AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Not really.” Erin stirred the ice around her cup, a melancholy look stealing the spark in her eyes. “My parents are workaholics who probably shouldn’t have had a kid. My gram never left Cherry Creek, so sending me here for school was a good option for them. No fuss, no muss, and no kid to cramp their lifestyle.”
“Ouch,” Brock said.
“The truth should hurt, and it occasionally stings, but I got to be near Gram, so it worked out for the best.” Erin sat back in the booth when Luca arrived with their food.
“I’ll be right back with some drink refills,” he said. “Do y’all need anything else?”
Brock looked at his plate, eyed the giant, meat-filled calzone, and couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so excited about a meal. “Wow. I think I’m good.”
“We’re all good,” Erin said. “Thank you, Luca.”
He nodded and disappeared behind the counter.
Brock sliced into his calzone, watched the heat escape, and forked up a bite. “So, Erin,” he said, waiting for his food to cool. “Do you … work?”
She nodded and swallowed a bite of her personal pizza. “Yes, of course I work. Do you work?”
“Yes.” He couldn’t wait a second longer to taste the calzone and shoveled the bite into his mouth.
Pawpaw blinked at Erin. “Brock owns a nationwide chain of recovery clinics.”
Erin halted with a slice halfway to her mouth. “Wait a minute. You’re Brock Bartlett of Bartlett Recovery Centers?”
And his attraction officially flatlined. Anyone who knew his name and reputation also knew his fortune. Girls like Erin—girls raised with only the best—took one look at Brock and saw nothing but dollar signs. “You’ve heard of it?”
“Heard of it?” She dropped her slice, wiped her hands on the napkin in her lap, and turned to face him in the booth. “I worked for you.”
Brock’s jaw hinged open, and his stomach felt jittery and hot. “What?”
“I created your logo, your website, everything.”
It took his brain more than a few seconds to start firing again, but he started to connect the dots. “You’re E.H. Collier? From Capital Design?”
“I used to work for Capital Design, but I had to quit to take care of Gram. I’m freelance now.”
“I …” He dropped his fork, his food forgotten. “I can’t believe this. Sean has been trying for months to find you and Capital has been giving him the runaround.”
“They weren’t happy when I left, so I’m not surprised. What do you need?”
CPR. A warm blanket. A hard slap to the face.“I’m not sure, exactly. Sean handles the creative side of the business. I just know he was frustrated with whomever they assigned him after you left. He’ll be ecstatic to know I’ve found you.”
She scrunched her nose. “I’m not technically allowed to solicit business from former clients. It violates my non-compete.”
“You’re not soliciting business if I’m seeking you out. I mean, Bartlett Recovery is seeking you out. They can’t stop us from coming to you.”
“I suppose that would be okay.” She chewed her bottom lip. “I just really can’t afford to get sued.”
“You’re not going to get sued.” He stared at her, at her shiny brown hair, at her open and easy smile, and quickly adjusted his image. She wasn’t some freeloader living off her grandmother, but a talented designer who’d left a top firm when her family was in need. “This feels kind of surreal.”
“Tell me about it.” She stared at her plate before turning to him again. “Your centers are amazing. What you do for people struggling with addiction is …”
“Inspired by Pawpaw,” Brock said. “He’s the one who turned his life around and taught me what it means to be a man.”
“Brock—” Ben shook his head.
“It’s true. I wouldn’t be where I am today, thousands of others wouldn’t be where they are today, without the example you set.”
“I don’t know about that.”
