*****
Brad moved aside to let two men carrying a bulky beige sofa pass through the front door of Erin’s building before bounding up the stairs to her floor. He glanced at the long-stemmed red rose he held in his clammy hand and wondered how Erin would react when she saw him with it.
When Erin had given him a rose in Perth, she’d said it was a mere thank-you gift. He couldn’t blame her for covering up her embarrassment and disappointment from him acting less than thrilled by her sweet gesture. It was just that he hadn’t been ready to admit his feelings back then and hadn’t known how to respond.
Tonight, nothing was holding him back. He was ready to tell her what this rose meant—and it most definitely wasn’t gratitude.
Still, he couldn’t help his nerves. What if Erin was still too angry at him to want to talk?
He reached her door and knocked, the beating of his heart louder in his ears. When the door started opening, he involuntarily held his breath.
“Hi, Cha— Oh, Brad. Hi,” Erin said, her eyes wide with surprise.
“Hi,” he said, his mouth dropping in awe. God, Erin was a lovely vision in a sexy red dress, beautifully made up face, and silky hair pulled up in a bun. She was obviously headed somewhere. “Did I come at a bad time?” he croaked.
“Um... yeah,” she said, glancing at the rose before looking back up at him. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t call first. I just assumed you’d be home because it’s a Wednesday night. Where are you off to?”
“To watch Les Miserables at the Capitol Theatre.”
“Who with?” he asked nonchalantly.
“Chase.”
A man’s name. His heart constricted. “Who’s Chase?”
“The guy who lives downstairs,” she said, just as they heard the elevator ping. “Here he is.”
Brad twisted around to find a well-dressed man who looked familiar. His faced heated up. This was Chase? This idiot had been trying to ask Erin out for months. And now she was going out with him? Worse, Chase was carrying a bunch of flowers. A big bunch of colourful, fragrant blossoms, not one itsy-bitsy rose.
“Hi, Erin,” Chase said, looking at him with suspicion.
“Hi, Chase. This is my friend Brad.”
“Nice to meet you, Brad,” Chase said, gesturing for a handshake. “I’ve seen you around.”
He took the man’s hand and pressed tight, giving him the deadliest stare he could manage. But Chase seemed unperturbed.
“And this is for you, beautiful,” Chase said, handing the flowers to Erin and kissing her on the cheek.
“Thank you. They’re lovely,” Erin murmured, blushing.
He narrowed his eyes, wanting to push Chase so the idiot would take his hand off his Erin. But instead he asked, “Erin, could we have a minute please?”
“Um, we’re actually running late for our dinner reservation, Brad,” Erin said, her face grimacing with apology. “Maybe I’ll call you and we can arrange a catch-up? I do want to hear about what been happening with you.”
“Right,” he said, her words stabbing his heart like a knife.
“Shall we go, Erin?” Chase asked.
“Yes,” Erin said. “Let me just take these flowers inside. I’ll be right out.”
“This is for you, too,” Brad said, holding up the rose.
“Oh, of course.” Erin reluctantly took the lone blossom from him before letting the door close behind her.
The knife in Brad’s heart twisted cruelly. Erin had wanted to ignore his rose. She didn’t want it.
“You’re her ex,” Chase said matter-of-factly, a hint of hostility in his voice.
Of course the idiot knew who he was. “And you are...?”
“Her date,” Chase said, his jaw jutting out in challenge.
“How long have you two been going out?” he asked calmly, although he’d never wanted to punch a man in the face like he did at that moment.
Chase smirked. “I don’t know if Erin would appreciate me talking to you about us. Anyway, she’d probably be more comfortable if you were gone by the time she came out.”
“I think I’ll wait for her, thank you,” he said in a low tone.
Chase shrugged. “Okay. I guess you should say goodbye.”
He glared at Chase, who turned his back to him and started to pace the corridor.
What did this idiot mean to Erin? Had she truly moved on? Was he really too late?
Erin’s door opening startled him. “I’m ready to go,” she said to Chase.
“Great,” Chase said, a triumphant smile on his face.
“See you later, Brad,” Erin said. “Sorry you came all the way here and I can’t talk to you. Call first next time.”
He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
He watched Erin walk away from him—with another man. Would she kiss Chase tonight? Fuck, he just wanted to carry her away. That, and cry.
“Brad?” Erin called out when they reached the elevators. “Not coming down with us?”
“I’ll walk down,” he said and hurried to the stairs, lest Erin see the mist in his eyes.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Erin frowned as she watched Brad trot down the stairs. He looked... forlorn.
“Erin?”
Chase was holding the elevator door for her.
She walked into the lift, her heart hammering hard. Why had Brad come tonight? Why had he given her a rose? He wasn’t the type to give women flowers.
“You okay?” Chase asked, placing a hand on the small of her back.
“Yes, thanks,” she said, trying not to show her discomfort at Chase’s touch. Damn it. She should have trusted her instincts and not have accepted Chase’s invitation to a friendly date.
You were lonely and angry, Erin.
Yes, she’d been in one of her weak, pathetic states when Chase had come to her apartment the night of January first to greet her happy New Year. When he’d noticed her depressed spirits, he’d suggested a night out to cheer her up. She guessed she’d been flattered. Here was a guy whom she’d rejected multiple times, and he was willing to try again and again. Contrast that to Brad whom, she’d loved for ages but who continued to shoo her away.
She never expected that four days after she’d agreed to go out with Chase, Brad would come knocking on her door, looking sad and lonely, and bringing her a red rose.
“I’m really looking forward to the show,” Chase said conversationally as they exited the lift.
She gave him a small smile, but her eyes darted around to look for Brad. He hadn’t made it to the ground floor yet.
“And dinner should be good too,” Chase prattled on. “I’ve been wanting to go to this restaurant for a long time. I’m glad I’m finally going—with you.”
She sighed, guilt attacking her. “Chase, you know that I’m still getting over Brad, right?” she reminded him gently. She might have agreed to go out with this man, but she hadn’t been remiss in telling him that she was in no state to find a new boyfriend.
“I know. I just want us to enjoy tonight, Erin. Like I said, this is just a friendly date with no expectations of anything more.”
“As long as you don’t feel like I’m leading you on,” she said apologetically. “I’m feeling guilty right now that I might have misled you. I’m not ready for a new relationship, Chase.”
Chase smiled—a little forced, she thought.
“Don’t worry. I know the score,” he said.
With more than a little reluctance, she followed Chase to his car. Despite Chase’s assurances, she still wished she’d cancelled tonight. But it was too late for that. It would be an insult to Chase after he’d organised a show and dinner at short notice.
Damn Brad. Why did he have to turn up unexpectedly? Now she wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about him all night.
Be strong, Erin!
Right. She shouldn’t forget her New Year’s resolution: to never again assume that Brad had feelings for her tha
t went beyond friendship. She’d been burnt by her own foolish hopes many a time, and she was tired of getting hurt and disappointed by him. So tired.
*****
“That was great, wasn’t it?” Erin said lightly, surreptitiously dabbing the corner of her eyes. It was quite embarrassing that she couldn’t stop the waterworks, but Les Miserables always did this to her, even though she’d seen the musical three times already in the span of five years. Fortunately, she wasn’t the only one with tissues out.
“Yeah, it was,” Chase agreed. “But could you believe the woman next to me who’d seen it twelve times? Twelve times?”
She chuckled. “What? You wouldn’t watch it again?”
Chase made a face. “I probably would, but not for a few more years. Shall we go have coffee somewhere? Or would you prefer to have it at home?”
“I think we should have an early night.”
“Hey, are you ditching me because I didn’t shed one single tear when everyone else around me was sniffling?” Chase teased.
She laughed. “No. But it’s been a long day, and tomorrow I have to be at work early.”
“I suppose,” Chase said with disappointment. He took her hand as they followed the throng of people making their way out of the theatre.
Oh no. She pretended to cough and pulled her hand away to get more tissues from her bag.
“Erin!”
She turned around and her eyes went wide.
“Hi! I thought it was you,” Paula said, walking up to her with an older woman beside her, who must be Paula’s mother, judging from their striking resemblance.
“Hi, Paula,” she murmured, instantly uncomfortable.
“Fancy seeing you here,” Paula crooned before turning to Chase. “Hi, I’m Paula, an acquaintance of Erin’s.”
“I’m Chase. Nice to meet you,” Chase said with a friendly grin.
“And I’m Paula’s mother who desperately needs to go to the bathroom. Please excuse me,” the older woman said before waving to them and hurrying away.
“Okay, Mum,” Paula called out.
“I think I better visit the gents’ too,” Chase said. “I’ll see you back here, Erin?”
Erin nodded. Ugh. Now she was going to be left alone with the woman she least liked.
“Did you enjoy the show?” Paula asked.
“Yes. It’s my third time seeing it, actually.”
“Oh, right. What about your boyfriend? Did he like it?”
Aha, Paula was fishing. “He’s not a big fan of musicals,” she answered. “But he still enjoyed it.”
“That’s good. Hey, listen,” Paula said, smiling at her. “I’m happy to see you with a new guy—for obvious reasons.”
“Um, thank you,” She didn’t really know how else to respond to that.
“And it’s good you’ve moved on from Brad. Aren’t you glad you’re finally rid of him and the problems he causes you?”
She wanted to roll her eyes. Why did people assume that she’d broken up with Brad because of the negativities surrounding him? But she simply shrugged her answer, not wanting to stretch this conversation further. Paula wasn’t exactly the person she’d want to be sharing anything with.
“Well, I have to say you dodged a bullet by leaving him,” Paula said with a hand on her arm. “Clearly, he’s still in all sorts of trouble. Why else would he have pulled out of the Carmichael account?”
She made a non-committal noise. Paula didn’t need to know that Brad had lost out to Warren Oliver on the Carmichael account. There was no way Brad would have pulled out of the most important project he’d ever bid on. “And did you and your mother enjoy the show?” she asked, changing the topic.
Paula gushed about the musical, and Erin found her mind wandering. How come Paula knew so much about what was happening with Brad? Had this woman been stalking him too? Frankly, she wouldn’t be surprised. Paula probably wanted to see who Erin had been dating—and making sure it wasn’t Kevin. She was glad now that Paula had seen her with Chase.
She felt her phone vibrate in her handbag. Thank God she had a reason to excuse herself from this woman’s chatter. “Sorry, I have to take this.”
“Sure,” Paula said. “I need to go anyway. See you!”
She waved goodbye, relieved, and answered Lexie’s call. “Hi, Lex.”
“Hi. How’re you doing?”
“Good. I’m at the Capitol. Just finished watching Les Mis.”
“Oh, really? Who’re you with?”
“Um. Chase. My neighbour.”
“The guy who keeps asking you out? I thought you didn’t like him.”
“This is just a friendly outing, that’s all,” she mumbled. Sometimes she forgot that her best friend was Brad’s sister. And telling Lexie she was out with another man somehow felt... wrong.
“Right,” Lexie said, her tone changing a tad. “Anyway, I was just gonna say that I was surfing the net when I came across a new article about you. Looks like it’s just been posted a couple of hours ago.”
“About me?”
“Yeah, but don’t worry. It’s a good piece. It was a short interview with Anthony Delsant, who said that he has full confidence in you and JMR.”
“Are you kidding me? Just two days ago, he gave me and JMR notice that there would be another investigation about me conducted by different people. In his eyes, I’m the guilty one.”
“Really? But he even said there’s nothing to suggest that you’re guilty of anything unethical.”
“Are you sure you read it right? Was he really talking about me? The man has made it clear I’m his number one suspect. Why would he suddenly come out with words of support?”
“I don’t know. How weird.”
An image of Brad with a red rose flashed in Erin’s mind, and her heart started racing. Was he involved in Anthony’s change of heart?
From the corner of her eye, she caught Paula checking out the souvenir booth, and another thought occurred to her—something that gave her goosebumps. “Lex, you did say that Brad lost out to Warren on the Carmichael account, right?”
“Yes,” Lex said sadly. “He must have been devastated by that. But you know him—pretending everything’s cool.”
“Do you think Rick could do me a favour right now?” she asked, following her intuition.
“What favour?”
“Do you think he can ask his cousins if Brad did lose out or if he pulled out?”
“Pulled out? Why would he pull out?”
She told Lexie about Paula’s comment. “Thing is, Paula’s such a stalker that I have a sneaking suspicion she could be right. And with this turnaround by Anthony Delsant...”
“You think that’s Brad’s doing?”
Her eyes watered. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “Maybe it’s my stupid heart hoping again. But he came to my apartment earlier tonight, just as I was about to leave with Chase. He gave me a rose.”
“Brad gave you a rose? I don’t think he’s ever given any girl a rose before.”
She sniffed, Brad’s forlorn look floating in her mind.
“Let me ask Rick,” Lexie said. “Can you hang on?”
“Yup,” she said, catching Chase walking back to her.
Oh, no.
“I’m back,” Chase said.
“Hi. Now I have to go to the ladies’,” she said hastily. “Could you wait right here for me?”
“Sure.”
She hurried away and went outside the building to wait for Lexie to come back on the line.
“Hello,” Lexie said.
“I’m here.”
“Okay. So Rick called Zach, and Zach said that he was busy and can’t talk and that Rick should be asking Brad about it. Then Rick called Jeff, who also made excuses about watching a movie and that Rick should talk to Brad about it. And guess what Greg said?”
“That Rick should talk to Brad about it,” she whispered.
“Yes. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m calling Brad.”
/> “I’m going to his place right now.”
“Okay, honey,” Lexie said softly. “Why don’t you find out what’s going and let us know?”
“I will. Bye.”
She took a deep breath and went back inside to inform Chase she was catching a taxi home—to the serviced apartment Brad was renting.
*****
Erin tried to relax as the receptionist in Brad’s building rang him to announce her presence.
“You can go straight up, ma’am,” the kindly gentleman said, leading her to the elevators and using his pass key to light up the level eight button.
“Thank you,” she murmured. As soon as the doors closed, she checked herself in the mirrors lining the lift walls. She looked flushed, and it was because she was damned nervous. What if her suspicions were wrong? What if Brad simply wanted to repair their friendship? What if his morose expression earlier was due to missing out on the Carmichael account—or something else connected with his business?
She shut her eyes, knowing full well she could be headed for more disappointment at a time when her heart hadn’t fully healed. But she had to do this or she’d drive herself crazy with wondering.
She got out of the elevator just as Brad appeared from around the corner.
“Hi,” he said, his face inscrutable.
“Hi. Hope you don’t mind me turning up so late.”
“Of course not. Over here,” Brad said, indicating the corridor from where he had come.
They fell into step together as they walked quietly to his apartment.
“So do you like your new place?” she asked, hating the silence between them.
“It’s not bad. It doesn’t feel like home, but it’ll do for the next three months.”
“How’s your house going?”
“Everything’s on schedule,” he answered as he unlocked his door. “I should be able to move in by the end of April.”
“That’s good,” she murmured, her mind popping a picture of her unloading her stuff in Brad’s house. Oh, yes, please.
They walked into his apartment, and Brad gave her a tour of the place. It was bigger than hers and smartly furnished. But she knew what he meant by it not having a homey feel. It was just like any other hotel suite.
“So what made you decide to swing by?” Brad asked as they walked back out to the living room.
The Unintended Fiancé (Captured by Love Book 4) Page 16
