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A chuckle rumbles in Harris' chest again. "Look at both of us, Brett. You're just like me. There's no use pretending otherwise. Now, have another drink and be thankful. The rest of your life sits before you. Relish it."
* * *
Traditionally,when someone makes partner at WestRock, the company takes him out for a fancy dinner. They invite the firm's biggest clients, especially those they have worked closely with. And all men in the company are encouraged to bring their wives and girlfriends to show them off in a parade of beauty.
I could still remember the last guy to make partner, how his wife dressed up like she was going to a movie premiere, not just a business dinner. All flouncy skirts and fistfuls of glitter and sequins. She walked in like a prize for all the other men to gawk at and appreciate. To be jealous of.
Even knowing this, I'm still torn about bringing Denise.
She probably wouldn't say no. Even as bummed as she's been lately, she still enjoys going places together. Showing me off in her little city. It would be nice to repay the favor for once. To show off the fabulous catch I've stumbled into. Even with the bakery to take care of, I know she would love the reprieve, the chance to come back to Houston and share my side of life and escape hers, even if for just one night.
But despite this, I know that I shouldn't. I shouldn't even tell her about it.
Not because I don't think she would enjoy it or because I think she'll say no.
It's because I know Austin is going to be there.
With the way things have been for her lately, I can't invite that kind of drama into her life. In two months, once her lease is up and she's officially moved out for good, maybe we can talk about her brother. Mention my working relationship with him. The heinous betrayal that I almost carried out for him.
Maybe.
A couple of hours before the dinner party, as I'm struggling to get my tie exactly how I want it, I hear the buzz of the callbox. Thinking it's just a delivery man ringing for the wrong person, I step over and hit the button to talk to him.
"Hello?" I ask, not even trying to cover the edge of agitation in my voice. "What do you need?"
"What I need," says the voice on the other end, "is to give my baby brother a big, fat hug."
I blink. "Bash? What the hell?"
"I'm here to support my baby brother!"
I wince and pull my ear from the speaker as he shouts.
Buzzing him in, he bounds up the stairs in less than a minute and does exactly what he said he'd do: before I can even get a word out, his arms wrap around me, squeezing all the air from my lungs.
He eventually sets me down, and I brush off my shirt and straighten my tie again. I ask, "What are you doing here?" But as my eyes glance downward and I realize what he's wearing, I find the answer to my question before it leaves his stupidly grinning mouth.
Holding his arms out to model his scruffy attempt at business attire, he says, "I'm here to go to your fancy party! You said you weren't bringing that girlfriend of yours. So, I thought, what the hey? I'm the next best thing!"
I purse my lips, trying to keep them from curling in pre-embarrassment. "Bash. That is such a…sweetgesture. But I'm fine going alone."
He slaps me roughly on the shoulder, laughing dismissively. "I knew you'd say that. But I'm not gonna give you a choice this time. You need someone there who's got your back."
"I'm a partner now. Everyone there has my back."
"Yeah, and now you have me too." Putting his hand to his forehead, he bends backward, pretending to swoon. "You simply must promise to save me a dance, sir! I've always wanted a dance from a handsome man like Mr. Brett Cooper."
I push him, and he catches his balance again, cracking up. "That's no way to treat your date, Brett."
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I wrack my brain foranythingto say to convince him not to come. Bringing him to this party means bringing someone for me to babysit. And lord only knows how he'll behave in front of the other partners and the employees now under my authority. If my brother makes a fool of himself and me, and I might lose all the credibility I've worked to create for myself all these years.
But the more I think about it, the more I realize that if I don't take him with me, he'll just wreak havoc on my apartment while I'm gone. After seeing the state of his office at The Silver Coop, I'm not sure I'd ever want to risk that.
Besides, if I'm being honest… I do appreciate him coming here. He came here just to support me on one of the biggest nights of my career. I guess I understand now exactly how Denise felt when I went to Barton Beach just for her.
I know it will only encourage him, but I step forward and wrap my arms around my little brother. I almost can't help myself.
"Wow," Bash mutters, patting me on the back. "Where's my brother gone? He's never been a hugger."
