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“And what about Trevor? How am I supposed to explain this little arrangement to him? It’ll be all over the Internet and in the local papers, so I can’t hide it.” If she was going to be fair to him and give him an honest chance, he deserved more than the one date last weekend, which meant any further outings would not occur until after the fundraiser next weekend.
Derek’s nonchalant shrug didn’t fit with the muscle twitching in his jaw. “Tell him the truth if you have to. Just please don’t back out on me now.” He moved to the edge of his seat and rested his forearms on the desk. “I’d do it for you. You know I would.”
Why did he have to play that card? Not once when she’d needed help had he ever said no. He’d even offered his assistance when she’d been too stubborn to request it.
“We’ll have fun together like we always do, and if Helping Hands does another event like this one again, I’ll make sure I’m out of town when it’s held. You’ll never need to do this again. Promise.”
Even before she’d opened her mouth this afternoon, she’d suspected she wouldn’t get out of helping him next weekend. Helping her friends was what she did, period. Still, she’d known she had to say something because, despite his reassurances, she expected the plan to blow up in both their faces. “Okay, but when this whole thing turns into a disaster, I’m going to say I told you so.”
Derek’s frown faded, but he didn’t smile. “Fair enough. But don’t worry. Everything will be fine.” He grabbed another chocolate from the dish and stood. “I need to finish a few things before I go. See you tomorrow?”
“I’ll be here.”
“Maybe we can grab lunch.”
She nodded and watched him leave. When the door closed, she glanced back at the arrangement. When she called Trevor tonight to thank him for the flowers, she’d tell him about the fundraiser and the ridiculous role she’d agreed to play. Then again, perhaps he deserved to learn about it face-to-face. Some things really shouldn’t be shared over the phone. This struck her as one of those things. If she planned on telling him to his face, she’d need to see him sooner rather than later, because the fundraiser was less than two weeks away. If this weekend didn’t work out for him, she didn’t know when she’d get a chance to explain things. Perhaps a lunch date during the week would work. Although not ideal since they’d be in a public place, it’d be better than dropping the news over the phone.
What a crappy situation. And having to tell Trevor wasn’t even the worst of it. When her father learned she’d bid on Derek, he’d give her an earful and a half. He’d never liked Derek anyway, and if he believed it might interfere in his grand plan to finally take over Atlantic Coast Marketing, he may disown her.
Brooklyn rolled her eyes. Okay
, maybe disown was a bit much, but he’d be furious.
Grabbing a chocolate from the candy dish, Brooklyn switched off her computer without even logging in. Whatever e-mails waited in her inbox would be there tomorrow morning too. With her computer off, she reached for the vase. The flowers brightened up the office, but it seemed a waste to leave something so beautiful here. Maybe if she thought of it, she’d grab a smaller arrangement or a flowering plant this week and bring it in. The last plant she’d had in her office had gotten too big and she’d taken it home. She’d never gotten around to replacing it with something else. With the flowers in her office now though, she realized how even the littlest color improved her otherwise plain office.
Brooklyn gathered everything from her backseat and slammed the car door closed.
“I thought your car was in front of me.” Addie’s voice had her turning around.
“Do you need any help?” Brooklyn asked. Addie had an infant car seat on one arm, a diaper bag over her shoulder, and she carried a plastic food container.
She shook her head and stopped alongside her. “Nah, I’m getting the hang of carrying a million things at once. But it’d be great if you’d get the door.”
Unable to stop herself, Brooklyn peeked into the carrier, surprised to see Kendrick awake and sucking happily on his fingers. “He’s awake.”
“He slept on the ride home from my mom’s. As soon as I took the seat from the car, he woke up. He’s starting to stay awake for longer periods of time. Of course, he still doesn’t sleep for more than a few hours at a time at night, but it’ll come I guess.”
Derek’s sister-in-law did look tired. “Don’t forget I’m downstairs if you need help. I never babysat, but my younger cousins used to visit every summer. I used to help my aunt with them.” She pulled open the stairwell door and let Addie walk in first.
“I appreciate the offer.” Addie started up the steps and Brooklyn followed. “Those flowers are gorgeous. Special gift for someone, or are they yours?”
“Trevor sent them to me today. They looked too nice to leave in my office.”
“Your date went well then?”
They’d reached the top of the stairs, so she reached around Addie to push the door into the lobby open. “Uh, yeah, I guess. Did Trent tell you I saw him as we were leaving?” They’d only exchanged a hello as they passed each other Friday night.
“He did. And Derek mentioned it too. I got the impression he doesn’t like your new boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.” The words tumbled from her mouth. “We’ve only gone out once so far.”
Addie gestured toward the flowers with the plastic food container. “Looks like things are off to a good start.”
“Maybe.”
“I’ll see you later. It’s almost time for Kendrick to eat again, and when he’s hungry, he lets the whole world know it.”
A slight twinge pierced her chest as she watched Derek’s sister-in-law cross to the private elevator. Someday she’d like to have a husband and a baby to spend her time with too. By all accounts, Trevor was in the market for a wife and another child. Letting their relationship develop and grow like her father wanted could definitely lead to a family of her own. Perhaps he deserved more effort on her end. Maybe she should meet his daughter and spend time with both of them. Even as the thought crossed her mind, she had reservations. She didn’t even know how much she truly liked him yet. How would she figure out her feelings if they had a ten-year-old joining them on outings?
