AllFreeNovel
Share Us
If you stick around, really Juliette? He just moved here,of coursehe’s sticking around. My nerves from being out at night are melding with the ones I get while trying to interact with Adrian like anything resembling a normal human. It’s a miracle that I haven’t rambled incessantly yet.
My porch light welcomes me as we close in on our row of cottages. This is the most peaceful post-meeting walk home I’ve had in a while. Usually, my pepper spray creates an indent in my hand from gripping it too hard and I feel queasy for half an hour; more if I don’t have a cup of calming tea.
“Thanks again for the company.” I look up at Adrian once we reach the end of my driveway and give him a gentle smile. He dips his head in acknowledgment and I can’t help but feel like he’s seeing right through my attempt at casual conversation. I wonder what he sees when he looks at me.
I turn on my heel and walk to my door, feeling his eyes on me the entire time. Once it’s unlocked and I’m about to slip inside, his silken voice finds my ear.
“Goodnight, Juliette.”
My stomach swoops at the sound of my name on his lips.
“Goodnight, Adrian,” I say over my shoulder.
Once inside, I make chamomile tea and pet Murphy while trying to forget my neighbor’s piercing gaze and the quirk of his lips. But my efforts are futile because I spend the night dreaming of those very lips brushing mine.
Chapter six
Adrian Carter
“Forthelasttime,I’m busy,” I growl at my brother Grayson and push past him into my office. He’s just invited me to one of our employee’s birthday parties. I’m pretty sure it involves karaoke. Needless to say, I won’t be attending.
“Busy doing what? Staring at your ceiling?” Grayson falls onto the leather couch to the right of my desk and splays himself out. He has no concern for the amount of space he takes up with his body or his personality.
“Working.”
“All of our clients are safe and happy,” Grayson states, sliding a rubber band ball out of his pocket and tossing it toward the ceiling. On top of the many differences between Grayson and me–our style, hobbies, and overall demeanor–he’s also incapable of beingstill.
“Yes, and I’d like to keep it that way. Which is why I need tomanage our company.”
While I manage the placement of our teams and their day-to-day concerns, Grayson takes care of making sure the clients are trulyhappy. He also finds us new clients by networking at events I’d never willingly attend and schmoozing people in general. His easygoing nature and ability to hold a conversation with anyone makes him perfect for that side of the job.
“The point of starting this business was to put down roots and have lives outside of work.”
“I know.” And if I didn’t know, I’d come to realize it rather quickly with how many times Grayson mentions it in a week.
I have put down roots. My house in Peach Hollow attests to that. But Grayson thinks that my life should look like his when I’m perfectly content with working and then leaving to sleep in my peaceful home.
“Okay, you don’t have to come to Kylie’s party with me, but you have to leave work before six today or else I’m staying here with you.”
I glower at him, but he looks unphased. That’s the unfortunate part of growing up with my co-founder: he’s not intimidated by me in the slightest. Even if I threatened bodily harm, he’d hold that easygoing grin while dodging my every punch.
“Fine. I’ll leave before six. Doesn’t it bother you that your most effective threat is your own presence?”
He throws the ball in the air and catches it.
“Nope. I know the real problem is not my personality, but that you’re unsociable.”
I clench my jaw and turn my attention to my computer monitor. Maybe if I ignore him, he’ll leave. It hasn’t worked in the past, but one can hope.
“Oh, I’m making an amendment to our agreement.” I cut my eyes to him. His grin makes my scowl deepen. “You need to do somethingoutsideof your house after work. Shake on it or else I camp out here on this couch for the rest of the evening.”
“I do this and you leave me alone about social events for at least a week,” I counter, knowing I won’t get him to commit to anything more than a week.
“Deal!” He propels himself up off the couch and sticks a hand across my desk. I shake it, ignoring the smug grin on his face.
It won’t be hard to fulfill my commitment. I’ll go for a walk around the lake then go back home and try not to pull my laptop out until it’s time to fall asleep. Grayson saunters out of my office and I pinch the bridge of my nose. This is going to be a long night.
It’s an unseasonably warm day for the end of January, which means that my evening stroll is far more crowded than I would like. I’ve been stopped three times now by people I recognize from the town meeting last night.
