Breaking Braydon

by MK Harkins

  “Yes?” I said the word slowly, drawing it out. I knew it was never a good sign when someone asked that question.

  “Are you and Colin involved?” Oh. Maybe he likes Colin – I hoped.

  “Yes.”

  His expression dropped a little before he disguised his disappointment. I’d better come clean, just in case it was Colin he was curious about.

  “We’re best friends. We spend almost every waking moment together. He’s also my neighbor, so we carpool. I can’t shake him loose,” I joked.

  “When you say best friends, am I to deduce that means there isn’t a romantic relationship?”

  That was a personal question, but I remained polite.

  “I don’t usually talk about relationship stuff with co-workers. But I’ll answer your question just in case you’re interested in Colin. He’s available.”

  At that moment came a tap on the door. I rushed over to open it. I didn’t want any more awkward questions.

  I greeted one of our medical technicians. “Hi Stacy! Come on in. You can place the beakers on the table over here.” I led her to the table farthest from where Erik was standing. I needed to put some distance between us. For the second time today, I was the victim of personal questions I didn’t want to answer.

  Stacy scanned the room. “Wow, you two have been busy in here.”

  Erik answered, “Yes, today we’ll have our moment of truth. Isn’t that right, Jain?”

  I wondered what he meant. Did I miss some nonverbal clues along the way? Oh, right, the experiment with faulty protein pathways we were waiting on. That Colin! He’d gone and made me paranoid with all his relationship questions.

  “Yes. Right,” I answered quickly. I hoped neither of them noticed I’d paused for a second.

  “Okay, you two. You may carry on. Good luck!” With a flounce and hearty wave, Stacy pranced out of the room.

  “Did you want to start with the faulty or the normal proteins first?” I asked and prayed he wouldn’t continue our earlier conversation.

  He stared at me for an extra beat, and responded, “Sure. I’ll work on the faulty results.”

  Thank goodness. Awkward moment adverted.

  Three hours later, with my stomach growling for lunch, Erik called me over to his work station. I hoped it was something good, because I was ready to drop everything and head for the break-room.

  “Do you see what’s going on here?” His eyes were bright with excitement. I examined the experiment closely; I couldn’t believe what was in front of us.

  “Does this mean what I think it does?” My heart raced as the exhilaration of the discovery began to sink in.

  We’d waited so long for something like this. Years of searching, hoping, and now finally, unlocking a possible pathway was almost too much to comprehend. The joy and happiness seemed to take over and flowed through every pore. A huge grin overtook my face. Erik stepped closer; his expression mirrored mine. This was a powerful moment. We’d done it; we were a step closer to a cure.

  “I’m so happy,” was all I could manage to say.

  “It’s not Colin I want.”

  Just as my brain wrapped itself around his words, he placed his hand around my neck and leaned toward me. What the hell? I jumped back quickly. My lovely, happy feelings turned to confusion then morphed into anger.

  “What was that?” I demanded.

  “God. I’m so sorry. I acted on impulse. But you have to believe me – I’m never impulsive. I’m not that type of person.” He paused, eyes pleading. “It’s you; you’ve taken over my every thought. I couldn’t stop myself.” He stood before me, hands outstretched, with the most regretful expression on his face. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

  “I wanted to ask you on a date and do this right. That’s why I asked about Colin,” he explained.

  There was a tap on the viewing window. I turned around to see Martin and Braydon standing there, observing us. Martin’s lips were pressed tight, and he shook his head. Braydon, he seemed emotionless.

  I closed my eyes and wished for time travel. I only needed two minutes. Would that be too much to ask?

  The door buzzed open, and Martin and Braydon entered. Martin stood with hands on hips, waiting for an explanation.

  Erik answered the unspoken question. “You’re probably wondering what happened in here just now.”

  Martin nodded once. That wasn’t good; Martin was a talker.

  “We had a breakthrough with the faulty protein pathway experiment. I got a little overly excited, and well…I guess you saw the outcome of that.”

  A little excited? I wondered what happened when he got revved up.

  “I’ve apologized to Jain already,” he continued, “but I would also like to apologize to you, Martin. You’ve put a lot of trust in me. I know this looks terribly unprofessional. I’ve never, in my entire life, done anything like this. Ever.” He put the emphasis on the word ‘ever’ and met my startled eyes. Was he trying to blame me?

  I snuck a quick peek at Braydon. He was watching the conversation between Martin and Erik intently. The only clue to his emotional state was the clenching and unclenching of his hands. He was probably questioning investing due to unprofessional behavior. I wouldn’t blame him if he withdrew his offer.

  Martin finally spoke. “Dr. Harper, thank you for the apology. I trust this won’t ever happen again?”

  “Of course not. Any socializing will be conducted out of the workplace.”

  Bad answer. Braydon took a slight step forward, stopped, and moved back into place. Not only were his hands still clenched, his body was straight and stiff. His eyes narrowed, a venomous, laser stare directed right at Erik.

  Martin, oblivious to Braydon’s mounting anger, turned to him. “Oh, sorry Braydon. This is the doctor I was telling you about. Please let me introduce the renowned Dr. Erik Harper.”

  Please shake his hand.

  Braydon crossed his arms over his chest. His face, thankfully, had returned to his previous nonchalant, non-emotional expression.

  “Braydon Decker? The Braydon Decker? I’m happy to make your acquaintance. You know my parents, George and Karen Harper? You worked with them on the multiple sclerosis charity event last year. They couldn’t praise you enough. When I heard you were helping out with the fundraising event for Bastion Medical, I was ecstatic. I’m grateful for what you’re doing for our company.” He reached his hand to shake Braydon’s.

  Take his hand.

  Braydon, ever so slowly, unwrapped his arms and offered his hand. It was the most unenthusiastic handshake I’d ever seen. But, it was done. I breathed a sigh of relief.

  NINETEEN

  Braydon

  His hand felt cold and clammy. Bastard. The only reason I shook it was because of his parents. If he hadn’t mentioned them, I would have probably gone with my instinct – a side kick followed by a palm strike to the head.

  George and Karen Harper were what you’d called salt-of-the-earth type people. They were dedicated to many charities and spent their lives in service to others. It was hard to believe this jerk was their son. Would a gentleman grab an innocent, vulnerable woman like that? She was naturally excited about whatever breakthrough they had, and he took total advantage. My years taking Tae Kwon Do helped give me patience in situations like this, but I still wanted to flatten him to the ground.

  “Your parents are good, honorable people.” I gave him an accusing stare.

  He had the decency to look uncomfortable. “Thank you for saying that. I couldn’t have had better parents.”

  “Yeah.” I turned to Jain. “Have you had lunch yet? I have a few more questions to ask about your fundraising event.”

  She let out a huge breath. “Yes! Let’s go. I mean, no I haven’t had lunch. Do you want to go to the break-room? I packed an extra sandwich today.”

  “How about we head over to Angelo’s a few blocks from here. Do you know of it?” I asked.

  “That’s my favorite restaurant.” She cla
pped her hands. “Their eggplant parmesan is the best in the state.” She paused then said, “No, I take it back. It’s the best in the country. Maybe even Italy!”

  I hadn’t seen this side of Jain before, talkative and nervous. It was a damn cute combination.

  “Martin, do you mind if I steal your employee for an hour or two?” I asked.

  He responded quickly. “No. Go ahead and take her!”

  Jain eyed Martin for clarification.

  Martin noticed her expression and said, “Um, I meant to say you can have her for as long as you want.” He glanced back at Jain.

  Her eyebrow rose.

  “For lunch. I meant lunch.” It seemed everyone was on edge.

  Five minutes later, we entered the cozy restaurant. I’d never seen a woman get ready so fast. She asked Erik to clean up, said good-bye to both men, grabbed a warm sweater, and zipped out the door.

  After the waitress sat us at our booth, Jain let out a long sigh and began twisting a loop of hair around her finger. Her eyes roamed around the room, avoiding eye contact.

  “Jain.” I wanted her eyes on me, even if I had to see them through her thick glasses.

  She turned suddenly. “Are you going to change your mind about helping us with funding?”

  There it was. That’s what she was worried about. Good. I was worried she might have figured out I wanted to hurt her doctor friend.

  “Because of that…because of Dr. Harper? No, Jain. I would never hold that against you or the company.”

  She put her hands over her face and nodded her head, quietly saying to herself, “Okay. Okay.”

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, now I am. I was worried. I know how that must have looked. It was completely unprofessional. I’m so embarrassed.” She stared down at the table.

  “Jain.” She nodded, but her eyes remained downcast. “Can you look at me, please?”

  Slowly, her head tilted up until our eyes met. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. I witnessed the entire episode. You were what I’d call an innocent bystander.”

  A slow smile started to light up her face. “I was, wasn’t I?”

  Damn. When she smiled like that, it felt like someone took a bat to my stomach. It was hard to catch my breath, and every muscle seemed to tighten. Jain started to relax, but now I had an internal war raging.

  Just as I thought I was getting my control back, Jain did something I wished I hadn’t seen. It was a quick swipe of her tongue across the length of her full bottom lip, almost a nervous gesture, but it shot to my very core. Every inch of me was aware of those lips – and now they were glistening, wet.

  She had already been accosted by one man today. I wouldn’t be the second. If I didn’t get a break, right now, I would kiss her – roughly, passionately.

  I pulled my phone out of my pocket and said, “Sorry, I have to take this. I’ll be right back.”

  She glanced up from her menu, smiled and said, “No problem. Do you want me to order for you?”

  I didn’t care. “Sure, thanks. Go ahead and order whatever sounds good.” I needed some cold water splashed on my face…again.

  I looked into the mirror and asked myself what I was going to do? The idea of being with a woman, any woman, longer than a day, brought a host of emotions. None of them good. So why did I want to be with her? She’s beautiful. No, she’s plain. But she did have a quality about her that was beautiful. I’m sure that was what Dr. Jerk saw. Jain was dedicated to her work, almost to a fault. But I could relate to that. When she let down her guard, I detected a wicked sense of humor. She tried to hide it, to remain the serious scientist, but it came out every once in a while. When it did, I got to see all facets of her – the serious, the dedicated, the loyal, and her fun side. She’s complex, but in an attractive and interesting way. That was my problem; I liked everything about her. She made me want to be a better man. A man my mom would be proud of. A man who deserved a woman like Jain. Could I be that man? I didn’t know.

  I hurried back to our table and sat down. Jain seemed upbeat and ready to put the incident behind her.

  “I ordered for you,” she said.

  “Great, I’m starved. What will I be eating today?”

  “Eggplant parmesan. I’m a little obsessed with it. Is that okay?” She sat on the edge of her chair, waiting for my reaction.

  “Of course, it’s one of my all-time favorites. What are you getting?” I inquired.

  She giggled softly. “The same thing. I was going to get two different orders, but all I could think was I didn’t want to share. Sorry!” Her lilting laughter floated through the air.

  A few minutes later, the waitress brought us our dishes and set them in front of us. “Can I get you anything else?”

  I stared at the side order of spaghetti that sat to the right of my plate. I cleared my throat and asked, “Can you take this away?” I didn’t want to touch it, so I pointed instead.

  “The spaghetti? You don’t want it?” She stood, hands on hips – daring me to refuse spaghetti in an Italian restaurant. “It doesn’t cost extra; it’s included with every entrée.”

  “I’m not worried about the money. Can you remove it, now?” If she didn’t, I’d find the closest garbage can.

  There must have been an edge in my tone, because she immediately said, “Yes, sir. Right away.” She reached over and took the plate from the table so fast, the spaghetti nearly came off.

  “You really don’t like spaghetti, do you?” Jain’s lips pressed together in an apparent attempt to stifle her laughter.

  “No. I don’t.”

  “I almost ordered you spaghetti marinara for lunch.” She giggled.

  I smiled a little. When she laughed, it was infectious. Only a few seconds before, I felt almost panicked. I needed the spaghetti gone, right away. Every time I saw it, I was brought back to the day that changed my life.

  “I think I had too much spaghetti as a child. Now, I can’t even look at it.” I hoped she bought my excuse.

  “I’m like that with oatmeal. I had it every morning for years, and now…” She shivered.

  We laughed together for a moment. When the laughter subsided, we smiled at each other. The moment was powerful, because I realized we could be together and not try to fill it with idle chatter. Something threaded through me, a vague emotion I couldn’t quite get a handle on. Affection maybe? I’d never felt it before with a woman, so I was confused.

  We continued to enjoy our meals in companionable silence. One thing was certain, Jain loved to eat. Every so often, she’d take a bite, close her eyes, and moan with pleasure. That’s how she’d sound…No. I wouldn’t go there. She’s too important. I wanted to keep her in my life, and that wouldn’t happen if we slept together.

  “Jain?”

  She seemed to come out of her food trance and looked up. But I swear her gaze lingered on my lips. Holy shit. Finally, her eyes made their way up to greet mine.

  Her cheeks flushed pink. “Sorry, the food distracted me.”

  “I’m glad to see you’re enjoying it.” I could sit and watch her all day.

  “Thanks for taking me here, and, you know, out of that situation.” The color on her cheeks turned a darker pink.

  “I was glad to.” I didn’t want to rehash the unpleasantness, so I continued with, “How about we discuss some of the details about your fundraiser?”

  She smiled and put her hand on her chest.

  God help me.

  “I would love that. I don’t think we even talked about it at Starbucks the other day. I received a little lecture from Colin.” Her eyes warmed whenever she spoke of Colin. “Our meeting today should make him happy. She rubbed her palms together. “So, what’s first? We need a theme, correct?”

  I chuckled. “Yes, we can start there.”

  She continued to rub her hands. “It’s going to be on Valentine’s Day, so should we do a love theme?”

  “Yes, I’ll have Todd work on that. Right now, we’re
putting together a list of all our major donors. If we can get a handful on board, there’ll be a domino effect. Everyone loves a party, especially that time of year. We already have the ballroom at the Paramount Hotel reserved.”

  “Wow. You move fast. I didn’t even realize the ball was already rolling.” She paused. “Do you even need me? It sounds like everything’s coming together.”

  “Yes, I do need you.” Those words, they just slipped. “I still have some specifics we’ll need to go over.” I had to stay on track. “Most fundraisers include an auction. We’ll need to put our heads together to decide what you’d like to include. Wealthy people love to compete.”

  TWENTY

  Jain

  I have to quit staring at his eyes. What did he just say?

  “Wealthy people like to compete?” I think that’s what I heard.

  He nodded. Good, at least part of my functions were working.

  “Yes, auctions are the best, most effective way to draw money from the crowd. We include them in almost every function we hold. I saw a plate of brownies go for two thousand dollars at an event last year. Each bidder had a pregnant woman tugging at his sleeve.”

  “That’s rather sweet.”

  He stared out the window. “If you believe in that sort of thing.”

  “Like love and romance?” I asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Braydon?” I knew I was about to say too much. “I don’t either. Things will always end. People get hurt. I think it’s much safer to immerse yourself in a job you love, make a contribution to the world and…”

  Braydon’s posture changed; he sat straight up. “Not you. You’re the type of girl who should have it all. You deserve it.”

  “I don’t deserve – I mean, I don’t want that. I don’t want anything to take even one minute of focus off my research. It’s everything to me.” I must not cry. I must not cry.

  “I get that. But you can balance it and still have a life.”

  “Says the pot to the kettle.” I quirked an eyebrow. Take that.

  “I’m not like you, Jain. You’re much…better. Me? I’ll never change.”