“I don’t think so. I think it’s somebody who wants to drive a wedge between Blake and I—”
“By spilling dirt. So, the whole ‘he isn’t who you think he is’ is that referring to…?”
“The fact that Blake is Grey Millen’s older brother? Yeah, I think so. I think—"
“Hang on…” The line crackles, Carmen’s voice dropping in and out. “The service in this coffee shop is shit. Excuse me!”
The corners of my lips tug up in a small smile as I picture my best friend shoving people out of the way in order to step outside.
“Right, the reception better be good out here. Repeat that last bit.”
“I think… God.” I scrub at my lips. “I actually don’t know what I think anymore.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“Hisbrother, Car,” I repeat in disbelief. “I remember his face being splashed all over the papers, how he was supposed to make the Olympics when he—”
“Fell off that ski lift, yeah I remember too,” Carmen huffs. “Holy shit balls with a capital H.”
I nod, even though she can’t see me through the phone. “Tell me about it.”
My best friend stays silent for a heartbeat or two before her voice crackles through the line again, softer this time. “What are you going to do now? Are you going to tell him you know?”
“No. Absolutely not. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m with Blake because I likehim, not who his brother or his family are. And there’s obviously a reason why he didn’t tell me himself, I—”
“You like him!” Carmen sing songs, pulling a giggle from me at her ridiculousness. “You should invite him to the wedding! He can walk down the aisle with you.”
“We’re not really dating, Car. You know this.”
“Details, details.” She waves me off. “Ask him, Cal. I bet he says yes and then you can stop the charade, admit your feelings to each other and I’ll rig it so you can catch my bouquet. All I ask is that you thank me for the two of you getting hitched in your wedding speech.”
“That’s a lot to process…” I say aloud, warmth rising to the apples of my cheeks.
“You know I’m right. You like him. Heobviouslylikes you. It’s a match made in heaven.”
My head spinning, I swallow dryly. God, I need a stiff drink. Carmen makes it sound so easy,too easy. I suppose for her it is. She and Jake have known they’re the one for each other since their first date almost ten years ago. There was never any doubt in either of their minds. No games or miscommunication.
Not like Blake and I…
“One thing at a time, Carm. Tell me what I should do about the Thomas thing first.”
“Tell him to fuck off,” is Carmen’s answer, causing me to choke on my own spit. “You’re so much better than this place, Calla. Why don’t you look for somewhere else? With the experience and the qualifications, you’ve got, companies will be lining up around the block to get you on their team.Then, you could report Thomas to HR without worrying you’re going to lose your job because you’ll already have left.”
“Nothing will come of it,” I sigh unsteadily. “You know who his uncle is—”
“It might!” Carmen argues. “You don’t know if you don’t try, Cal. And that goes for admitting your feelings – yourrealfeelings to Blake too.”
Chapter 23
Blake
“That’s the last of ‘em,” my youngest brother, Hudson, grunts, stalking through the entryway to my new apartment carrying a large brown box.
Even though the box is labelled bedroom, I watch as he balances it precariously on my brand-new kitchen counter tops before grabbing a beer from the lukewarm six-pack, I hadn’t yet gotten around to refrigerating and falling onto my sofa with a groan.
Beside me, Grey drops the screwdriver he’d been holding, rising to his full height to stretch out his back.
“I’m calling it quits for today,” he says, rolling his neck to work out the kinks. “Gimme one of those.”
