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“No strings. Just two old friends catching up.” He smiles sexily—his eyes full of mischief and intent—and I don’t buy he’s being sincere for even one second.
We were never friends, but I don’t tell him that. “Then sure, Bren. We can have lunch tomorrow. It will be nice to catch up, and I have something I’d like to talk with you about as well.”
His smile is so wide, it is like having the old Bren back—my Bren. “We’ve had some paparazzi trailing us, so Andreas and I will pick you up tomorrow.”
Paparazzi? My stomach unsettles all over again. Before, we were so careful that I never got to experience the total paparazzi insanity, but now there’s Addy to think about. I feel my heart all the way in my throat. I recover and force a smile.
“Sure. I have a new address, though.” I give him the address, and he is writing it down on his phone when Joe and David’s voices filter into the bar as they approach us from the back office. Then Joe goes dead quiet.
Fuck. I forgot they were back there, so caught up I’ve been with the emotional rollercoaster of the last five minutes. Joe blinks, then gapes between Bren and me. I shake my head at him as discreetly as possible, begging him with my panicked eyes not to say anything.
Then Joe’s fists clench at his sides. In his mind, Bren abandoned Addy and me when we needed him the most. He’s been dying to sock him in the jaw since he learned about the pregnancy.
“Joe, can you get started on inventory, please?” I say, breaking his concentration. He throws me one last wary look before he leaves, shaking his head the entire way.
“Hey, man,” David says as he tips his chin at Bren. I am not surprised he doesn’t offer his hand for a shake this time since Bren left him hanging when they first met.
“Hi,” Bren says coolly.
“How was the meeting?” I ask David, if only to break the tension in the room.
“Good. Joe will send you the report tonight. Third quarter exceeded targets. So did the Chicago branch.”
I smile wide. Since going into business with David,La Oficinahas boomed. I have to admit, he has great ideas and all of us at the bar have adapted well to the new split management. “I’m glad,” I say.
Before I realize what’s happening, David steps in closer to me and wraps a hand around my waist, following it up with a kiss on my cheek. He smiles down at me, his arm still around my middle. “I’ll see you tonight?”
I chuckle nervously. “Yeah. See you tonight.”
David leaves us alone, and Bren’s eyes darken as they spear through me. “I thought you said that was only business,” he says when we’re alone.
“It was,” I say, crossing my arms, sure of where he’s taking this.
“Was? As in past tense? It’s not only business anymore?”
“Bren, if you really want to catch up, we can do it at lunch tomorrow. It’ll give you time to cool off and rethink if you want to interrogate me like you have any fucking right to do so. Now, I really have to run those errands.” And for once, it is me who storms off, leaving Bren stunned and alone in the empty bar.
* * *
“Hey, are you okay?”Mandy asks. I didn’t realize that she trailed me out of the party room.
So far, I have spilled a total of three drinks and almost dropped the cake when I was bringing it in from the car. Addy, thankfully, spends her time bouncing from Carolina to Sara to Ileana, and even to David in the party room—David thoughtfully showed up to the party minus one signature diamond stud. I am glad they can all take turns holding Addy so I can do the other million things I need to—the million things on top of freaking out about Bren being back.
“Yeah. Fine,” I lie. “Why?”
“You seem...on edge,” Mandy says.
“Just a tad haggard. It’s been a long day. You know how it is.”
“I do!” Mandy says. She squeezes my forearm gently. “You’d tell me if anything was wrong?”
“Of course,” I say, then change the subject. “Need another drink?”
“I’ll get it.”
“Okay, then get back in formation. I’m about to bring the cake in. Can you make sure to record?”
“Always do,” she says with a wide toothy smile, and I roll my eyes. Her and her stupid phone camera. At least this time, it will be put to good use.
