Page 78 of The Biker's Brother

Brigid laughed. “No, but maybe it’s what they should be teaching.”

Brant turned to Rita. “I’ll have pastrami, heated up, on that…”

“Rye,” Rita supplied.

“Yeah, with that…”

“Brown mustard.”

“Yeah. Got any potato salad?”

“Your wife is having truckloads of it delivered later. I got chips.”

“Hmmm,” he grumbled. “Give me Doritos.”

“Okay.” She grabbed three paper napkins and handed them to him with the bag. “Don’t eat the Doritos and touch stuff without wiping off your hands. It leaves cheese residue everywhere.”

“You’re gettin’ a mite bossy.”

“Somebody’s got to be responsible for keeping this place from turning into the pigsty it would be without somebody like me.”

“I’m going back to my office and eat this. Then I’m going over to Wreck and Ride.”

“I’m not your secretary,” Rita said to the wall over the kitchen sink without turning around.

“Thank the Lord,” Brant said, walking away with his lunch.

When he was gone, Brigid said to Rita, “What do you think of Cami Carmichael?”

Rita continued working without looking up. “I think she’s perfect for him.”

“Yeah,” Brigid agreed. “Me, too. I better get back to my own bar. See you tonight.”

“See you tonight.”

CHAPTER Thirteen

Cami went to the door when she heard a knock. She didn’t really want to go to the door with swollen eyes and a pink nose, but whoever it was knew she was inside. After all, where else would she be?

Feeling like there was no other choice, she opened the door.

It was Brigid holding out the bag with borrowed clothes and a few toiletries. “You forgot these.”

“Thank you.” She took the bag. “You’ve been really kind.”

“Don’t mention it. You know you’ve been through a lot of changes in a short amount of time. Then there was the whole thing with the helicopter. Emotions have got to be running high.”

“I guess.”

“Why don’t you get a nap? Spend some time enjoying the feeling of being safe. Then get ready for the party tonight. You can have some fun. Maybe give Brand a chance to grovel?”

Cami was surprised that Brandon’s sister-in-law would use the word grovel. Maybe she was the one who should grovel. She had to admit that she’d talked first and thought later when she was at Germane Enterprises. She’d also realized that Brandon had led her to believe he was homosexual because she was about to blow their chances at the last motel room available for miles, when they were both exhausted.

After shedding a few tears over feeling like she’d been blindsided, she gradually gained a little clarity and perspective on what had transpired. Hehadmisled her about his sexuality, possibly for good reason, but he certainly wasn’t under any obligation, moral or ethical, to tell her that he also ran Germane Enterprises, or to reveal his net worth. She had thought that not giving a last name was part of the client/provider wall that was supposed to have existed between the two of them.

She realized that she’d behaved badly at his office and regretted it. If she’d had a phone and his number, she might’ve even called to apologize. That was a lot of ifs.

She decided the best game plan was to put cold water on her face, go to the kitchen and get two slices of cucumber to put on her eyes and pull the puffiness away, take a nap like Brigid had suggested, then try to make herself look decent and wait for an opportunity to talk to him at the party.

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