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Crew looks up, spots me, and smiles. “Hey.”
“Hey. You have a minute?”
He tosses the paper down and leans back in his chair. “Gladly. This fucking contract is driving me insane. I’ve reread the same page five times now.”
I take a seat in one of the chairs facing his desk, glancing at one of the photos angled toward the computer. It’s one I’ve never seen before, Crew and Scarlett smiling with the city of Paris spread behind them.
“When was that?” I ask, pointing to the frame.
Crew glances at the photo and smiles. “A couple of months after we got married. Scarlett went to Paris on a work trip, and I tagged along.”
“Looks nice.”
“It was,” he replies. “If you ever went on social media, you’d know that I post a lot of travel pics.”
“Is that what you do on your phone during meetings?”
Crew smirks. “Sometimes. You should try it sometime. Good brain break.”
“Not sure what I would post.”
He opens his mouth to say something, then closes it. Probably hearing the wistful note I didn’t mean to let slip out. Because it’s really only recently, since I’ve gone to Vegas and tried surfing and spent time in the city at other places beside my office and my penthouse, that I’m realizing how empty myeat, sleep, worklifestyle is. Like glimpsing light and then sitting in the dark.
Before I can decide how to transition from the lingering silence to the reason I’m here, there’s a knock on Crew’s door.
“Come in,” he says.
Jeremy walks in, carrying a thick stack of papers under one arm. He halts when he sees me, glancing uncertainly between me and Crew.
Crew seems oblivious to the awkward energy humming in the air, taking a sip from the coffee mug on his desk. “Oliver, you know Jeremy, right?”
“Right.” I flick a piece of invisible lint off my pants, attempting to appear unbothered about being stuck in a room with my divorce attorney and my brother, who has no idea I’m married. “Good to see you, Jeremy.”
“You too,” he responds. “I’ll come back later.”
“Does an hour work?” Crew asks. “I should be through this by then.” He taps a pen on the papers piled on his desk. “We can get drinks after.”
“Sounds good. See you then.”
The door clicks shut behind Jeremy, and Crew glances to me. “You’re welcome to come too. Scarlett’s parents are watching Lili tonight and she’s going to a dinner, so I’m basically a bachelor for the night. Like old times.”
“Have you ever regretted it?” I ask. “You could have told Dad you wouldn’t do it.”
“No,” Crew replies, rubbing his jaw. “I’ve never regretted it. But that has everything to do with Scarlett, and nothing to do with Dad.”
I nod. I knew that would be his answer. “I’m going to turn down his deal. It’s not how I want CEO. And Quinn deserves someone who could make her happy. That’s not me.”
There’s no change in Crew’s face, his expression carefully controlled. “Date didn’t go well?”
“That’s what you got from what I just said?”
He shrugs. “It’s your decision. And I’d rather see you happy than successful.” I raise a brow, and he grins. “Moresuccessful.”
I clear my throat. “Thanks.”
“So…it didn’t?”
“No.” I sigh. “It didn’t.”
