Page 23 of The Forbidden Sitter
“Morning,” I said with a smile, loving the sight of father and son interacting so naturally. “Hi, Brai. Did you sleepokay?”
I’d been talking to Braiden, not that he would answer, but Gannon took the question as meant for him. “Well, not that great actually.” I turned to find him taking his seat again then pinching the bridge of his nose in what seemed like aggravation. That was when I noticed the dark circles under hiseyes.
Taking a bottle of water out of the fridge, I saw that Consuela was making pancakes. “Yummy. Do you mind making me a couple of thosetoo?”
“Of course not,” she replied as she smiled at me. “And for the baby thismorning?”
“Oh, I think we should stick to fresh fruit and some oatmeal for him.” I went to the cabinet and pulled out one of his sippy cups, filling it with milk before I satdown.
Handing the cup of milk to Braiden, I took a seat across from Gannon. I wasn’t sure how to approach the subject of why he’d not slept well. There was something bothering him, that was easy to see. “So, baddream?”
“Hmm?” He looked at me. “Oh. You mean why I didn’t sleep well, don’tyou?”
“Yes.” I took a drink of the water as I waited and tried not to think about how handsome he looked in the long sleeved pale blue button up and the black slacks that fit him much too perfectly. Or the way his hair was slightly disheveled. I knew he’d been running his hand through it. He did that a lot when he wasthinking.
“I got a phone call not long after we parted ways in the hall. Just after I was done with my shower, my cell rang. It was one of my business partners, telling me that we had an incident at the club we’re building. Someone tried to blow the place up, it seems. It has me wondering who would do that to us.” One wrinkle furrowed just above his darkbrows.
One chunk of hair was out of place, and I reached across the small table and ran my hand through it to fix it. “No wonder you’re sostressed.”
His eyes widened as I sat back, and he looked at my hand. Suddenly, I thought my action might have been unwanted. But before I could apologize, he said, “Thanks. I’ve been shoving my hands through my hair allmorning.”
Happy I hadn’t offended him, I smiled. “Only one chunk was out of place.” I turned to Braiden and ran my hand through his own dark hair. “I’m kind of OCD about keeping my men looking their best.” Then I bit my lower lip as that Freudian slip came out all on its own. “I didn’tmean…”
His deep voice broke in, “It’s okay, Brooke. I know what you mean. You feel like I need a bit of looking after like my son does. Thanks for that. You’re a realangel.”
Consuela placed our plates in front of us and the bowl of oatmeal with fresh strawberries next to my plate. “Enjoy, youthree.”
“Thank you,” Gannon and I said at the same time. Our eyes met as we both found ourselvessmiling.
“So was there much damage to your club?” I asked, breaking the suddenly sizzling tension betweenus.
“Only one bar will need to be replaced. So not too much. It won’t set us back by much, maybe a day or two.” He poured himself some juice out of the carafe that was on the table, filling his small juice glass up, then he did the same for mine. “What really concerns me is who would want to hurt us like that. We’re very good to our crew. And it had to be one of them who planted the device. I’m just thankful it didn’t work the way they undoubtedly wanted itto.”
“So this club.” I stabbed a forkful of pancakes. “What kind of club is it going tobe?”
His face lit up as he explained it to me. “It’s going to be a nightclub for the ultra-rich. I know that might sound egotistical toyou.”
“Not at all. Why not cater to people like yourself? Who better to do that than people who know what wealthy people want?” I took a sip of the apple juice as I watched a smile curl his chiseledlips.
“That’s a progressive way of thinking, Brooke. I’m glad you don’t find the idea shallow and selfish.” He watched me set my glass down then his eyes moved back to mine. “You know, you could have your twenty-first birthday party there if we’re open bythen.”
My eyes grew wide; I could feel them doing it. “I’m not rich! I don’t belong in a place like that. And besides that, my birthday is right around the corner. It falls on Thanksgiving this year. And that means my family throws one big party that lasts a couple of nights as lots of family comes in for the holiday and mybirthday.”
“Yeah, it won’t be open by then. But as soon as it does open, I want you to be my guest of honor.” His eyes shone brightly as he offered me what sounded a lot like adate.
“You sure, boss?” I smiled at him then gave Braiden another bite ofoatmeal.
“Don’t call me that.” His hand moved over mine as I’d left it on the table. “Aren’t we more than just boss and employee, Brooke? Aren’t we friends more so than anythingelse?”
He was my big brother’s best friend. And he and I had something a lot different than a working relationship. And I had fantasized about the man just the night before. I was treading on dangerous ground. But I wasn’t about to leave the man hanging. “I guess we are more likefriends.”
“Good, then you’ll agree to be my guest of honor for the opening of the club. That’s settled.” He patted my hand then went back to eating his breakfast. “You’ll be my date for thatnight.”
Date?
Oh,hell!
I tried not to let it show just how much that affected me. And I tried to ignore it as I thought about the holiday that was coming up. “You know, Gannon, you and Braiden will be here all alone for Thanksgiving. Why not come with me to my family’s home in Napa Valley? Brad will be there. I’ll let you and Braiden sleep in my bedroom. I can bunk with my sister,Brianna.”
