“Brooke wanted me to drop this off on my way to the supply room.” She passes off a cup of coffee. “She said you probably forgot to grab one on your way to the meeting.”
Trevor looks from the coffee in my hand to where Maren stands. “Why don’t you grab me a coffee on your way back?”
Maren gives him a saccharine sweet smile. “Because I don’t want to.”
I nearly choke on the mouthful of hot liquid I just tipped back as the supply clerk saunters out of the room, leaving Trevor staring after her, open-mouthed.
He holds his hands out, looking between me and Tucker. “What the fuck is her problem?”
“Seems like it’s you.” Tucker smirks. “I don’t think she likes you much.”
“I saved her damn life,” Trevor sputters. “She should like me a little.”
“Why do you care?” I grab a donut from the box and take a bite. “It’s not like she works for you.”
Technically, Maren’s a temp, but her contract with the agency is almost over. Once that happens, she can be hired on as a permanent employee. And I’ll be damned if I let Trevor try to bring her in as his assistant.
One of them wouldn’t survive it. And as big of an ass as he is, I'm not sure we can run this company without Trevor.
“I don’t care.” Trevor stands. “I’m going to get my own damn coffee.”
I turn to Titus, lifting my brows. “What’s up his ass?”
Titus leans to look over the assortment of sweet treats I brought. “He’s just stressed.”
“We’re all stressed.” I don’t know what Trevor has to worry about that we all aren’t worried about. I get he’s responsible for keeping the nuts and bolts of the company running, but the rest of us also have a shitload on our plates managing our own divisions.
Titus chooses a jelly filled version, taking a bite before shooting me a grin. “Yeah, but he’s not blowing off any steam.”
I get what he’s trying to say, but I don’t think it’s a very good excuse. “I wasn’t like that when I wasn’t blowing off any steam.” I point at my oldest brother. “Neither were you.”
“I didn’t leave my house for over a decade.” Titus takes another bite. “Pretty sure I don’t have room to talk.” He points at where I sit. “And neither do you, because you were totally an asshole anytime Brooke’s name came up.”
“She was a touchy subject.” I have to admit I maybe didn’t always respond the best to mentions of the woman I’m working hard to win back, but I’m past that. I give Titus a grin. “Feel free to ask me about her any time now.”
“Can we talk about something else? I don’t want to hear how happy you two are all shacked up.” Tucker wrinkles his nose on a grimace. “Sounds like a fucking nightmare.”
I’m not sure why my baby brother has such an aversion to commitment of any sort, but I hope someday he figures it out. Maybe I should recommend he talk to Burt. Work out some of this shit. “Don’t knock it till you try it.”
Titus points at me, smiling. “That’s what I said.”
“I’m gonna leave that to you guys.” Tucker shakes his head. “I don’t have any interest in it.” His eyes move pointedly to the doorway before moving between me and Titus. “Maybe you can do me a solid and sic mom on one of them next.”
I snort. “It’ll have to be Walker, because I don’t see any woman in her right mind tolerating Trevor’s bullshit.”
Titus’s demeanor shifts, turning serious. “I don’t think she’ll bother Walker right now.”
That has me straightening in my seat. “Why? What’s going on with Walker?”
Walker is the oldest of us. Has been a part of our immediate family since his mom died twenty-five years ago. It’s actually kind of hard for me to remember a time when he wasn’t living in our house. I’m just as close to him as I am to my blood brothers, and Titus’s comment has me worried.
My oldest brother’s eyes move to the doorway. “You’ll have to ask him that.”
I turn to find Walker standing just inside the room. He’s always been the serious sort—more like Titus and Trevor than me and Tucker—but I have to admit, lately he’s been even more intense than normal. Almost somber.
I’ve been so distracted by Brooke, I haven’t thought on it too much, and I feel bad about it. After being in my own melancholy mood for nearly a decade, you would think I’d see it happening to someone I care about and try to help.
Walker takes a seat and Trevor comes in right behind him, closing the door before plopping down, the coffee Maren refused to serve him gripped in one hand.
