Page 19 of Saving the CEO

“None. They were all more than happy to have spent time with me.”

The confidence in Jace’s smooth voice concerned him. When would he ever learn? “Just keep yourself out of trouble, will you? The last thing you want is one of those women to show up with a kid that she says is yours.”

“You worry too much, bro.”

“Maybe you should worry a little more.” His next breath came out as a long sigh. Great—his head throbbed even more now, which often happened when he talked with Jace. The best thing to do was to finish his work, take a hot shower, and go to bed. “Thanks for calling, but if there’s nothing else, I need to get back to work.”

“There is one thing, Dev. It’s about Bekah.”

“What about her?”

“She told me she’s been hanging out with Bash. She says it’s for school, but something tells me there’s more going on. You know she always had a crush on him.”

Devin’s jaw clenched. Bash had been the neighbor kid growing up and a troublemaker. He wasn’t the type of guy their sister should be falling for. “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll talk to her.”

“Cool. I know she’ll listen to you.”

A soft knock drew his gaze to the open door of his office. That’s where he spotted those green eyes he’d been staring into just moments ago. Devin swallowed hard. What was Scarlett doing here?

CHAPTER10

Scarlett

Scarlett hadn’t planned on seeing Devin again that evening. After their awkward encounter in the pantry, she’d been more than relieved when he’d left her alone in the kitchen.

Maybe she’d said too much earlier and had been too frank with him. She never imagined seeing such a different side to Devin. The sad, vulnerable look in his eyes had made her defenses crack enough for her to feel ashamed of her actions.

She’d basically called him lonely and proud for not wanting help. The irony of the situation was that she’d also been too proud to ask him for help.

While she loved pie, humble pie was not one she enjoyed swallowing. But the Lord had been poking at her heart and helping her to see the plank in her own eye. Now He was giving her a chance to make things right. Hopefully, Devin would be more gracious with her than she’d been with him. But even if he wasn’t, she was ready to play nice.

When he gestured for her to enter, she walked over, holding the mugs of hot chocolate she’d prepared a few minutes ago. “Bekah fell asleep, so I was wondering if you’d like her hot cocoa?” The moment she set his mug down, she noticed he was on the phone. Lowering her volume, she added, “I’ll just leave it here for you.”

Devin held up his hand to stop her from leaving. “Have a seat, Scarlett.” He then murmured into the phone, “It’s not what you think, Jace.”

Scarlett nodded, surprised. For a second, she’d thought she could get away without apologizing, but it seemed God wasn’t letting her off the hook that easily. It was just as well. Character-building wasn’t supposed to be easy. If only it didn’t have to be so humbling, too.

She turned around to give Devin some privacy and tried her best to not eavesdrop, even though a big part of her wanted to. There was still more about him that remained a mystery, apart from what Bekah had told her. But Bekah, being so much younger than her brothers, only knew so much. His twin, Jace, would be the perfect person to talk to. Too bad she couldn’t listen in on their conversation.

Forcing her feet to move, she crossed to the other side of the room and sat down on the leather couch. Taking a sip of her cocoa, she glanced around the office in wonder. The large space had a stately feel to it with a mahogany desk and wooden floor-to-ceiling shelves built into the walls. Small circular end tables with intricate designs carved into the tabletops sat on either side of her. Situated diagonally from the couch was the only piece of modern furniture in the room—a reclining chaise lounge chair. It looked like a reader’s paradise with a knit blanket draped across the back. There was a hardcover lying on top that beckoned her over.

Intrigued by the familiar cover, Scarlett walked over and picked it up. Just as she’d suspected, it was one of the true crime books she’d narrated about a year ago. She and the author worked so well together, she went on to narrate several more in the same series. In fact, the audiobook she was currently recording was for a new book that would be releasing next month. Scarlett wondered if Devin had listened to any of them, and if so, whether he’d recognized her voice.

“Have you read it?”

Scarlett inhaled sharply at the sound of Devin’s deep voice. She hadn’t realized he had gotten off the phone already. But now that he was standing beside her, his masculine scent filling her senses, there was no denying his presence. Or the unfortunate way her heart thumped in her chest to be so close to him again. She took a step to the side as she glanced up. “I’ve read the whole series. They’re even better as audiobooks.”

He nodded, then gestured for them to sit. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

She followed him to the couch, thankful that he hadn’t asked her to elaborate on her last comment. The words had slipped out before she could think them through. Regardless, there was a more important matter to address. She set her mug on the side table, then faced him. “If I may, I’d like to apologize to you first.”

“What for?”

“For what I said earlier. I’ll admit it, my attitude was wrong, and I just wanted to have the last word. I shouldn’t have been so petty. I’m sorry.” Once the apology was out, Scarlett felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She released a deep breath. “That wasn’t as hard as I’d thought it’d be.”

Devin’s stoic expression gave way to a smirk. “I take it you don’t apologize often.”

“Not if I can help it. Do you like apologizing?”

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