Page 170 of The Silver Fox Brother

"We are worried about you," Amy says gently.

"Rowan showed up at your office. You're sleeping with his brother. This is a lot."

"I know it's a lot."

"Are you okay?" Kate asks again.

I look at both of them sitting across from me—my best friends, the people who've been there through everything.

"No," I admit. "I'm not okay. But I will be."

Kate nods with concern, but then changes her expression to an encouraging smile. Then she raises her glass.

"To new beginnings. And hopefully better judgment."

Amy raises hers. "And to Knox Sterling being as good in bed as he looks."

I laugh despite everything and raise my glass.

"He is."

We drink and the tension eases slightly. But when I return home that night, I'm alone again with my thoughts. I pull out my phone and stare at Knox's name in my contacts.

I should text him. Tell him what happened with Rowan. Warn him that his brother knows about the project.

But I don't. Instead, I set my phone on the nightstand and turn off the light.

Tomorrow, I tell myself.I'll deal with all of this tomorrow.

Chapter Twenty-One

Knox

Monday morning arrives and I'm at my desk by 7 AM.

I haven't heard from Winter since we landed at Teterboro forty-eight hours ago. No calls. No texts. Nothing. I tell myself I'm giving her space. That she needs time to process whatever Naples was. That I shouldn't push.

We don't have a team call scheduled this week. The Tribeca project is in good shape and Winter's studio is handling the procurement independently. I don't expect to see her at the office. But the silence still bothers me more than I want to admit.

I pull up my emails and try to focus on the backlog that accumulated while I was gone. Project updates from Fletcher. Investor inquiries about the Dallas development. Contract revisions for the Chicago waterfront property.

None of it holds my attention. My office phone rings and I glance at the caller ID.Marcus.

I pick up. "Yeah."

"Your brother is here." Marcus's voice is tight, careful.

"He's upset."

I lean back in my chair.

"What's he here for?"

"I don't know. He won't say. Just asked to see you immediately."

I pause for a beat, then say, "Send him in."

"Are you sure?"