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Fuck, there’s a million reasons why she’s off-limits, but I just can’t seem to help myself.
The meeting draws to a close, and I walk out, head still all in a muddle. I go back to my office and sit heavily in my chair with a sigh.
I’ve got a ton of calls to make and more meetings to prepare for, but my heart’s just not in it.
I need to clear the air with Nina. Maybe that’ll make things easier.
I pick up the phone and buzz her desk. “Nina, could you come in here for a moment, please?”
She appears a few seconds later, clutching her notepad. She deposits it on my desk and then takes a hurried step back.
“There are the notes from the meeting,” she says, avoiding my eyes. “And you have an appointment with Finance after lunch. They said they’ll come to you.”
She stands there silently after that. All of a sudden, I don’t know what to say.
“Was there anything else?” she asks stiffly. “Otherwise, I have plenty to get on with.”
“Nina, I—”
“Work stuff, Brock,” she says. “I meant work stuff. I don’t really think now is the time or the place to talk about anything else.”
“Sure.” I give her a weak smile. “That’s all, then. Thanks.”
She leaves as quickly as she came, closing my office door behind her.
Idiot. All you’ve done is made things awkward.
My phone rings, interrupting my little pity party. It’s my Mom.
“Hi Mom,” I answer. “How are you?”
“I’m fine, dear,” she says in a cheerful voice. “I just wanted to call to make sure you aren’t working too hard because I know you always do.”
I laugh. “Mom, I’m in charge of hundreds of people. Of course I need to work hard.”
“Well, maybe it’s time for a break,” she says, not to be deterred. “Remember at the wedding reception, I invited Nina to the lake house? Your father and I are going to go this weekend. Why don’t you bring her along? A little family time will be good for you, and besides, we’re dying to get to know her. Dean is such a nice boy, so we’re sure Nina’s lovely too.”
“Mom, I don’t think—”
She cuts me off, “Don’t say no, Brock. Do this for your long-suffering Mom. Hell, do it for yourself before your crow’s feet get any bigger. We all need to take a break sometimes.”
I could just say no, tell her about this big deal we’ve got going on, how it would be impossible to take any time off . . . but I could go if I wanted to. Get this current thing wrapped up by Friday afternoon and tell Luke I need to take a few day’s personal time. He’ll understand—hell, if I tell him Nina is coming, he’ll shove me out the goddamn door.
And besides, it would be the perfect opportunity to spend some time with Nina, to figure things out with her.
“Okay, Mom. You’ve browbeaten me into it. I’ll tell Luke I need to take a few days off.”
“Perfect!” Mom sounds so delighted I can practically hear her grinning. “We’ll see you there on Saturday. Remember to bring your bathing suits!”
She hangs up, and I sit quietly for a few seconds, wondering how I’m going to broach this with Nina. She’s not my greatest fan right now, and she’s probably already regretting this fake fiancée stuff.
But if I can persuade her to come, it’ll be perfect. Away from the office, we’ll have time to get over this awkwardness between us and smooth things out.
This can’t hang between us forever. I can’t focus on anything, and I’m sure my work is suffering.
It’s only a matter of time before my performance is really impacted, and I can’t get away with that in this job. Too many people rely on me.
And besides, it’s not fair to Nina either. At the very least, even if she refuses to come to the lake house, we should have a conversation about what happened.
She deserves closure and an apology too—she’s obviously struggling with what happened, trying to process it. She should be able to feel comfortable at work, not stepping on eggshells every time she’s near me.
But I’m really hoping she’ll agree to come.
Nina
I’m in Brock’s car, on our way out to Grand Lake, up in the mountains. I’ve never been, but I’ve heard it’s stunningly beautiful up there.
Already, we’re making our way along winding mountain roads with ice-capped peaks in the distance and tall, impenetrable pine forests surrounding us. It’s beautiful.
I spend so much time in the city it’s a great feeling to be able to get away from it all, even if only for one weekend.
“Thanks for agreeing to come to this thing,” Brock says, eyes still fixed on the road ahead. “It’ll go a long way towards convincing my family we’re really together. I really appreciate it. I know it must be awkward for you.”
