Page 3 of Never Let Go

“He’s right, but thanks for the concern.” As I said it, my office door opened again and my brother walked in, grinning when he saw Hope.

“Hey, look! It’s my two favorite people,” he said in a singsong voice. “My ears were burning. What were you saying about me?”

Hope smirked at him. “That’s for us to know, Mr. Nosy. That being said, I love you. Hi. How was your day?”

He laughed and pulled her into his arms, laying a kiss on her that would’ve made anyone not used to it either blush or get a hard-on. Thankfully, I was more than used to it by now, so I just waited for it to be over before I arched a brow at him when he finally let her go.

“You’re worried about me?”

“Nah. You’re okay. When are you leaving?”

“Soon,” I said, turning to save the document I’d been working on before shutting down the computer.

Hope chewed on her lower lip as she watched me roll my chair away from the desk. “For the record, even if you inherit like, a million dollars, I’m still not allowing you to quit.”

I laughed. “It won’t be that. I still don’t think it’s going to be any money at all, but you know how I feel about this place. You won’t be getting rid of me anytime soon.”

She grinned. “Good. I just thought I should remind you.”

Porter slung an arm around her waist, pulling her into his side as he looked at me. “He doesn’t need a million dollars. He needs to find a good woman. It’s time.”

“And look at that. It’s time for me to leave. I’m out of here, guys. See you later.” I grabbed my phone, wallet, and keys off my desk and left Porter and Hope alone in my office, relieved to have an excuse to get away from the conversation before it’d even really started.

Ever since they’d gotten together, they’d been relentless. Ironic for two people who had known each other for twelve freaking years before they’d so much as kissed, but these days, they were on a mission and it was all about finding me a girlfriend now that they were in a relationship.

It hadn’t bugged me so much at first, but recently, I’d started feeling like they were getting in my head. They were making me want things I’d never wanted before—or at least things that I hadn’t even thought about wanting in a long time.

I shrugged it off once I got to my car. Porter and Hope were in the honeymoon phase, and sure, it was lasting a hell of a lot longer than I’d thought it would, but ultimately, they were happy and I knew they wanted me to feel the same way.

The big difference between us was that I didn’t need or want a woman to make me happy. I had them, my friends, and my job, and while it was true that I probably had to reevaluate my stance on relationships for myself at some point, I just wasn’t quite there yet.

2

SHELBY

I looked around my new office, nervous but excited for the day. It was my first week working at Harrison and Harrison, and so far, it’d been great. My space was small but well appointed, with a copper chandelier hanging overhead and thick, hunter-green drapes hanging in the windows.

I had a conference table of my very own on one side of the office and my desk on the other. All the furniture was made out of red oak and it was beautiful, making me feel like I was really making something of myself.

The thought made me smile. Working in the estate settlements division of a law firm probably wouldn’t be a dream come true for most, but for me, it was pretty exciting. It was a definite step up from my old job as an assistant to the partner managing deceased estates at my previous firm.

I smoothed out the folder on the desk in front of me, anticipation bleeding through my veins at the prospect of finalizing the first estate I’d ever worked on by myself. My first solo mission, and so far, it was going really well.

I only had one family member left to meet with, and then I would be able to put it to bed. The pride I felt over being able to even think that was ridiculous. My heart kicked into a higher gear and I held back an overtly girly squeal.

Under any other circumstances, I wasn’t a squealer. Not ever, but here, today, I was so happy and so excited that I just couldn’t help it. Ladies and gentlemen, I have arrived!

Okay, maybe I hadn’t quite arrived, but at least I was finally getting there. That counts for something.

As I flipped open the cover of the folder, my office door opened and Mr. Harrison, one of my bosses, walked in. The man was in his late sixties with a head full of thick, silver hair, round glasses perched on the edge of his nose, and a tweed jacket. He was also the one who had hired me, and I loved him for it.

Smiling as I met his firm but sparkling green eyes, I stood up. “Good afternoon, Mr. Harrison. How are you?”

“Fine. Fine.” He gave me a slight smile in return, then motioned at the file on my desk. “I just wanted to check in and find out how it’s going with the Chesterfield account. It’s a big one and I know I promised you something good to cut your teeth on, but you need to tell me if you need any help.”

I nodded. “It’s going well so far, sir. I know the Chesterfields are important people, but you don’t need to worry. I’ve got it under control, but if I do need something, I’ll let you know.”

He nodded and moved to the chair across from my desk, gripping the back of it as he looked at me. “You need to do a good job on this one, Ms. Lowe. I can’t help but wonder if we should’ve started you on something smaller.”