“Okay, geez.Touchy, touchy.Honestly, Em, there could be a lot of reasons she bolted.Hugh, Marco,the fact that you’re her boss.”
“I do not like any of those reasons.”
“I didn’t imagine you would.Give her some space.She’ll come around.In the meantime, why don’t we grab some drinks tonight and take your mind off it?We haven’t been out in ages, and I miss my big brother.”
“Yikes, pulling out the big guns with the pout there.Fine, but I’m bringing Wick in case you decide to ditch me for some loser.”
“Oh, sure, fine.I’ll just meet you two at Sister’s then.Does six work?”
“Yeah, that works.I’ll see you then.Enjoy the spa, dearest sister.”
Wick immediately agreed to drinks.He followed up by bitching and complaining that I don’t go out with him enough anymore and that he missed his wingman.
My role as his wingman usually resulted in him getting laid and me getting stuck chatting with yet another woman who couldn’t see past my last name and net worth.It was exhausting.Truthfully, all I wanted to do tonight was have a beer, watch a movie, and stare into a certain pair of deep green eyes.
If Wick knew what was going on in my head, he’d laugh his ass off.He was no longer the settling down type.To each their own.There was only one woman I wanted.
I spent the next twenty minutes dawdling among the cubicles, trying to catch a surreptitious glimpse of Callie.My attempt was interrupted when someone cleared their throat.I looked down and saw Glenn peering up at me from his desk chair.I realized that I’d been hovering over him, silently scanning the room.
“Did you need something, Emmett?”
“No, sorry, Glenn.Just got sidetracked.I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He saluted me.“Have a good night.”
I made my way to finance and let myself into Wick’s office.Flopping down into the armchair across from his desk, I waited while he wrapped up a call about the company’s upcoming acquisition of some firm or another.I should have cared, but I didn’t.I was sulking like a fucking teenager.Not a good look, but I couldn’t help it.I hadn’t spotted Callie once while I roamed our floor.I missed her.
“You look like shit.”Wick pulled off his headset and stood up from his desk.
“Thanks a bunch.You ready?”
He shut down his computer and grabbed his suit jacket from the back of his chair.
“Someone’s got a case of the grumps today.What’s going on with you, man?”
“It’s nothing.Just one of those days, you know?”
Wick didn’t push.He knew me well enough to know when to leave something alone.We chatted about work and the upcoming acquisition while we rode the elevator down and exited the building.
As we approached the front entrance of Sister’s, a sleek black SUV pulled up to the curb and Meghan stepped out.She greeted us with a huge grin.“Brother dear, you’re looking dapper as always!”she air kissed my cheeks and shifted her attention to Wick.Her smile widened.“Hey, Wick!”She threw her arms around his neck, and he lifted her off her feet.
Uh, did my best friend just sniff my little sister’s hair?What the actual fuck?The moment was over before I could comment on it.Wick threw his arm over Meghan’s shoulders, and they headed inside with me hot on their heels.
Sister’s Bar and Grill was a dimly lit sanctuary, renowned for their fried food and buckets of beer.Meg’s taste in food and drink was usually more refined.Sisters was one of the rare establishments where she would forgive the sticky wooden floors and the neon signs adorning the walls.Wick and I stumbled upon Sister’s during our college years, and she still cherished affectionate memories from when we invited her to celebrate her twenty-first birthday here with us.
The sound of laughter and clinking glasses filled the air, and I inhaled the scents of complimentary popcorn and Lysol—a distinctly “Sister’s” smell.We settled into a booth near the back, and a server dropped a bucket of beers at our table.We had come here often enough over the years that the bucket was a given.The wings were sure to arrive in ten minutes or so.As I took a sip of my first beer, I scanned the room, and my heart dropped—there, at a high-top table by the window, Callie and a man.
The guy was tall and his face was conventionally attractive, but it seemed like he hadn’t seen the inside of a gym in a while.His short brown hair was unkempt and his clothes were wrinkled.I froze, the beer bottle halfway to my lips.Even in profile, it was easy to recognize her delicate features and that sexy smile, currently aimed at Mr.Slob.
“Who’s the caveman?”Wick asked, following my gaze.
Meghan craned to look too.“Oh, shit.That’s her ex, Hugh.I haven’t seen him around in forever.”
Irritation flared in my gut as I watched Callie’s tool of an ex-boyfriend lean in and rest a hand on her thigh.She shifted slightly, pushing it away with an awkward laugh.
“Let’s go say hi,” I said, sliding out of the booth.I wanted to stake my claim, letHughie boyknow that he didn’t have a chance with her anymore.
“Woah, wait a minute.”Meghan put a hand on my arm.“I don’t think that’s a good idea.Callie and Hugh have a...complicated history.”
