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I grit my teeth. It is taking every ounce of self-restraint not to take Greer home right fucking now. We could be at my place in seven minutes. Naked in eight.
And then—after—a long, lazy nap.
“Thanks,” I manage.
She gently elbows me in the stomach. “Always.”
“I’m usually done by six. Let yourself in if I’m not home yet.”
Before I do something stupid, I take the cup from her hand and turn toward my desk.
And see none other than my dad staring me down from across the trading floor.
My gut prickles with ice. His blue eyes are hard. Cold.
They glitter sharply, like broken glass.
I feel the color drain from my face. Did he see everything? Me handing that muffin girl from the Tweeties the key to my place while she giggled and I whispered in her ear?
Fuck.
He’s far enough away that we can’t hear each other without shouting. I lift my arm and offer him a little wave.
He doesn’t wave back.
It’s all I can do not to roll my eyes. I head for my desk. He does too.
Dad nods at the cup in my hands. “Get yourself some coffee?”
“Yes.” I set the cup down on my desk, realizing a beat too late I put it right next to the muffin Greer already dropped off for me.
Dad’s gaze burns a hole in the side of my face. “Or did someone get it for you?”
“Does it matter?”
He crosses his arms and leans the backs of his legs against my desk. “You know what’s crazy? How Charlotte is still such a small town at heart, despite how much it’s grown. Hell,” he scoffs, “Atlas & Teton still owns a good chunk of the real estate uptown.”
Falling down into my chair, I tap on my keyboard to bring my monitors to life. “So?”
“So.” Dad leans in. “We own this whole building and the one next to it too. All the tenants, we’re their landlord. Including that little muffin shop you seem to love so much.”
My heart begins to pound. I keep my gaze on my keyboard, typing in my employee number and password. My screens light up.
“I should look up the terms of their lease,” Dad continues.
I don’t say anything. I hold my mouse in a death grip to keep my hand from shaking.
Fuck.
Him.
Even for James Brookfield Huntley, this is low. Threatening me—threatening Greer.
Keep fooling around with the muffin girl, he’s saying in so many words, and he’ll find a way to get her kicked out of the building. With whole teams of lawyers and bankers at his disposal, Dad will no doubt find a way to make it happen. He’ll exploit a loophole. Call in a favor.
I know how hard Greer worked to land not only the lease, but the right to set up shop here on the trading floor. It’s the lifeblood of her business. A business her parents are heavily invested in.
She has employees to pay too. People who depend on her.
More than that, Drury Lane is her dream. Has been since she was little.
If she lost it all because of me—
“Stop,” I say, as much to myself as to Dad. “I’m going to pretend this conversation never happened. It’s beneath both of us.”
Dad smooths his tie. “I’m looking out for what’s best for you, Brooks. I’d hate to see you throw away your future. I truly believe this is the best path forward for everybody.”
It’s all I can do not to grab that tie and give it a vicious tug.
I check futures instead. Dow is down marginally. Asia got hit with inflationary concerns overnight.
Atlas & Teton stock is down another five percent.
“I don’t trust you,” I murmur. “How could I when you treat me like I’m a kid?”
“If you’re not a kid, why are you messing around with one?” He glances at Greer. “Jesus Christ, Brooks. She’s basically a teenager.”
I glance at Greer too. It strikes me how young she does look in her jeans and white sneakers and headband.
Young, and beautiful.
“It’s not what it looks like,” I say.
Dad chuckles. “You realize how ridiculous that sounds, right?”
“If you’d give me a chance—”
“I ran into Bob at the club this weekend. Margaux said she had a very nice time with you. He also said you haven’t called her again like you said you would.”
“Stop,” I repeat.
Dad taps a single finger on the desk beside my keyboard. “You said you’d take this seriously. Don’t embarrass yourself—”
“You mean don’t embarrass you.”
He looks me in the eye. “When are you going to realize we want the same thing, Brooks?”
But that’s just it. Dad wants the bank to stay afloat, and he wants me to be successful. Which I want to some degree as well. But now I’m realizing I want to be happy too. More than I want Atlas & Teton to survive.
Being with Greer makes me happy. I can always get a job at another bank, but I know I’ll be hard pressed to find another girl who makes me feel the way I do with Greer.
