Page 28 of My Brother's Best Friends

“Which means higher revenue and better time management—we spend less time in meetings and more time rolling out campaigns,” Kellan adds.

“It’s a win-win,” Makayla agrees.

I glance around at the table, inwardly amused by the setup. I’m seated beside Makayla, Kellan on her other side, Oscar closer to Bryan. A waitress arrives with a water pitcher for our table—a snazzy-looking Bohemian crystal piece, to be precise. The water itself is infused with fresh lemon and cucumber slices.

Makayla’s eager to try it, so I take the pitcher and pour her a glass.

“Thank you,” she murmurs, giving me a shy smile.

“Always a pleasure to serve you, Kay,” I say. She catches the hidden meaning—it’s written all over her face—and heat surges, tightening my jeans. Good thing the table hides most of my lower body.

“Today’s specials include tuna tartare with a balsamic reduction, caramelized shallots, and toasted sticky rice, followed by green-pea cream soup with sourdough croutons and honey-glazed Jamón Ibérico,” the waitress says. “For dessert, the chef is offering strawberry and white-chocolate tiramisu.”

Her descriptions are enough to make my mouth water.

“Wow, I might order the full course,” Makayla says, her voice dreamy. “My mouth is already watering.”

The waitress laughs softly. “I can’t blame you. We also have fresh salmon flown in overnight. The chef built a three-course tasting around it, and I’ve tucked the details into your menus in case molecular gastronomy tempts you.”

“It all sounds fantastic. Could you give us a minute?” Oscar asks, closing his menu.

“Of course,” the waitress says, bowing out of the conversation.

“So, what are you going to have?” Bryan asks his sister.

“Oh, I’m definitely going for the specials—they sound light yet decadent,” Makayla replies. “And judging by the pairings, I’ll need a crisp white wine. A floral chardonnay, to be specific.”

I smile as I look over the wine list. “The Castello Banfi sounds like it’s right up your alley.”

“A Montalcino chardonnay,” she replies, giving me a surprised look. “I’m impressed, Alex.”

“Our brother knows his wine,” Kellan says.

“And you?” Makayla asks him.

Kellan shakes his head. “I could spend hours breaking down every single malt on their shelf.”

We all take a moment to peruse the menu and make our lunch selections.

“I’m leaning toward the salmon tasting,” Oscar says, scanning the list. “Fresh-caught Swedish salmon isn’t something we get every day.”

“I know what I’m having too,” Bryan says, setting his menu aside before turning to Callie with open adoration. “How about you, babe?”

“I’m with Makayla on the specials,” she replies.

“Excellent.” He pauses to look at my brothers and me. “Side note—we have a meeting this afternoon with Jan from HyperCore. Should I expect you there?”

“Yes,” I reply, hiding my true reaction behind the menu. “Unless you think you can handle Jan without us.”

Truth be told, I’d rather spend the afternoon plotting a return to our suite—preferably with both my brothers and Makayla in tow.

“We handled Jan’s onboarding,” Oscar reminds me. “Of course we’ll be in the meeting.”

“I have to admit,” Makayla says, “I’m in awe of how you balance work and leisure so effortlessly while basking in Swedish luxury.”

Bryan laughs. “It’s not our first hybrid trip, Kay. You should’ve seen the first time we got together like this. It was chaos 24/7.”

“We couldn’t agree on anything—except when we opened a bottle of Scotch,” Kellan chimes in. “That’s when peace was always restored.”

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