kitchen.
Well. She didn’t get any coffee yet.
“Morning, Miss Noelle,” Dean says with a smile. “How are you?”
“I could complain, but I won’t.” I return his smile. “Who’s on the Gigi’s run?”
“Mike,” Grecia answers, her Mexican accent thick today. It’s ever present, but—oh no. She’s crying.
Why is she crying? I’m not good with crying.
“Grecia? What’s wrong?”
She sniffs and waves me off. “We just had a fight this morning. It’s okay. I’m being silly.”
And that’s why I should have made a no-dating policy. Shit.
Dean shifts uncomfortably. “Well, Miss Grecia, I’m sure it’ll be okay.” Bless his manners. “We’re all shaken by the discovery yesterday.”
No kidding.
Grecia sniffs and disappears into her office, pushing the door closed. Best to give her some privacy. I wave Dean into the kitchen, but he holds up a takeout coffee cup and goes upstairs to his office. I can’t start the meeting without everyone here anyway.
Bek is slamming around the kitchen like everything’s made of granite, not china. One look at her pinched expression tells me my best friend is not in a great mood and would be safer in a locked room. An empty, locked room.
“I hate your brother.” She somehow manages to pull the mug from beneath the machine and push it toward me along the kitchen counter without spilling any of the dark liquid. “I mean it, Noelle. I fucking hate him. If I never see his pompous, asshole ass ever again, it’ll be a million years too soon.”
Oh, goodie. This sounds like fun.
“Brody?” I ask, wanting to make sure. Not that Trent or Devin would have a reason to piss her off. Then again, it is my family.
“Yes. Brody. I want to be sick just from saying his name.”
“Make sure you don’t miss the sink. I’m not cleaning it up.”
She lets out a noise that’s halfway between a frustrated scream and a troll having an orgasm. “I’m so done with relationships. Do you know that? If it’s not Jason silently trying to make me commit to him, it’s Brody with his fuckboy signals that are more mixed than the colors in a rainbow cake at Gay Pride.”
I slowly hand her the bottle of milk. I’m a little afraid right now. Not gonna lie.
“Why does it have to be serious? It’s been seven months, and he hasn’t even been here the whole time. Why can’t we still be casually dating? Why does everything need to be decided right now?” She slams the milk down, thankfully with the lid still on, and looks at me. “Did you know he’s not even one hundred percent guaranteed to stay in Austin? He could go anywhere in the country at any time, and he wonders why I don’t want to commit to a serious relationship right now? I just want things to go naturally. I’m having fun. God, I’m still young enough to have fun, aren’t I?”
“If you don’t think he’s the one, then yeah.”
“I don’t know. Just when I think he might be....” She trails off, but I don’t need her to finish it. I know what she isn’t saying.
Just when she thinks Jason might be the one...Brody sends out his bat signal.
“Doesn’t matter.” She pours the milk into her coffee and screws the cap back onto the bottle. “I’m going to go to Puerto Rico and bring me back a hot Latino so they can both kiss my ass and weep at my goddamn feet.”
“There’s my best friend.” I grin.
She pauses then looks at me, a smile tugging at her lips. “Am I being ridiculous?”
“As a rule, yes.” I turn out of the kitchen and walk toward the meeting room. There are still no cupcakes. Where are the cupcakes—and the rest of my staff? “No. I don’t think so. I felt the same way with Drake.”
We both sit at the meeting table, and she dumps her purse on the chair next to her then runs her fingers through her fiery, auburn hair. “But you never doubted it. Droelle is like the ultimate relationship goal. If you were on Instagram, you’d have your own hashtag and everything.
Well. She didn’t get any coffee yet.
“Morning, Miss Noelle,” Dean says with a smile. “How are you?”
“I could complain, but I won’t.” I return his smile. “Who’s on the Gigi’s run?”
“Mike,” Grecia answers, her Mexican accent thick today. It’s ever present, but—oh no. She’s crying.
Why is she crying? I’m not good with crying.
“Grecia? What’s wrong?”
She sniffs and waves me off. “We just had a fight this morning. It’s okay. I’m being silly.”
And that’s why I should have made a no-dating policy. Shit.
Dean shifts uncomfortably. “Well, Miss Grecia, I’m sure it’ll be okay.” Bless his manners. “We’re all shaken by the discovery yesterday.”
No kidding.
Grecia sniffs and disappears into her office, pushing the door closed. Best to give her some privacy. I wave Dean into the kitchen, but he holds up a takeout coffee cup and goes upstairs to his office. I can’t start the meeting without everyone here anyway.
Bek is slamming around the kitchen like everything’s made of granite, not china. One look at her pinched expression tells me my best friend is not in a great mood and would be safer in a locked room. An empty, locked room.
“I hate your brother.” She somehow manages to pull the mug from beneath the machine and push it toward me along the kitchen counter without spilling any of the dark liquid. “I mean it, Noelle. I fucking hate him. If I never see his pompous, asshole ass ever again, it’ll be a million years too soon.”
Oh, goodie. This sounds like fun.
“Brody?” I ask, wanting to make sure. Not that Trent or Devin would have a reason to piss her off. Then again, it is my family.
“Yes. Brody. I want to be sick just from saying his name.”
“Make sure you don’t miss the sink. I’m not cleaning it up.”
She lets out a noise that’s halfway between a frustrated scream and a troll having an orgasm. “I’m so done with relationships. Do you know that? If it’s not Jason silently trying to make me commit to him, it’s Brody with his fuckboy signals that are more mixed than the colors in a rainbow cake at Gay Pride.”
I slowly hand her the bottle of milk. I’m a little afraid right now. Not gonna lie.
“Why does it have to be serious? It’s been seven months, and he hasn’t even been here the whole time. Why can’t we still be casually dating? Why does everything need to be decided right now?” She slams the milk down, thankfully with the lid still on, and looks at me. “Did you know he’s not even one hundred percent guaranteed to stay in Austin? He could go anywhere in the country at any time, and he wonders why I don’t want to commit to a serious relationship right now? I just want things to go naturally. I’m having fun. God, I’m still young enough to have fun, aren’t I?”
“If you don’t think he’s the one, then yeah.”
“I don’t know. Just when I think he might be....” She trails off, but I don’t need her to finish it. I know what she isn’t saying.
Just when she thinks Jason might be the one...Brody sends out his bat signal.
“Doesn’t matter.” She pours the milk into her coffee and screws the cap back onto the bottle. “I’m going to go to Puerto Rico and bring me back a hot Latino so they can both kiss my ass and weep at my goddamn feet.”
“There’s my best friend.” I grin.
She pauses then looks at me, a smile tugging at her lips. “Am I being ridiculous?”
“As a rule, yes.” I turn out of the kitchen and walk toward the meeting room. There are still no cupcakes. Where are the cupcakes—and the rest of my staff? “No. I don’t think so. I felt the same way with Drake.”
We both sit at the meeting table, and she dumps her purse on the chair next to her then runs her fingers through her fiery, auburn hair. “But you never doubted it. Droelle is like the ultimate relationship goal. If you were on Instagram, you’d have your own hashtag and everything.
Similar Books
