Page 19 of The Holidays with Dr. Mitchell
“Sit tight while I pull up the resort and destination that I surprised Spence with a year ago. This is going to perkLady Ashleyright up, sweetheart.”
CHAPTER 10
Jake
The past week at work went exceptionally well, and I was proud of myself for not bringing it home and dragging it through the front door to my family. My awesome ass even brought dinner home twice this week after I managed to get out of the office only one hour late instead of my usual three.
I was doing a fantastic job and making monumental efforts to make up for missing my son’s band recital and then falling asleep on Ash while she told me about it.
“Monumental efforts, huh?” my brother’s humored voice rang through my ears while I continued to chew on the steak I’d just taken a bite of.
“You heard me,” I said. “After missing John’s big night, I’ve had my family-man mode cranked up. I put more effort into getting out of the office early and bringing home dinner not once,” I held up a finger and eyed him and the men at our secluded table with a cocky smile, “but twice.”
“Here! Here!” Spencer, my brother’s VP, said in a smart-ass tone. “To leaving work onlyonehour after closing time instead of three to five hours after that.”
Collin smirked at me. “That’s all fine and well, but you fell asleep on Ash while she was telling you about John’s big night. Dipfucker move, man,” he said.
I placed my steak knife and fork on each side of my plate and faced Collin’s smile. I eyed my brother’s best friend, Alex, who had a shit-eating grin, too, “That was supposed to be between me and you,” I said to Collin. “But since we have the whole fucking gang sitting here with their self-righteous moods, they all know too.”
“Hey, I’m just taking lessons on how not to fuck shit up again with Darcy,” Sebastian Aster said.
I smiled at my screwed-in-love friend, “You know, when I first met you Asters, I thought you all were a bunch of fucked-up East Coast billionaire dicks.”
Sebastian and his brother, John, grinned at each other, knowing I was correct in that assessment.
“You would be one hundred percent on that,” John Aster confirmed. “However, we’re not as stupid as we look, and now look at you. Youloveus.”
“Careful with that. He’s all mine, bitch,” Collin teased.
“What’s going on with you and Darcy anyway?” I decided to pry into Sebastian and Darcy’s situation, getting the spotlight off me.
In the company of these CEOs and doctors, who survived on giving each other shit at these dinners a couple of times a month, you didn’t want the target on your back.
“Darcy has agreed to move from Mexico,” Sebastian said with ajust-fucked my girlsmile.
“No shit?” Jim said, sipping his bourbon. “What did you say to get her to jump finally?”
“Nothing. We’ve just been dating and taking it slow, and unlike Jakey here,” he smirked at me, “I’m ensuring I give her more time than my job. It’s helping the relationship flourish.”
“The fuck?” I said with annoyance.
“And the troubled marriage case is back on the table,” Alex said with a chuckle while Spencer smirked at him, making me wonder if they knew something I didn’t.
“The troubled marriage case?” I said, looking at Collin for help. “Where the fuck is Brandt tonight, anyway? Last time we all sat around this damned round table, his ass was the one in trouble with the lady.”
“Dipshit is proposing to Jessa,” Collin said. “Finally took my advice and stopped fucking around. Well, not proposing, but getting the whole venue, ring, and pomp and circumstance together to make it happen.”
“Well, it’s easy to say he’s doing better than us then,” I answered.
“Speak for yourself,” Jim said with the same grin I’d seen him, Sebastian, Spencer, and Alex trading back and forth with each other all fucking night. “My wife is extremely content with our marriage.”
“What the hell is going on here?” I questioned, feeling an ambush coming on.
“We’re eating dinner,” Sebastian said.
“No,” Collin finally stepped up after realizing something fishy was happening. “Jake’s right. You’re all making too much of an issue about Jake and Ash for the information he’s given you.”
“Thanks, man,” I said, knowing Collin would always be my ride or die.
