled with a wicked twinkle in her eyes, watching as he shook his head while walking away, knowing that she was going to sit in his spot. Which she did. She sat down, wiggling her butt to get as comfy as possible when a knock sounded on her door.
She wasn’t in the mood to be bothered by anyone. Probably one of her neighbors looking to borrow something. Mrs. Stenson, two doors down, loved to bake and was always knocking on her door to borrow sugar or flour or whatever other ingredients she ran out of. Gabby didn’t think she ran out of supplies as often as she claimed. She figured Mrs. Stenson liked the company since her husband had passed away not more than a year ago. Of course, if it happened to be her, Gabby wouldn’t turn her away.
She knew it wasn’t Mia. She always walked in without knocking. Jaxson did as well if the door wasn’t locked.
She glanced through the peephole, her lips twisting with surprise as she jumped back.
It couldn’t be.
Leaning closer, peering through the hole again, she almost thought about rubbing her eyes. They had to be deceiving her.
Dane stood on the other side.
What did he want? And why did she have to be so honest and write her real address on the application?
He knocked again, making her jump back for the second time. She finger-combed her long hair, knowing it didn’t look the best, especially after the day on the ferry. The wind had a heyday blowing it around like crazy.
Well, she had never backed down from a fight. She wasn’t about to start now. She took a deep breath, then pulled open the door.
“Mr. Holloway, what can I do for you?” She made sure to keep her tone positive and in control. Not like she was on the verge of tears. Because damn it, she suddenly felt like crying.
He didn’t look happy. In fact, he looked downright pissed. Perhaps she shouldn’t have opened the door. “We’re past the formalities, aren’t we, Gabriella? I would like to talk to you for a moment. May I come in?”
She wasn’t sure if she should let him in, especially with the way his face still contorted with rage.
Again, not afraid of a fight. She deserved whatever he had to say. And she didn’t think he’d physically harm her.
She stepped aside for
him to enter and shut the door.
Plus, Jaxson was here. He couldn’t hurt her with any bodily harm with Jaxson here. Not that she thought he would. She really didn’t. He looked angry but angry enough to hurt her? She didn’t think so. He wasn’t that type of man. Or was he? She didn’t know him that well.
Of course, she could hold her own. She wasn’t scared—of anything.
“What did you want to talk about?” She turned around, realizing he hadn’t made a move. He stood a breath away from her. So close, he could wrap his arms around her with ease.
Oh, how she ached so much for him to do that. Forgive her and see where this—whatever this was between them—could go.
Ha! That was her wishful thinking that he saw her as anything more than a secretary.
“You know what I want to talk about. You lied to me.”
“You might not like my explanation, but it’s a good one.”
“Explain away. I’m dying to hear it.” His expression didn’t indicate he was happy to hear anything.
She started to open her mouth, yet was unsure of what to say.
“Yo, Gabs, grab me a beer.”
Oh, shit.
Not good.
Jaxson just had to open his loud mouth.
Dane looked at her, confusion morphing with his anger. Or was that pain? She couldn’t be sure. Damn it. She hated the unknown.
There was a moment of silence because she still didn’t know what to say.
“Please, Gabs. I forgot the ‘please.’ Pretty please.”
Okay. Enough was enough. She had to take control of the situation before it completely spiraled out of control.
“Yeah, hold on.” She met Dane’s irate gaze. “Do you want one?”
“Who is that?”
“Jaxson…my partner. I’ll take your avoidance of the question as a yes. I think we could all use a drink.” She tried to walk toward the kitchen without touching him, but it was impossible. She almost fell into his arms when her arm grazed his chest. The small touch was electrifying. She wanted more.
She heard his shallow steps follow her. She grabbed three beers from the fridge and held one out to him, even though he never officially answered her. He made no move to take it.
The Wrong Brother (a perfect for you novel Book 1) Page 6
