His brothers watched with pity as he stood and dragged his feet forward.
“I’ll handle the business, no problem,” Gage offered. “Go easy on him, Mom. He’s not thinking right.”
“Yeah, wine in the lap will do that to a person.” Dylan nodded, looking sad.
Derrick glared at him over his shoulder but knew better than to say anything. In addition to stealth, Barbara Warren had ears like a bat. He left with her without a word.
He didn’t speak while she lectured him all the way to her office. He stifled a cringe but followed her obediently inside the professional building to her suite. He even managed a pleasant greeting to her secretary, Diane, as well as to James Kincaid, her business partner and fellow shrink.
James grinned at him but said nothing.
The minute Derrick stepped inside her office, he flopped down onto her couch and covered his eyes with his hand. “You told James?” Who the hell didn’t know he had woman problems?
“I tell him a lot of things. We bounce ideas off each other when we encounter stubborn clients. Of course, we speak in generalities. Nothing that would violate confidentiality.”
“Mom, I’m not a client.”
“Yes, dear. I know.”
He wanted nothing more than to go back and redo last week. He’d have bypassed Sundance and made Sydney dinner at his place. Then they could have had dessert naked in his bed. And by this time today, he’d know if his fantasies matched up to the reality of her. Instead, he couldn’t stop obsessing over the redhead who got away.
“Now Derrick, I want you to tell me exactly what happened from start to finish. Who drove? What was she wearing? You didn’t pressure her to have sex, did you?”
“Mom.”
She tsked. “Don’t be shy, dear. Don’t think of me as your mother. Think of me as someone who’s here to listen.”
Oh God. He was in hell.
Chapter Two
A less assertive woman might have taken no for an answer. But Sydney hadn’t become one of the foremost independent sellers in eastern Georgia by acting meek. She cajoled, she wheedled and she persuaded with solid arguments, financial know-how and a strong belief she’d fit this couple with the perfect house to suit their needs.
They left smiling after the husband tacked theSoldsticker over theFor Salesign.
Sydney watched them leave even as Gage Warren’s blue truck pulled up at the curb. A gorgeous blonde stepped out of the passenger side, looking annoyed.
“Hailey, even you can’t ruin my mood,” Sydney greeted with a smile. “The commission on today’s work should be enough to pay off the remaining loan on my car.” At least something was going right with her life. “Is that Gage with you?” Because if it was Derrick, she’d pull the woman’s hair out by the roots, best friend or not.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”
Sydney frowned. “What?”
“I stopped by your office. There are bouquets of flowers everywhere. And cards piling up on your desk. Derrick’s been trying to call you for two weeks now to apologize.”
Sydney turned on her heel and walked back inside the house to get her purse and papers. “Figured you’d turn to the enemy soon enough. Mr. Tool hammered the loyalty right out of you, didn’t he?”
Hailey flushed. They’d called Gage Mr. Tool for months before they’d met him. Of course, he used to parade around his apartment half naked, waving that impressivetoolbetween his legs while they enjoyed the show from a covert distance. Those days seemed like a lifetime ago.
Sydney envied Hailey. Gage seemed to be everything Derrick was not. Nice, pleasant, a gentleman.
She picked up her purse and her papers tucked in a folder and turned.
“You’re not as funny as you think you are.” Hailey refused to move even when Sydney threatened to walk through her. “Now stop avoiding the issue. Why won’t you at least let him explain himself?”
Sydney sighed. “What’s there to explain? I should have known from the beginning not to go out with him. Sure, he has a sexy phone voice. Okay, he’s handsome enough.”
“Almost as good-looking as Gage,” Hailey agreed.
