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Gavin smiled and shookhands with everyone at the office in Seattle and tried to sound like the competent new partner who knew what he was doing, but by Friday he was exhausted. It was a huge effort to look happy and excited. His heart wasn’t in it. He couldn’t stop thinking about Brooke, and even though he knew she probably wouldn’t answer any of his many messages, he kept checking his phone. He’d sent another one earlier in the day.
Maybe he should’ve waited for her to calm down so that he could talk to her and explain about Sarah before he’d left for Seattle, but it wasn’t as if he hadn’t tried, damn it.
He was staring out over the city from the big windows of the huge office he’d been given. This was much more than he could ever dream about. His new brother-in-law had been very generous, but Logan had also made it clear what he was expecting Gavin to do and it wasn’t staring out of the window thinking about Brooke.
Logan had been curt to the point of being rude over the phone when Gavin had phoned to tell him he was leaving for Seattle on Tuesday. Logan hadn’t mentioned Brooke’s name, but they were both very much aware of what was not being said.
And Logan’s last words, “Maybe you should stay for two months before you come back,” were still ringing in his ears.
Damn it to hell—he hadn’t been looking for this. He’d wanted to get his and Brooke’s families off their backs when he’d proposed the fake relationship. That was all.
Turning back to his desk, he pressed his lips together. Winning over clients and making sure the business was running smoothly, he could do. Relationships, not so much. He’d leave that to his two brothers-in-law; they seemed to know what women wanted.
Minutes later, there was a knock on his door, and Anna opened the door. “Safe to come in?”
He frowned. “Of course.”
Arms crossed, she studied him openly for a few minutes. He stopped short of squirming on his seat.
“Anything I can help you with?” he finally asked.
“No, just checking to make sure.”
“Of what?” he grumbled.
“That you don’t have horns. The interns are whispering about a new devil in the office.”
Bemused, he stared at the older woman. “New devil?”
“Yes, apparently someone new in the office is going around scaring the poor interns.”
“Me, scaring interns? Where did you hear that?” But even before he’d finished the question, he remembered. Yesterday, he’d found some giggling interns at the copier, and he’d probably been shorter than he’d needed to be. But this was a workplace, damn it, not a gossip corner.
Irritated and slightly uncomfortable, he rubbed his neck. “They should stay out of the kitchen if they don’t like the heat.”
Still with her arms crossed, she nodded. “Ah, now I get it. You’ve got a woman on your mind; I should’ve known. You look exactly like Logan did before he realized he’d fallen in love with your sister. The question is, what are you going to do about it? If I were you, I’d start with an apology to the interns. If I’d known you better, I would have had some suggestions about the woman, but let me just say if you’re this miserable without her, do something about it. At this point, you’re no fun to work with.”
He was on his feet, ready to tell her what she could do with her suggestions, but with a lift of her chin, she walked out.
Well, hell. He was fun. What was she talking about? Okay, maybe he’d been a tad irritable. Maybe more than a tad. Deflated, he sat down again, thinking about his behavior over the past few days. He’d been miserable and everyone probably knew it by now.
Damn it, there wasn’t time for thinking about feelings and missing Brooke. He had to show his new brother-in-law he was up to sharing the responsibilities of the job. Yes, he had been thinking about Brooke, but it was only because of the way things had ended between them. He hadn’t scolded the interns because of that. He’d politely asked them to stop giggling, and get on with their work.
With a sigh, he got up. Anna was right, though, he owed the interns an apology, damn it. He’d been much harsher than the situation had warranted.
It wasn’t as if he was miserable without Brooke. It was just...nothing. Absolutely nothing. They’d had a few days—she was lovely—it was logical that he’d think about her, miss her.
It didn’t mean anything, though. Grinding his teeth, he went in search of the two interns. The damn hole inside of him had nothing to do with Brooke. Maybe if he kept repeating this to himself, he might actually believe it at some point.
His phoned pinged twice. Both his sisters had texted him. And their news stopped him, momentarily, in his tracks.
Brooke had misplaced her phone during her move.
Well, hell.
––––––––
By Sunday evening,Brooke and Connor were in their new house on the ranch. Connor had been so excited, she hadn’t thought he’d ever go to sleep, and only after the sixth story had his eyes finally drooped. She was bone weary.
