Page 44 of Saving the CEO

“My eyes? I don’t have makeup on today.”

Emerald laughed. “That’s not what I meant. It was when you were talking about Devin—the look in your eyes was different. I saw confidence in them. I don’t remember you being like that with Conrad. With him, it always seemed like you were trying to prove yourself, prove that you were good enough to be with him. You looked tired and sad most of the time. It’s not the same with Devin though. I get the feeling he makes you feel secure. That’s the kind of guy I want to see you with.”

“He does make me feel secure.” There was no hesitation in Scarlett’s answer. Knowing that Emerald could see the difference between these two relationships helped cement her plan. “Thanks for telling me this. I’ve figured out what I’m going to do.”

“Let me guess. You’re going to go find Devin and tell him how much you love him and want to have his babies?Afteryou marry him, of course,” she added with a wink.

“You read my mind!”

That’s when Scarlett decided that Devin wouldn’t be the only one who could propose.

CHAPTER23

Devin

Go big or go home.

This was Devin’s mentality when it came to saving Kendall & Sons from his cousin. Unfortunately, all the effort he had put in this week so far had been for naught. Nick refused to sell the company—despite the exorbitant amount Devin had offered him—and the board was unwilling to go against his grandfather’s will and keep Devin on as CEO. He had just about run out of options at this point. The only thing he had left was a mustard seed of faith that God might turn things around, but even that was on the verge of being crushed by doubt.

What he needed was a miracle, and he needed it now.

He stared up at the undercarriage of the older model Porsche he had been adjusting the spark plugs on. The smell of grease and oil filled his nostrils as he took a deep breath. Working on this car usually gave him a sense of calm, but he had too much adrenaline running through his veins to settle down.

The stress and worries of the situation were wearing on him. He’d had to leave the office early when his head had started to pound with the beginnings of a migraine. Even a workout at the gym hadn’t helped.

Lord, I’m running out of time. Would You help me figure this out, and soon? And would you take care of Scarlett for me?

This had been Devin’s prayer every day, several times a day. While talking to God had become easier the more often he did it, waiting on Him was a different matter. This was the ultimate test in trust. Devin could only hope that God would answer his prayers before his patience ran out.

The door connecting the house to the garage suddenly opened and shut with a clicking sound. He recognized the rhythm and pacing of the approaching footsteps like they were his own.

“Hey Dev, there you are. When do I get to meet this girlfriend of yours? Any chance she’s coming by today?”

At the sound of his brother’s voice, Devin slid the under-car creeper he was lying on out from under the car. His eyes adjusted to the late afternoon sun streaming in through the open garage door before focusing on Jace’s enthusiastic grin. He’d had his hair cut short and started growing out his beard, two things he did every time he returned to what he called “civilian life” to hide his identity. The two of them looked more alike today than they had in months.

Jace had only returned from tour yesterday, but Bekah had already updated him on everything he’d missed while he was gone. He seemed especially interested in Devin’s relationship and hadn’t stopped asking about Scarlett. Devin wished he had an answer to give him. It had been five long and lonely days without a single word from her. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could refrain from reaching out. He understood her need for time and space, but he only grew more concerned the longer she stayed away. If he weren’t getting daily updates from Bekah, he would have knocked down Scarlett’s door already. “I don’t expect to see her today.”

“Huh. If Bekah didn’t know her personally, I’d wonder if you made her up.” Jace leaned back against the large tool cabinet sitting against one wall, his posture slouched and relaxed. He narrowed his blue eyes and pinned his gaze on Devin. “You only work on this old clunker when you’re upset. Are you having trouble in paradise already?”

Devin sighed. Having his twin around was akin to hearing his thoughts spoken out loud. Jace could read him like a book without having to turn the pages. At least this made it easier to cut out the small talk. He wiped his hands on his grease-stained jeans, debating how much of the situation to share with Jace now that he didn’t have his tour to focus on. Was that a wise thing to do though? Why burden his brother with something he couldn’t do anything about?

“If you’re worried about burdening me with your problems,” Jace remarked, as if he’d read Devin’s mind, “don’t be. I’m a big boy, Dev. You don’t have to protect me anymore. I can handle it. You’ll feel a lot better once you get whatever’s bothering you off your chest.”

“When did you start talking like a shrink?”

“Since I started seeing one.” The smirk that appeared on Jace’s face was identical to his own. “Pretend I’m yours. What’s going on with you?”

Something about his brother seemed different, more stable and mature. Perhaps the therapist he’d been seeing recently was helping. Devin inhaled, feeling the weight on his shoulders ease a bit. It felt strange to have the tables turned, but having Jace offer to listen made it a bit easier to open up. “It’s complicated, to say the least.”

“Isn’t it always when it involves a woman?”

“Yeah, well, this involves the company, too.” He went on to reveal the clause in their grandfather’s will, their cousin’s threat, his backfired marriage proposal, and Scarlett’s response to it all. “Now the ball’s in her court,” he concluded with a weariness in his voice. “There’s nothing I can do but wait.”

“I can’t believe you’ve been keeping all that to yourself, Dev. No wonder you’re stressed out. Why didn’t you tell me about the will?”

“Why would I? You’ve never been interested in taking over the business. You have your own career to worry about.”

“True, but there’s gotta be some other way I can help you out.” He rubbed his jaw as he thought. “What if I became the CEO—in name only of course—while you did the actual job? It’d be like hiring a ghostwriter—I would be the face and you would be the brains. You could even pretend to be me at the office; no one would ever notice. We used to get away with trading places all the time.”

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