Second Chance on St. Patrick's Day

by Mia Ford

  “Mom would want to eat her right up,” I told him as he laughed and nodded. “We should tell them about Christmas since Mom would love to fawn all over them.” We shared a long look.

  “The first Christmas, though. Would that be too much? I know that we’ll have a ton of family over already, but would Mom be up for it?” Brent wondered aloud as we walked to the car. I knew that it was insane to consider this idea at all, but something about Jane touched both of us…well, besides her sweet drawl and hot body. She just seemed to need a family for the holidays and that was Mom’s specialty.

  Brent walked into the house first and inhaled the scent of roast chicken. “That smells so good.” He said as we looked into the kitchen to see Mom helping with dinner.

  “You’re home for dinner!” She came and hugged both of us before telling us to wash up for dinner.

  We all sat down as Ashley tried to text before Mom told her to put her phone down. We talked about Christmas Eve dinner and the following day, during which family would be in and out. It was going to be busy and emotional for all of us and I looked at Mom for a long moment. “Mom, are you sure about all of this?”

  “I know that I could spend it with just you three, but we never did that before. Dad always wanted the family here and I am not going to change that this year,” she looked at me with a soft smile. “I’ll feel better having people around. It doesn’t mean that I’ll miss him any less, you know.”

  “We’re just making sure that you’re okay,” Brent told her as he reached out for her hand.

  “I know,” she replied as Ashley looked on with wide eyes. She was having a hard time with Dad’s death and we were all worried about her. Mom told her that she could bring her boyfriend to ease her pain and made us promise to be nice to him. We both grumbled about it but knew that Ashley needed everything that she could have to get through this tough day.

  After we finished dinner, Ashely disappeared upstairs and Mom brought us into the living room. “I am going to be in the area doing a little shopping for Friday tomorrow. Can I take you handsome boys to lunch?”

  “That would be great, Mom. Come in any time since you’ll end up talking to the entire floor,” Brent teased her as I laughed. “Is Ash coming with you?”

  “If she’s awake, I’ll try to drag her along,” she smiled as we looked at each other. We stayed up talking for a while, enjoying the quiet time with her and trying not to think about work. It would be here soon enough and it was nice to relax for a change and just stay up talking.

  Looking back, we hadn’t done that enough with Mom before this. We were always busy. Now that Dad was gone, it made me appreciate these moments so much more. We finally went to bed, knowing that we’d be tired in the morning but happy to have time to talk to her.

  CHAPTER 20

  Brent

  We dragged ourselves in the following morning and grabbed coffee at the small stand just outside the door. I had the idea to grab a cafe mocha for Jane, since girls seemed to like those kinds of drinks. I added it to the order, shrugging when Brent gave me a curious look. “It’s a nice thing to do,” I defended my action as he raised an eyebrow.

  I told Brent not to entertain any ideas about Jane, but she was gorgeous in a much different way than Cecile and Veronica was. They were experienced and oozed sensuality, particularly Veronica. She was as free a woman as any that I’d ever met and that was saying a lot.

  Jane was the sweet, country girl and I had half a mind to think she was still a virgin. I didn’t doubt that men hit on her all the time with those eyes and her curvy body, but Jane didn’t seem to be the one-night-stand kind of girl. That made her a great assistant for us but I didn’t like the fact that I was attracted to her, as well as my brother.

  I carried the coffee into the elevator and smiled at her when she glanced up at me. “I brought you a coffee,” I offered as she smiled widely. “I hope you like mochas.”

  “I do. They’re my favorite. Thank you.” A flush spread over her cheeks as I observed her and Brandon walked up behind me.

  “You’re welcome to work in the office today if you’d like.” He offered with a grin as I glanced back at him.

  “Sure. I can ask questions that way since I hit a few snags yesterday.” She grinned and we walked inside of the office as she gathered her stuff together. We took our seats and she came to sit at the smaller desk with her coffee in hand, filling the air with the scent of chocolate in addition to our strong brew.

  “This was your father’s office?” Jane asked hesitantly as we worked and I glanced at Brandon.

  “It was. Hence the family pictures that we left up. It makes me think about him.” I smiled as I glanced around.

  “It’s a great space,” she offered as I nodded. “Did you come here as kids?”

  “Here and there. Once we got older, other things distracted us,” Brandon told her with a smirk on his face. She looked at him and frowned for a moment as I watched the wheels turning in her head. It would be easy to google us and see our story, something I wouldn’t be surprised about at all. People did it all the time.

  Jane returned to her work, entering order after order with a few pauses as she figured something out. She’d think deeply about what she needed to do and smile brightly when she figured it out. I sensed that she was an independent woman hidden in a sweet southern girl and it turned me on more. I was seeing a couple of girls when I could, but nobody special and I craved a girl with a heart and a mind.

  Wait…what? Was the innocent assistant more appealing to me than the past two?

  We worked through the morning, and she got us all some more coffee for the break before we got back into that. We asked her questions, and she spoke lovingly of her father and other family members that were gone now. She talked about Tennessee, admitting that she lived in a smaller town than she first said.

  Just after twelve, there was a tap at the door and our mother walked into the room. We looked at her as she looked around the space with emotional eyes for a moment before they took in the three of us. “Oh, hello there.” She walked right over to Jane and offered her hand, introducing herself.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Ma’am.” Jane smiled brightly as she shook her hand. “I’m Jane Drury and I just started as their assistant. It was kind of being in the right place at the right time.”

  “They didn’t mention another assistant. It’s wonderful to meet you. Where are you from?” Mom asked her and I could see her tucking Jane under her wing and taking care of her already.

  “I moved here from Tennessee about four years ago. I came with a company that sadly closed, and I was lucky enough to hear about this position.” She glanced at us with a flush on her face as Brandon leaned back.

  “She’s coming to lunch with us,” he said under his breath as I nodded.

  The four of us left about fifteen minutes later, with Mom leading Jane ahead of us as she walked towards her favorite Thai place. We watched them bond as they chatted and Brandon let his eyes roam over Jane’s body. “I don’t know if this is good or not, Brent. Mom is obviously crazy about her and she’s going to be at our house for Christmas with that beautiful smile.”

  “I know. I know,” I assured him as Mom turned towards the restaurant, at which point I stepped forward to open the door for them. Mom smiled at me as she and Jane ducked inside while Brandon slipped past me with his obnoxious laugh. I followed them to a table in the corner and sat beside Jane as Brandon sat by Mom. We ordered and sipped water as Mom brought up Christmas and asked if Jane had plans.

  “My mama is in town. We were just going to have a small dinner at my apartment,” Jane replied as I watched Mom shake her head slowly.

  “Oh, honey. We’re having a big feast at our house with lots of family, and you’re both welcome to come on over. It’s just the two of you?” She asked as Jane nodded.

  “Most of the others have passed away.” She frowned when she realized what she said and pressed her lips together. “I’m sorry for
your loss, Mrs. Moyen.”

  “It’s Brenda, Jane. Thank you. It’s been a few months but this time of year, and the first one since he passed…it’s a lot to take in. I am filling my house with people and holiday cheer to remind me of holidays past.” Mom smiled.

  “I…I can mention it to my Mama and see what she says. That sounds…incredible.” Jane smiled as she glanced at me. “Do you guys mind? I don’t know if you want your assistant hanging around on the holidays.” Jane said slowly as I grinned. I hated the idea for reasons that I’d never admit to but I wanted to make Mom happy.

  “No, not at all. It’ll be a crazy afternoon,” I assured her as she smiled gratefully. “I might want to go to your place for some quiet time.” I winked at Mom as she narrowed her eyes playfully at me, making Brandon laugh.

  We enjoyed lunch and it was good to see Mom smiling so much. She came back into the building with us and chatted with people as we headed back to our office. Jane watched as she came inside and giggled. “Your mom is too sweet.”

  “She likes you. Over the years, she’s taken in a lot of the staff as family and vice-versa,” Brandon told her as he looked at me. We talked about the upcoming holiday and we told her about some of the more eccentric family members and a couple of the wild kids that would be tearing around the place. Jane laughed and sent in an order as she mused that her mom might enjoy it. She was alone in Tennessee apart from some friends and Jane was trying to talk her into moving here.

  Jane told us about the holidays when her family was still around and how festive they were. They went caroling around the town and looked at Christmas lights as a big group on a planned night. There was coffee and hot chocolate at the local shop with treats for the kids. Emotion played across her face as she spoke and I knew why Mom invited her to come to our house now. Mom could see that she needed it at some point today.

  We left at five, since everyone decided as a group that it was the week of Christmas and we all deserved it. That wasn’t a direct order from Brandon or me but we agreed. Tomorrow there was a catered lunch and gift exchange for those that signed up. Dad always used to enjoy them and I felt sad as I shut the light off to go home. He’d never see one again and in all the rush of taking over, neither my brother or I signed up for it.

  We talked as we left, going to a shop after we saw that Jane made it to the bus safely. It was a coffee shop on the way home and we bought gift cards for everyone, enough to where they could buy several coffees. We grinned as the cute girl behind the counter helped us to get them into festive envelopes as she batted her eyelashes at us a few times, trying to ask us out with the gentle hint that she was done with her shift soon. I politely thanked her, cutting Brandon’s question off as she handed us the red bag of cards with a wistful smile. “She wanted a sandwich, Brent.” Brandon told me as I rolled my eyes.

  “She was eighteen if that.” I got into the car and started the engine.

  “Didn’t you go through a series of coffee house girls for a while?” Brandon reminded me as I chuckled. I had but that was before…before I was running a company and responsible for my family. That seemed like a long time ago.

  We went home and left the bag in the SUV as we walked inside. There was some chili in the kitchen and we fixed bowls of it with the thick bread fresh from the over, joining Mom and Ashley at the table. Mom told her about our sweet, new assistant as Ashley looked at us with an eyebrow raised. “You couldn’t get a middle-aged woman or even a guy, could you?” Her voice was sarcastic as Brandon tossed a chunk of bread her way. Ashley seemed sullener by the day lately and I knew it was the upcoming holiday. Out of the four of us, they had a special bond that should have never been broken.

  “It was opportunity. We took it,” I replied as she rolled her eyes. “Mom invited her to Christmas.”

  “There will be a lot of people here, so it won’t make that much of a difference,” Ashley spoke slowly, her tone saying that a million people wouldn’t replace Dad. She was right, though we wanted Mom to have her day. Mom gave her a long, sad look as she stirred her chili before taking a bite.

  We all went to bed later that night, Brent and I readying ourselves for two more days at the office before having some time off. We were looking forward to it after working so much. Tomorrow would be casual with the lunch, since it leads people to relax a little more and hang out together. Dad didn’t mind and neither did we. The staff was great since we took over, helping us in so many ways. We wanted them to have some fun today.

  CHAPTER 21

  Jane

  I walked into work with a giant bag of the cookies that Mama made yesterday while I was at work. She also made some bean soup for supper, which was my favorite of all time. She’d instructed me to plate the cookies on something nice for the luncheon, since there was going to be food out all day. A few people looked at me as I stepped into the elevator and I smiled wryly as I clutched the plastic bag. The office door was open when I approached my desk and I set the bag down with a grateful sigh, craving a hot cup of coffee.

  “What’s that?” Brandon asked as he stepped out, making me jump.

  “Mama sent cookies to the party,” I said shyly, trying to catch my breath as he chuckled.

  “You carried that on the bus?” He asked as he eyed the full bag with a raised brow. “That’s so heavy.” Brandon stepped forward and searched my desk with his eyes. “Let me have your phone, Jane.”

  I licked my lips as I reached over for my purse, all too aware of his proximity to me. I slipped my hand inside and found the heavy phone, handing it to him as our eyes locked. Jesus, but this man was handsome. He grinned as he took it, sliding the screen on and working quickly with his hands before he handed it back to me. “I put my cell in there. If you have something like that to carry across town, let me know. We can give you a ride.” Our eyes remained locked as I felt my heart jump into my throat, feeing my attraction to him bubble to the surface before footsteps sounded behind us. “So, what kind of cookies are those?”

  “I…ah…there’s a few different kinds. She was busy while I was at work,” I smiled as I glanced behind him to see Brent looking curiously at us. “Want dibs? She made enough to feed the entire building.” I left them with the bag and went to make coffee, taking slow breaths as I watched it drip into the cup. What happened back there? I knew that Brandon was hot as was his brother, but I never felt it hit me quite like that in the past. Of course, he’d never been that close to me and I sensed that he was a little wild, rough around the edges. Brent seemed to have a fine line of control but in that moment, I knew that Brandon wanted me and I couldn’t deny that I wanted him.

  I wanted them both.

  I composed myself and went back to my desk, taking the bag of cookies to the conference room. I glanced around at the table that was already being filled up with things to nibble on, smiling shyly at the women working. “Is there a plate that I could use? I have some cookies.”

  “Some cookies?” A blonde asked me sarcastically as she glanced at the bag in my hands. She looked around and found two large, festive plates and brought them over. She was gorgeous, as were many of the girls that worked here and I knew that she knew where I worked by the way her gaze took me in slowly, curiously. “Let’s get those onto a plate. I’m Melanie. I don’t think that we’ve met yet?” She reached out a perfectly manicured hand and I shook it as I forced a smile on my face.

  “Jane Drury. It’s my first week here so I haven’t made the rounds yet.” We shook hands as she observed me with a shrewd gaze.

  “You work for Brent and Brandon?” She asked, clearly aware of the fact.

  “Yes, I’m helping them through the busy season.” Another woman came over and opened the bag with a sharp look at Melanie, and I helped her plate them as Melanie finally started to help us.

  “These look delicious,” the older woman said as she lined them in the middle of the green plate. “I’m Barbara. Jane is your name?” She offered her hand with a genuine smile on her face.
>
  “Yes, it is.” I replied as I took one of the thick chocolate chip cookies and added it into her neat circle.

  “Did you make these?” Barbara asked as I laughed nervously.

  “My mama did when I was at work. She’s visiting for the holiday.” I finished that plate and then added the remaining cookies to the red plate beside it, noticing that Melanie was gone. I glanced across the room to see her talking to some other girls, her eyes lit up as she stole a glance at me. I knew they were gossiping. I sighed and Barbara touched my arm gently.

  “They are all foaming at the mouth for your supervisors. It’s as if they forget that we all work under them.” She giggled as I looked at her and shook her head. “The boys have a reputation and it is just more to talk about around here.” Her voice was soft enough that nobody else could hear us talking and I frowned. I knew that there were two assistants before me from what Breanna told me, as well as the fact that there were rumors about an affair between both and the twins. I didn’t know if I believed it but they were handsome.

  I made sure that the cookies were on the table ready to go before I went back to my desk. I sipped my coffee at my desk and glanced towards the door as I wondered where I was working today. It wasn’t going to be as busy as day as the others had been with the all-day party, but there was still time to get some orders in.

  “Want to work in here?” Brent called out as I licked my lips and stood up. I walked into the office and he grinned at me as he held a cookie in his hand. “These are fantastic.”