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To her, a casual lunch has always been a minimum of three courses.
Watching my brother unwrap his sandwich, I swallow before chasing the food down with a sip of cola. “Impressed? How so?”
He casts me a look. “Seriously? You don’t know?”
I can’t read his goddamn mind, and he knows that, so I widen my eyes. “Toss me a clue, Decky. Are you impressed with the projections for next quarter? You know that the billboard in Times Square has a lot to do with our uptick in revenue.”
He rolls his eyes. “It has nothing to do with it.”
I huff out a laugh. “Sore loser.”
“Bastard,” he says before taking a sizable bite of the sandwich.
Scratching my chin, I sip from my can of soda. “I know. You’re impressed that I convinced the police to let me go last night. That was masterful, if I do say so myself.”
He swallows hard. “They let you go ten minutes after I left because I told them they had no grounds to hold you.”
Declan likes to flaunt his law degree whenever the opportunity strikes, but he bailed on me while I was still cuffed.
“Most lawyers would wait around until their clients are cleared before they leave with a random woman.”
His eyebrows shoot up. “You’re not a client. You’re my brother, and for the record, I left alone, Sean. I knew they were going to release you. It’s no big deal.”
He’s right about that. It wasn’t a big deal and certainly not the first time I’ve been handcuffed.
“I’m impressed that you didn’t rescind the job offer to Callie Morrow once you realized who she was.” He sets his sandwich down. “That’s a mature move.”
“My personal issues with her aren’t relevant to her job.”
That piques my brother’s interest enough that he leans forward in his chair. “You have personal issues with her that reach beyond her having you arrested?”
“No.” I shake my head. “She’s my neighbor. She called in a noise complaint. Pulling the job offer because of that is petty.”
“Listen to you.” He points a finger at me. “You sound like a reasonable, responsible business owner.”
I take another bite of my sandwich to refrain from calling him a dick.
“It only took thirty years for you to get to this point.” He chuckles.
“My thirtieth birthday isn’t for another six months, old man.” I smirk.
“Old man?” he snaps. “I’ve only got three years on you, Saint.”
Shaking my head, I pick up the soda can. “I’ll ignore that for now. Let’s talk sales numbers. I have a meeting in midtown in an hour.”
“Fine.” He wipes his hands on a paper napkin before turning his attention to his laptop. “Your projections are solid, Sean, but I know we can do better. I want us to come up with something fresh for the winter campaign. Maybe Miss Morrow will have something new to add to the marketing team’s vision.”
She might.
Only time will tell if she’s the right fit for this company.
* * *
Standingon the sidewalk wrapped in the tattooed arms of a black-haired guy wearing glasses, Calliope Morrow gazes at the traffic as it whizzes by on the street in front of our apartment building.
I had my driver drop me off a block away after work so I could step into a floral boutique and pick up a bouquet.
I look down at it before I level my gaze at Champ.
