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“For now until I can drive. Although, with the car service, I could probably move back anytime. I was in my apartment because I needed to get some things and clean. Rotten luck that I was there when she came knocking.”
“Seriously. On the other hand, I’m sure she would’ve flipped to find out you were staying with this guy.”
He was teasing, yet I could tell by the way Colby’s jaw clenched, he’d taken it as a direct hit on his character.
“Yeah, well, if it wasn’t for this guy, I’d probably still be crying on the floor of my apartment from last night. He brought me pink snowballs.”
Brian looked toward Colby. “Dude, I owe you one.”
He scoffed at the attention. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
Brian turned his gaze on me. “Must’ve been bad for you to be crying.”
“Yeah. It wasn’t great,” I murmured.
“Did you want to stay here over the next few days Brian? I have the second guest room,” Colby offered.
Was I a terrible person by wishing my brother would say no?
“If you don’t mind, I’ll stay a few nights and hang out with Kenzie. My meetings are on Thursday, which means I’ll move to a hotel downtown on Wednesday night.”
I got up to clear my plate. “That’d be great.” Except for the fact I’d have given anything to have Colby inside of me at the moment. Bad sister.
“I actually need to travel out to New York for a couple of days for work, so the timing is good for Kenzie to have the company,” Colby announced.
Happy my back was turned toward my brother, I fixed my gaze on Colby, but he wouldn’t meet my eyes. Funny how he hadn’t mentioned the trip before my brother had crashed.
“In fact, I should get packed. Um I’m just going to grab some things from the closet in your room real quick, Kenz.” Colby excused himself to go into the master bedroom.
“I should get my suitcase from the car and call Sasha. Be back in a few.” Brian ruffled my hair and then was out the front door.
Wasting no time, I followed Colby into the bedroom to find him with a garment bag and small suitcase already open on the bed. “Since when do you have a trip to New York?”
“I have some meetings with Josh. I was planning to wait until next week, but this works out better with your brother in town.” He barely looked up while taking clothes out of his dresser.
I stepped between him and the bed, putting my hand on his chest and forcing him to meet my eyes. “Listen, if you’re freaking out right now, you need to at the very least own up to it and not leave me wondering what in the hell has happened.”
He took a deep breath, glancing toward the door.
I answered his unspoken question. “He’s out in the car talking to Sasha and getting his suitcase.”
“Okay, I’m freaking out a little bit,” he admitted.
“Enough to end things?”
His shock was immediate. “No. Is that what you want?”
I exhaled in relief. “Not at all, but I guess I needed a little reassurance here since you’re practically running out of the house.”
His fingers cupped my chin. “We’ll be fine. This was just unexpected.” His hand dropped like a stone when we both heard the front door open and shut. “I’ll be home in two days.”
* * *
By WednesdayI was ready for Brian to hop back on a plane eastbound. Not that I didn’t appreciate his counsel and support, but if I had to hear him offer to pay for one more thing, I was going to threaten not to talk to him. You know, for ten whole minutes because, let’s face it, my older brother meant well and had the biggest heart, not to mention the best intentions. During lunch he tried a new tactic.
“What if we call it a loan? You stay in Los Angeles, do the internship in the fall, and we work out the repayment details when you become famous.”
“Or, I could get a job, like normal people, and do my internship come fall.”
