She shook her head, causing her blonde hair to dance around her shoulders. “I shut off my phone and went to sleep.”
“Probably the smartest thing to do.”
We stepped into the office to find Jace, Zane, and Wyatt already there. Wyatt looked a little green, the color of old drywall, and I stepped up next to him.
“Good morning,” I said, entirely too loudly, right next to his ear.
He flinched. “Damn, man. Not so loud.”
“You don’t have a hangover, do you?” Layne yelled into his other ear.
Wyatt collapsed onto the couch and curled in on himself. “You’re both mean.”
“Just go home if you’re sick,” Jace said, rolling his eyes at Wyatt’s theatrics.
“I never give up,” he said, pushing himself off the couch.
Layne settled in behind her computer, already all business. Zane and Wyatt headed out to the yard, Wyatt shuffling like a man walking toward his own execution.
Jace pulled me aside, out of Layne’s earshot. His voice dropped automatically. “Everything okay?”
“He was there when we got to her place last night,” I said. “Tried to use the weather as an excuse to stay. But I got rid of him.”
Jace ran a hand through his hair. “Good. Thanks.” He sighed. “I don’t think Layne would go back with him. I just don’t want to give that little weasel a chance to try to convince her, you know?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I know.”
I knew more about the whole Teddy situation than I ever wanted to.
More than was smart, maybe.
The whole thing was messing with my head.
I wanted to hold her tight. I wanted to punch him in the face. More than anything, I wanted him out of her life so she could start over, whichever way she decided to do that.
Preferably with me.
Chapter Eleven
Layne
“Jace, why is there a napkin in this pile of contracts?”
My brother gave me a sheepish look. “I was meaning to write that up. Those are my notes.”
I snorted a laugh. “I’ll get it written up based on your…notes, and get you to review it.”
He nodded his thanks.
My brother hadn’t exactly run his business in the most efficient way. He was a pen and paper kind of guy. He made deals with a handshake rather than a spreadsheet.
It was a lot of work to bring him into the current century, let alone keep up with the new work coming in.
I was happy to help him, though. I owed him that much, even if he didn’t agree. Besides, the longer I was here, the more I couldn’t picture going back to my job in finance.
My old job was flashier than this place. Bigger dollars, bigger risks, more pressure.
I had enjoyed the challenge. The atmosphere was corporate and clinical, even though my dad ran the business. This place was so different. It was all hands on deck, but in a neighbor helping neighbor kind of way. It was warmer, happier, less formal, and besides, Elias was here.
