“I’m aware.”A swell of pride welled up inside him.She’d worked hard both through school and at proving herself here.“There’s no reason we can’t work together.I mean, come on.I’ve known her since I was fourteen and we get along just fine.”
Gathering his papers and folders, Jared met his gaze.“You mean you used to get along.”
“What’s what supposed to mean?”Aiden asked.Now he sounded defensive.Great.
Jared rose to his feet, papers in hand.“You tiptoe around each other.Neither of you spend any real time together.It’s like you’re both trying to pretend things are fine without actually interacting.”
“We—”
Jared held up one hand to stop him from speaking.“Don’t bother coming up with an excuse.It’s obvious to us all because you two used to be so close.”
A pang of longing hit unexpectedly.Regret that he didn’t want to face reared up inside of him and he did his best to keep his expression neutral.No point in giving Jared any ammunition to question him with.
“You’ve always brushed me off when I brought her up in the past, but I’d have to be blind to miss the looks you send her way when you think she’s not looking.She does the same thing.It’s been going on every time you’ve visited over the past few years.”
At the thought of Brooke watching him, Aiden’s heart squeezed in his chest, but he quickly shut down the flicker of hope that followed.She had every right to hate him after what he’d done, and he wouldn’t allow himself to believe otherwise.That would just set him up to take a hard fall.
He didn’t need that kind of pain.
Aiden stood, his laptop and cold coffee in hand.“You’re wrong,” he told his brother.“Brooke and I grew apart while I was gone, but that’s normal.Now that I’m back for good, I’m sure we’ll be friends again in no time.”
A definite bold-faced lie.
But he didn’t want to give Jared a reason to worry about the company once Charlie had the baby.His brother should be able to focus on his wife and daughter during his time off, and Aiden was determined not to let his past with Brooke get in the way of his ability to do the job.
A long moment of silence followed and finally, Jared nodded.
“How is Dad doing?We talked Friday night, but I don’t have a good sense of his health yet,” Aiden said, changing the subject.Working with their father, Jared had a front-row seat to Alex Sterling and Aiden wanted to catch up on how his dad was feeling.
Aiden flew in after his father’s heart attack, and Alex had been pale and shaken.The worst part had been the dullness in his eyes, as if all life there had faded.It rattled Aiden to see his larger-than-life father so weak.His dad was the man with all the answers, the one who chased monsters out from under the bed when they were kids, and who held the family together after the grisly murder of their mom.
Aiden looked up to his remaining parent.Alex may have dominated in the boardroom but as a father, he was always there, supporting his kids and their dreams.In Aiden’s mind, his dad was ageless and invincible.
“He’s grumpy,” Jared said.
“No doubt because of all the adjustments Lizzie is enforcing.”
His brother nodded.“The doctors aren’t letting him off with a warning this time.They’re demanding he follow their regimen.A heart-healthy diet, daily cholesterol meds, and even an exercise program.”
Aiden couldn’t help but chuckle as he imagined his father’s reaction.Alex Sterling was a stubborn man, and he didn’t like being told what to do.But while the first heart attack had been minor, this second one was worse, and had included surgery and a prolonged hospital stay, scaring them all.
“You know him.Never show weakness.”Jared continued.“Honestly, I’m hoping we can convince him to officially retire.”
Aiden grimaced.“I don’t know if he’ll go for that.You know how dedicated he is to this place.”
“Oh, I know.After the first heart attack, he was supposed to slow down, but he still spent way too much time here.”Jared’s head tilted to the side as he studied Aiden.“Actually, you seemed to have a similar mindset about your job until recently.Not that I’m complaining.I’m glad you’re back.It makes me feel a lot more comfortable taking time off.”
Aiden forced a grin.“Happy to help,” he said.What he didn’t disclose was that the timing worked out well.
He’d needed to take a step back from his occupation as a journalist.A familiar unease settled in the pit of his stomach as he recalled the danger that found him, courtesy of his most recent planned article.Trouble wasn’t unusual in his line of work.Hell, he’d been in a vehicle too damned close to an IED once.
But this situation was different.He could feel it deep in his gut.“I just needed a change and your time off coincided with that,” Aiden said, shifting the laptop tucked beneath his arm.“Why don’t we meet up again after lunch?Your little one will be here before we know it, so we’d better pack in my tutoring while we can.”
Jared nodded.“Sounds good.”
They walked out, Jared discussing their afternoon plans to go over the company’s assets, liabilities, and equity.Keeping busy with thoughts of Sterling Investments made it easier to push aside thinking about Brooke and the danger from his latest job.
The future of the company relied on Aiden for now, and he was determined not to let his family down.
