Page 18 of Mr. Almost

I kept them as far away from each other as possible. Did my mother corner her the morning after? Or is it something else?

Pushing off the counter, I leave the break room and run into Olivia. Her skin is pale and shiny like she was just sick.

Shit.

“Are you okay?” I ask quietly.

“I’m fine,” she says as she steps out of my hold, refusing to make eye contact.

“Are you sure?”

She takes a deep breath and licks her bottom lip before meeting my eyes. “I really need this job, Mason. I can’t afford to lose it, so please, just back off.”

“Okay.”

Olivia’s shoulders sag as she nods. “Thanks. Now if you’ll excuse me.”

She brushes past me, and I turn to watch her leave.

I’ll give her space, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop trying to figure out what happened between us. What Olivia doesn’t know is that I love a good mystery, and I can’t stop until I know the full story.

Someone hurt her, and I’m going to find out who, because it sure as hell wasn’t me.

“Hey, nice of you to join us,” Brantley teases as I slide into the seat across from him.

“Yeah, yeah…” I mumble.

“I got you a whiskey, neat,” Eli tells me.

I sigh. “Thanks.”

“Max didn’t come with you?” Brantley asks.

I shake my head and take a drink. “No, according to Iris, he had a revolving door of people today and needed a break. You know how he is.”

The guys nod. It’s no secret that my brother has a low social fuse and that it takes him longer to recover from social interactions than others.

“What were you two talking about?” I ask.

Eli chuckles. “Just Brantley’s latest conquest.”

“Who is it now?” I tease.

Brantley rolls his eyes. “She’s one of my players’ sisters, andbefore you say it, I know not to shit where I eat. I just like flirting with her, is all.”

Brantley owns the professional ice hockey team in town.

“Uh-huh…” Eli and I both say in unison.

Brantley is a notorious flirt and doesn’t take no for an answer. If he wants you, he will wear you down over time until you say yes. I’ve seen him do it time and time again.

“What about you?” he throws back as he takes a drink.

I tense. “What about me?”

“Eli told me you’re still chasing after that employee.” Brantley smirks.

I glare at Eli, who shrugs. “What? You are.”

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