Page 108 of Body Shot

“She fucking cares, asshole.”

I scowl. “What the hell do you know about it?”

We’re getting curious glances from customers. “Let’s take this back to the office,” Marco growls.

“Fine.” I stomp around the end of the bar and down the hall.

Cade looks up from the computer as I walk in, followed by Marco. “Hey, you’re back.” He rises and we, too, do an emotional bro hug. I repeat the update about Dad as we all take seats.

“So, they’re pressuring me to stay in Boston and take over Whitcomb Industries.”

Cade leans back in his chair, a wary look on his face. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” I make a face. “Dad really needs to take it easy. Now he’s had a fucking heart attack because he works so much. Mom thinks he should retire, or at least dial back the time he works. They see this as the perfect opportunity for me to transition into learning the business.”

Cade and Marco exchange glances.

“And it makes sense,” I continue. “They want to keep it in the family and thereisno one else.” As usual, Aidan’s absence is like a knife to the gut. How different would things be if he were still around? Well, there’s no point in thinking about that.

“There’s nobody else who could take over?”

“I mean, one of the VPs could take over. But that wouldn’t be family.”

“What difference would it make if it’s not family running it? Couldn’t your dad still have final say over decisions, but someone else does the work?”

“I think that’s kind of how it goes now. Except Dad still does too much work. It’s a big company. Anyway, they made me feel so fucking guilty now that Dad’s actually gotten sick and he really does have to take things easy for a while.”

“You want to go back to Boston?” Marco asks bluntly, leaning forward, elbows on his knees.

“No.” The honest answer springs to my lips. “I don’t. I like it here. I like what we’re doing here. I like having time to goof off and go mountain biking or sailing. I sure as fuck wouldn’t be doing that stuff in Boston.” I hesitate. This is kind of hard to talk about. “I like what I’m doing with the foundation. And . . . I like hanging out with you guys.” What that really means is, I love them like brothers and don’t want to lose the only real family I’ve ever had. That idea is twists the knife in my gut even deeper. “But . . . I’m trying to be better.” My throat aches. “More settled. Reliable.” I look from Cade’s eyes to Marco’s. “Maybe it’s what I should do. The right thing to do. The responsible thing.”

What would Hayden do? She’d do the right thing. If I want to learn from her, then maybe I need to do the responsible thing, too.

“What about Hayden?” Marco asks. “What the fuck, man? Why didn’t you tell us she broke up with you?”

“It just happened. That night I got the call from my mom and I jumped on a plane to go home. Didn’t have time to tell you.”

“We talked on the phone,” Marco says dryly. “But whatever. What happened? It was different for you to get involved with someone, but you two looked good together. You seemed really . . . happy. Like we told you.”

Yeah, Iwashappy. Now that that happiness is gone, I recognize how deep and bright andimportantit was. I thought I was fine before I met Hayden, only maybe I just didn’t know what real happiness is.

I tell them what happened, about Hayden’s fears that she was letting down her team by having a life, about her losing the grant, my offer to give her money, and her horrified reaction.

“Whoa,” Cade says. “She knew about your money?”

“Nope. You know I don’t go around telling people that.”

“Hmm. That must have been a shock to her.”

“I guess.”

“And she turned you down.”

“Hell yeah. Basically implied I was treating her like an expensive hooker.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“Well, I get that,” Marco offers. “If all you two had between you was sex, sure she’d feel that way.”

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