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Just the thought of having to see her every day made his stomach tighten. “You moved out of your apartment?”
She nodded. “I thought this would work out better because now you won’t have to run all the way to my apartment every morning.”
His hand tightened around his glass as he wondered what kind of game she was playing. “We’re not running together anymore, Eden.”
“Of course we are.” She tried to keep smiling, even though it looked like it was a struggle, and her hands waggled as she continued. “How else are we going to be ready for the marathon? Not that you won’t be ready. I’m the one who needs all the conditioning. Is that a protein shake? Maybe you should make one for me before we go. Mimi’s steel oats were good, but if I want to get some extra miles out of these wimpy legs, I could probably use some protein—”
“Stop, Eden,” he said. “We’re not running in the marathon together. I don’t know what game you’re playing, but it’s not going to work. Whatever we had is over. You made sure of that.” Without another word, he walked back inside, sliding the door closed behind him. For extra measure, he locked it. Although the lock wasn’t enough to keep his heart from pounding with fear.
He knew that he would eventually run into her, but not this soon. He hadn’t been ready. Figuring that, if he ran now, he’d have a heart attack, he went downstairs and got ready for work. When he stepped out of the bathroom, his phone was pinging. He walked over to where it was charging and glanced at the screen. There had to be at least twenty texts… all from Eden.
Without reading a one, he erased them, then got dressed and headed to work, not once glancing up at the Huckabees’ balcony as he backed out of the driveway. His phone pinged all the way to French Kiss until he finally had to shut it off. When he arrived, he walked straight to Deacon’s office only to find Jason leaning over Kelly’s desk giving her a kiss.
Nash cleared his throat, and they sprang apart.
Jason looked embarrassed as he tried to explain. “Umm… we were just—”
“Kissing,” Kelly said with a big smile. “All the naughty stuff we save for after work.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Nash said. “So how are the wedding plans going?”
“Expensive,” Jason said at the same time that Kelly said, “Amazing.” They exchanged looks and laughed.
“I guess they are expensively amazing,” Kelly said as she got up from her chair. “Which is why you need to drink plenty of coffee, Nash. Your cups should go for a pretty penny on eBay after that sexy article.” She came around her desk and spoke to Jason. “Did you know the reporter who wrote it is related to those two old hippies with the magic brownies? Which probably explains why she has such a vivid imagination. Growing up with mind-altering drugs will do that for you.” She straightened Jason’s tie before she headed down the hallway.
When she was gone, Jason looked at Nash. “The article wasn’t just a fantasy, was it?”
Before Nash could answer, Deacon peeked his head out. “Well, it’s about time you got back. Now get your butt in here and get to work.”
Once inside the office, Nash expected a butt chewing. Instead, Deacon was calmly sitting behind his desk going over sales reports. “Look, Deke,” he said as he took a chair, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have run off and left you to deal with my mess. I wish I had a good excuse for what I did, but there’s no excuse. Anyway, I’m back now. And whatever you want me to do to try and fix things, I’m willing to do.”
Deacon glanced up, his eyes not angry as much as concerned. “The only thing I want you to fix is keeping secrets from me. You’re my brother, Nash. Your problems are my problems.”
“They shouldn’t be. Especially when I keep screwing things up.”
His brother shook his head. “I’m to blame as much as you are. I should’ve gotten you professional help after what happened with Melissa. You just seemed like you had things under control.”
Nash ran a hand through his hair. “That’s what I kept telling myself. But it turns out that I don’t have control over anything.”
“Who does, little brother?” Deacon asked as he tossed Nash the newspaper that sat on his desk. “I assume that since you raced off like a scalded cat, you read the first article. You might want to take a look at this one.”
It didn’t take long for Nash to find and read Eden’s retraction. It was as ridiculous as he thought it would be. He crumpled the paper and tossed it at the trash. “Obviously, no one is going to believe that shit. So what do I need to do for damage control?”
Deacon studied him for a moment before he grinned. “Actually, it’s fifty-fifty. Most men believe you hired an escort, and most women believe Eden’s fantasy story. And since women are who buy our lingerie…” He slid a sales report across the desk.
Nash took one look, and his eyes widened. “You’re kidding. Sales are up?”
“By fifteen percent. Even the new bra line.” Deacon laughed. “It would seem that even when you land in shit, baby brother, you end up smelling like a rose. Of course, I think we have Miss Eden Huckabee to thank for her fantasy.” He arched an eyebrow. “Or more like a flowery way of telling the truth.”
Nash released his breath. “It was the truth. I hired her.”
Deacon nodded. “And did you also make her fall in love with you?”
Just hearing the words caused Nash’s heart to ache. “She doesn’t love me.”
“Hmm?” Deacon sat back in his chair. “Then I guess she’s just a stalker. She calls here numerous times a day looking for you, and Olivia told me that she moved in with her grandparents.”
“She’s not a stalker.” Nash didn’t know why he defended her. Especially when she had become a bit of a stalker. “She’s just stubborn.” Not wanting to talk about Eden anymore, Nash changed the subject. “So where’s Grayson?”
