by Jill Sanders
“I only have a bag or two. Most of our stuff is still in Brent’s truck.”
“Still.” He waited, wanting to kiss her goodnight, but not wanting her to get out of the truck.
“Trey, there’s no way I could ever repay you for all that you’ve done for me in the last week.”
“Has it only been a week?” he joked, then his smile fell away. “No need to repay kindness. Anyone in their right mind would have done the same. Besides, you’re an asset to us.”
Her smile told him that he’d hit the right mark.
“Goodnight.” She reached for the door handle, then stopped. “Okay, don’t take this the wrong way. This has nothing to do with the fact that you’re my boss.” She leaned over and quickly kissed him.
When she tried to pull back, he held her still, taking the kiss a little deeper. When he finally dropped his hands, he nodded. “Damn straight that had nothing to do with who works for whom.” He sighed. “There’s work, then there’s play.”
“Agreed.” She nodded. “Goodnight.”
“Night.” He watched her disappear into her hotel room and couldn’t help a quick fist bump into the air.
Chapter 9
The following workday was the slowest day in Dylan’s entire life. She’d told her brother when she returned to the room last night that she’d rented a house. She hadn’t told him the details or that the rent would be coming out of their checks, equally. Still, for the first time in years, she was looking forward to going home after work.
She spent the first part of her Friday making arrangements in the payroll software for the rent to come out of their paychecks and go into Gail’s account each month. They got paid bi-weekly, and Gail had agreed to take payment in two parts. She was tempted to have it all come out of her account since she knew her brother was not going to like it, but instead, followed what had been agreed on.
When she finished, she was surprised that it had taken her less than half an hour to set everything up. The rest of the time, she emptied out the new emails, filed all the paperwork that Trent had given her that morning, answered several phone calls, and even reorganized some of the files that had been put in the wrong location.
Still, there was an hour left before lunchtime. Staring at the computer, she was at a loss for work to fill her time.
Just then, a message popped up in the chat program on her computer. It was from Trey. There was a link to an online school.
“Check it out and see what classes you’d be interested in. Once you know, go ahead and sign up. Use the corporate login info to sign up. It’s in the contacts file.”
She spent the rest of her day trying to narrow down which classes would work for her. She wanted to enroll in several biology classes but couldn’t explain how it related to her current position. Instead, she signed up for several others that clearly did. In the end, she emailed her proposed schedule to Trey and received an almost immediate response.
The email was short and before she could open it, he stepped outside his office.
“No nerd classes?” he asked her playfully as he made his way to her desk.
“I thought about it, but in the end, these are the best for what I’m currently doing for McGowan Enterprises.” She glanced at the list once more and felt a little surer of herself.
He leaned next to her and glanced over the list. “Intro to Environmental Science,” he read out loud.
She was looking forward to that class the most. “I figured it might help.” She glanced up at him. “For the future.”
He nodded. “How would you feel if we threw in General Chemistry somewhere?” he asked. “You could drop the English.” He glanced over at her. “I haven’t noticed you struggling with it yet.” He smiled. “Or drop Efficiency in Organization.” He leaned up. “Is that a real class?”
She giggled, a sound she hadn’t made in a long time. “I thought the exact same thing.”
“Okay, so we’re agreed. Drop that one and add in the chemistry.” He stood up. “That’s a pretty big workload. Are you sure you’ll have enough time to keep up with all of it?”
“What else is there for me to do?” She shrugged as she moved the classes around on the school’s website program. “There.” She nodded, feeling even better about her schedule than before. She didn’t hesitate and hit enter while he stood over her, watching.
“Done.” She took a deep breath. “God, it’s going to feel good to use my brain again for work and not my body.” She froze the second her words were out, then turned to him, feeling her face heat. “Not what I meant.” She held up her hands.
It was too late, he was laughing. “Oh, my god.” He held his sides as he continued to laugh. “I know what you meant, but…” He took a deep breath. “The look on your face just now was… priceless.”
She relaxed. “I’m thankful I work for someone who doesn’t judge me by my mouth.” Once again, she felt her face heat. “Not what I meant again.” She groaned as she closed her eyes momentarily.
Trey chuckled all the way back to his office. She tried to avoid him for the rest of the day, but when it was only the two of them in the office, it was a little hard to do.
Trent had come and gone a couple of times during the day. He’d been dressed in jeans, a heavy jacket, and steel-toed boots. He’d informed her that he was making the normal rounds to all the sites and would make sure everything was locked up tight. Since Trey had been on a phone call at the time, she’d relayed the message to him once he was free.
She’d heard him complain from down the hallway after she’d hung up the speakerphone. She thought she’d heard him say something about wanting to get out of the damn suit and get outdoors again, but she couldn’t be sure.
Still, she was thankful he was there to help her through a few things. She still didn’t know the accounting software completely. Payroll was coming up, and she had more than a dozen questions.
Trey had given her Rea’s number, but since the woman was officially retired, Dylan didn’t want to bother her with too many questions. So she had spent the rest of her day going over every note and instruction Rea had jotted down. By five o’clock, Dylan was feeling a lot more comfortable in every system. She had even taken the time to reorganize a few files on the shared drive.
When Trey walked out of his office, coat in hand, ready to leave for the day, she had a list of items she wanted to discuss with him.
“You’re a mess,” she greeted him as she locked up her computer. “Your files are, I mean. You save files to the main folder instead of in their designated project folders.” She pulled on her jacket and switched off the light on her desk.
“What?” He turned to her with a frown. “Rea always used to—”
“I’m not Rea, and there’s no excuse for laziness.” She held her chin up slightly. She was holding her breath, in hopes, he’d see things her way. “I spent almost an hour moving files to where they belonged. If that’s going to be a major part of my day, you can’t expect me to get anything else done. Besides, it takes you less than a minute to pick the correct folder. Moving files takes longer, especially some of those CAD drawings where the file size is massive.”
He was silent, then he smiled. “Okay, I’ll make a point to be more organized.” He held the door open for her. “Anything else?”
“Yes. I’ll want a more detailed calendar of when and where the three of you will be. I can’t just guess when you’ll be coming and going. The three of you should have your calendar programs all synced up. It just takes a moment for you to schedule your days.”
He nodded. “Agreed. I’ll talk to my brothers tonight over dinner.”
She paused. He’d offered to help her move into the house tonight. She didn’t have anything for him to do, but she was conflicted as to what to say to him next. Did she mention the move?
He walked with her towards the car.
“So, we’ll be over at the hotel in about half an hour. That should give you plenty of time to change. Mom’s m
ade her lasagna.” His smile grew. “We’re in for a treat.” He was rubbing his hands together. “I’m heading home to change, then I’ll see you over there.”
He turned to go.
“Trey,” she called after him, unsure of what she wanted to say. When he glanced over his shoulder at her, she sighed. “Thanks.”
He smiled. “Sure.”
As she passed the grocery store, she decided to stop in and grab a pie for dessert. It was the least she could do for a family that had gone out of their way to help her and her brother.
She had just walked into the bakery when another woman bumped into her from behind.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” The brunette’s face turned a slight shade of pink. She’d been looking down at her phone instead of where she was walking.
“It’s okay.” Dylan nodded.
“You’re Dylan?” the woman asked.
“Yes.” She nodded, wondering if they had met somewhere before.
“I’m Addy McGowan.” The woman held out her hand. “Trent’s wife.” The woman sighed. “It still gets me.” She chuckled. “Anyway, I’m here to get a dessert for tonight.”
Dylan inwardly groaned. “I’m here to do the same.” She smiled.
“Oh.” Addy chuckled. “Okay, I’m on strict orders from my new mother-in-law to get the dessert. You don’t want to ruin the tender budding relationship I have with my new family, do you?”
Dylan laughed, knowing instantly she was going to like the woman. “How about I grab ice cream and you get the pie?”
Addy smiled. “Smart woman.”
They walked together through the store, talking about the town and the brothers. Dylan wanted to ask about what Abby had gone through recently but decided against interrogating her during their first meeting. Instead, she asked about her wedding and how long she’d known Trent. Since first grade, it turned out.
The wedding had been last fall, on the hillside up in the state park. It had been smaller than Tyler and Kristen’s wedding since Addy hadn’t been into spending a lot of money on a wedding when they were in the process of building their own home.
“So, we bought new eco-friendly kitchen appliances and reclaimed hardwood flooring for our house and spent a week installing everything instead of going on a honeymoon.” She laughed and leaned in. “Trust me, we hardly got any work done.”
Dylan smiled. They were standing in the checkout lane, and Dylan saw the woman’s entire demeanor change. Following her eyes, she saw Darla stroll in the front door.
“That woman,” Addy said under her breath, “is someday going to get just what she deserves.” Addy sighed and turned away before Darla could see that she was watching her.
It was too late for Dylan to turn away. Their eyes met, and Darla’s narrowed as she saw how close she and Addy were standing. Then her eyebrows rose slightly, and her smile turned into a sneer.
“She’s coming this way,” Dylan cautioned.
Addy groaned and turned to face the threat head-on. Dylan instantly admired the woman.
“Darla, I would have thought you’d learned by now not to show your face around here,” Addy said quickly.
“Aren’t you just full of spunk today?” Darla said sarcastically. Then she turned to Dylan and in a loud clear voice said, “So, you’re the latest McGowan whore?”
Dylan felt like she’d been slapped. She’d never learned how to deal with bullies in school very well. She’d been a shy nerd who’d hidden behind long hair, baggy clothes, and thick glasses.
“Considering you’re the… old whore in town, I’d say the brothers have made major improvements. Besides, everyone in town knows, you never had any of the brothers.” Addy leaned forward. “Not really.”
Darla glared at Addy. “I can’t believe we were once best friends.”
Addy laughed loudly. “Neither can I.” Addy nudged Dylan forward to pay for her ice cream. “Let’s go, the family is probably waiting for us.”
Darla disappeared, and Dylan and Addy paid for their desserts.
“Was it true?” she asked Addy as they walked out of the store.
“What?” Addy waited.
“That you and Darla were best friends?” It was impossible for her to imagine. The pretty brunette standing before her was without a doubt, one of the kindest people she’d met. Darla, was, well, completely the opposite.
“It was a long time ago. I was young and stupid.” She rolled her eyes. “You probably wouldn’t understand it, but I was the biggest nerd in town. Thick glasses, stupid bangs.” She rolled her eyes. “Everything short of a pen protector in my shirt pocket.”
Dylan stopped. “I knew we were kindred spirits. By the time I was eleven, I could name every element on the periodic table and list all the U.S. presidents in order.”
“Sister.” Addy shook her head. “Where have you been all my life?”
Dylan chuckled, then frowned when she saw her brother’s truck drive into the parking lot. Instead of pulling into a spot, the truck headed directly for them. She pulled Addy’s arm and nudged her away from the front of the truck.
“My brother,” she said quickly before Brent rolled down his window.
“Where the hell have you been? There’s all these people in our hotel room,” he called out to her. “Better get your butt back there and kick them all out.”
“They’re our bosses.” She held in a choice word she wanted to use and added, “They’re helping us move into the house tonight, remember?”
Her brother’s eyes ran over Addy with a frown. “Right, well, they can help you move. I’m heading to the bar.”
“Don’t you want to help?” she asked. “It’s your stuff?”
“No. I took all of the stuff out of my truck. It’s on the bed. You can just put my stuff wherever you want. Not like I care.” He peeled out of the parking lot.
“Nice brother,” Addy said softly.
“He’s an ass.” She sighed. “He didn’t use to be this way.”
“We’d better get going.” Addy frowned at her watch.
Dylan glanced at hers and gasped. “How did we spend forty minutes in there picking out a pie and a gallon of ice cream?”
Addy laughed as she made her way across the parking lot. “See you there.”
* * *
Dylan hadn’t been lying when she’d said they didn’t have a lot to move. Most of it was clothes, and it was no surprise to him that all her stuff was neatly stacked.
Her brother’s stuff, however, was thrown all over the small living space. Dylan had informed them that her brother was busy and couldn’t help, so she’d shoved all his clothes in huge black trash bags and tossed them in the trunk of her car.
When they drove up to the house, his mother was waiting for them on the back porch, a large pan of his favorite dish in her hands.
“Welcome home,” his mother called out to Dylan.
In less than fifteen minutes, everything she and her brother owned was inside the house. He wondered why she hadn’t tossed all her brother’s items into the apartment above the garage but kept quiet on the matter for now.
They all sat around the dining room table, eating a home-cooked meal. Kristen and the baby had shown up shortly after they’d arrived, and the women spent a few minutes cooing over his new nephew.
He had to admit that he spent a few minutes himself enjoying the little guy, even though all the kid did was sleep and suck on his pacifier.
“The kid looks like me,” he said out loud, knowing that in seconds, the three brothers would be arguing over who Timothy Jack McGowan looked more like.
“Why do you want to start a fight like that?” Kristen hissed at him. His smile was his only reply.
“You’re incorrigible.” Addy slapped him playfully on his shoulder.
“I’m just pointing out the truth,” Trey added as his two brothers continued arguing over the kid.
“I think he looks just like Kristen.” Everyone in the room turned to Dylan, who just shrugged. “Th
e nose and eyes are Kristen’s.” She walked across the room and leaned over the child sleeping in the small pull-out crib. “The lips are definitely McGowan, but everything else comes from Kristen and her mother.” She nodded to Trisha who was helping his mother dish up dessert for everyone.
“She’s a keeper.” Trisha smiled at Trey as she continued to scoop ice cream onto plates.
Everyone in the room turned towards him, eyebrows raised as they assessed his reaction.
“That’s why I hired her.” He smiled easily. “I can tell quality when I see it.” He walked over and picked up a slice of pie.
Almost an hour later, the house was finally quiet. His family had cleaned up and left, except him. He was finishing up the last of the dishes when he glanced out the window and noticed that her brother’s truck had pulled up and parked directly behind his truck.
The differences in the vehicles was instantly obvious. His was a work truck, worn, dirty, and built to last. Brent’s truck was shiny with extra parts that would fall off bumping down some of the access roads Trey normally took. The fact that there wasn’t a speck of dirt on Brent’s truck, told Trey the man had probably washed it before driving home. Knowing that the man would rather spend his time washing his truck then helping his sister move his stuff pissed Trey off immediately.
“Your brother’s home,” he said casually, drying his hands and setting the towel on the countertop. “I’d better get going.”
“Thanks again.” She followed him to the back door. “For everything.”
“You’ll have to stop thanking me sooner or later,” he said just as the back door was thrown open. He caught it easily before it hit the back wall.
“McGowan.” Brent smiled and walked past him, looking around the house. “Nice digs.”
“Brent.” Dylan sighed. “There’s some lasagna left in the fridge. I’ll heat it up for you…”
“Don’t bother. I’m just here to change. I’ve got a date.” Brent smiled as he walked into the living room.
“Want me to stick around?” he asked softly.
