AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I think it’s probably wise. We need to start work, or we’ll never get finished in time.”
He nods his head. “There’s not as much left to do as you might think, but I don’t wanna be late leaving tonight… not when I’ve got Preston coming to see me at eight in the morning.”
“No.” I’m reminded of the fact that we’ll go our separate ways when we get back to the city, and we won’t get to spend tonight together, as Hunter reaches into the refrigerator, and at the same time, the door in the back wall opens, making me jump.
The stranger who enters stops dead, his mouth open, and looks from me to Hunter, and back again.
“Drew…” Hunter slams the fridge door, turning toward the other man as I realize this must be his brother. The similarities between them are now obvious. Okay, so Drew is maybe a couple of inches shorter than Hunter, but they’ve got the same coloring, although Drew is clean-shaven. Their eyes are definitely a similar shade of brown, though, and Drew’s are still fixed on me. “What are you doing here?”
Drew turns to face his brother at last. “How many times do I have to remind you? I live here.”
“I know that. But you’re supposed to be in the Caribbean for another couple of weeks, aren’t you? What did you do? Get down there, decide you didn’t like it, and come straight back again?”
“Something like that,” Drew says and looks back at me again, tilting his head.
“Oh, yeah… sorry.” Hunter comes over, although he doesn’t touch me. He just stands beside me and says, “This is Livia… my PA. We came down to work on an important proposal.”
Drew nods his head, smiles, and steps forward, holding out his hand. “So you’re Doreen’s replacement. It’s nice to meet you.”
“N—Nice to meet you too.” I struggle over my words. Doreen’s replacement? I’m not sure how I feel about that, but what’s worse is Hunter’s introduction. His PA? I mean, I know that’s what I am… but is that all I am?
It sure feels like it.
“Do you wanna stay and have some breakfast with us?” Hunter asks.
“No, thanks. But I’ll have a coffee, if you’re making some.”
“Sure.”
Hunter walks away from me and I watch him finish fixing the coffee and preparing our toast, while Drew comes further into the room and I sit down, feeling out of place.
“So, what was the real problem in the Caribbean?” Hunter says, pouring the coffee and bringing it over. He puts mine in front of me, but doesn’t make eye contact, and just wanders back to the other side of the kitchen.
“A storm.” Drew takes a sip from his cup, putting it down again on the countertop. “Although it wasn’t just that. Three of the four models got sick as well, so the agency decided to cut their losses and cancel. I don’t blame them. The hotel alone was costing a fortune.”
Hunter butters some toast, bringing it over. “You’re sure you won’t have anything?”
“No. I ate on the flight.”
“You mean you’ve only just got back?”
Drew sips his coffee again, and although Hunter sits beside me, he still doesn’t acknowledge me. I try to take a bite of toast, but my mouth is dry and I can’t chew, so I put it down again.
“I drove straight down here,” Drew says. “I didn’t dare go into the city.”
“Why not?” Hunter asks.
“Because Ella sent me a message with her flight details. She got back on Friday evening. I knew if I went to my place so soon after her arrival, she’d probably accuse me of checking up on her. So, I thought I’d come home.”
“She’s back already, is she?” Hunter says with a smile.
“Yeah. No doubt we’ll hear from her soon enough.”
Hunter smiles, and although that sounds a little ungenerous, I don’t know their sister, and they do.
Drew gulps down his coffee, and stands, making it clear he’s leaving again. His visit has been brief, and I wonder if that’s because he can sense the awkward atmosphere between Hunter and me. Let’s face it, Hunter’s essentially ignored me since his brother walked in the door.
“You’re going?” Hunter says, clearly as surprised as I am.
