Page 123 of Not Safe For Work

We head backto the city the next morning, and to my surprise, Owen asks if he can join us.

“Not on the ride, obviously. But our schedule is light this weekend and Dad said he could deal without me. I thought I could come down and spend a day with you.”

“Yes!” I cheer. “That would be so fun. There are like a million places I’ve been dying to show you. We can get sundaes at Ghirardelli and go see the sea lions and Land’s End and—can you stay the night? My couch is really comfy. One day isn’t enough.” I know I’m rambling. I can tell by the way Gavin squeezes my hand, but I don’t care.

“Yeah, that sounds awesome. I’ll go pack a bag and meet at your place?”

“Yes.” I hug my big brother. “I’ll text you the address and where to park.”

Owen runs back inside, and I grin up at Gavin. “He’s visiting me!” I squeal. “I’m so excited. Will you play tourist with us?”

“Sure, beautiful. Ready to ride? Or are you gonna fight me to drive again?”

“No, you drive. I’m too happy right now to pay attention.”

Owen leaveslate Sunday afternoon and it’s the first time I’ve been alone in three days.

Gavin spent Saturday with us, but today it was just me and my brother. I’m still in a food coma from our brunch, but Owen had never had dim sum before. I had to make sure we triedeverything.

I fall into my bed, extremely bloated but my heart feeling fuller than it has in years. Owen said he wants to come visit more, even to bring Phil and Deacon sometime. He also asked me to come home more often. I think he might have convinced Gavin to join a bocce league in Sonoma for the summer.

I pick up my phone to respond to Gavin’s last text, inviting me to sleep at his place.

Me:

I can barely move. And I don’t think you want to see what I look like after swallowing all the dumplings in California

Gavin Scott:

You could eat all the dumplings in the world and you’d still by the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen

Okay I know that was cheesy as hell, I’m sorry

If you want to sleep alone tonight it’s no problem

Hedge you later

I’m about to respond again when my phone rings, an unknown number glowing on my screen. I debate sending it to voicemail, but end up answering it, holding my breath for what awaits me.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Olivia. It’s Daanesh, from work.”

I stifle a laugh.From work. Like my CEO needed to clarify himself. I can see why Andie must like him. For a man in his position, he’s incredibly humble, and he really seems to care about the people around him. What he said about his sisters wasn’t lost on me.

“Hey, how are you?”

“I’m great, actually. I just wanted to congratulate you on such a successful event on Friday. Mario and I were both disappointed when we didn’t get a chance to talk to you before leaving.”

“Oh. Well, thank you. I thought it went well too.”

“Better than well, Liv. Can I call you Liv? Gavin always calls you Liv.”

“Yeah, of course. Liv is great.”

“It was a huge success. Mario has been struggling to secure testimonials from a few big clients. After Friday, they all agreed, one even offered to speak at our next showcase. And Gavin told me it’s possible you’ll be closing your first deal? With someone as big as Surf and Stream. It’s huge, Liv.”

“He helped a lot,” I reply and immediately regret it. He did at the end, but the event wasmine. I can’t let myself forget that. “But I put in a lot of effort so I’m really glad it paid off.”

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