Page 129 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
"That's your only requirement?" Adam snorted. "I guess that makes it easy."
"Yeah, maybe too easy." I leaned back and let out a long sigh.
"You really don't think Keira is a good fit? She's so tense and bossy." Parker picked up a fry, took a bite and threw it back in the plate of fries.
Adam pushed the plate away. "There goes that."
I chuckled and glanced toward the bar. "I think the blond might be good for you for a night, but no more than that."
"And Keira?"
He wasn't going to let it go. There was no way in hell Becca was going to be good with him trying to date their newest marketing agent. And not only that, but Keira sure as fuck seemed like a player herself. She'd already made it known as well that she wasn't dating anyone from the office.
I wasn't interested of course, but some of the younger guys Becca had hired over the last year were tripping over themselves trying to get the girl's attention.
As far as I was concerned, Parker needed to steer clear of her.
She wasn't anything but trouble.
CHAPTER 13
REBECCA
"Thanks for letting me come on the trip." Natalie smiled over at me as we stood side by side in the hotel gift shop. The place was beyond magnificent.
"Absolutely. I'm glad we're getting to spend some time together." I pulled a shirt off the rack and held it up to my chest. "What do you think? Looks like Jason, right?"
"Oh yeah. You should get that for him." She pushed through a few more shirts before turning her attention to me. "Do you think everything is going to work out between the two of you?"
I wasn't sure what to say for a few seconds. Did she know something I didn't?
"Why wouldn't it?" My voice was soft, welcoming. The last thing I wanted Jason's little sister to think was that I was attacking her.
"I don't know." She sighed as her eyes moved around my face. "He's just such a good guy and when Mom died, he closed off."
I reached out and touched her shoulder as her eyes filled with tears. "I would never hurt Jason."
She bit her lip and nodded before dropping her chin and pressing her fingers to her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm a bitch. I came on this trip to make sure you weren’t going to be the kind of girl to hurt my brother, but you're not a girl at all."
"No. I'm a woman." I moved toward her and pulled her into a hug, letting go of my need to protect myself and reacting with a warmth I'd almost forgotten I had inside of me. Protecting myself for so long left me cold and unyielding. Jason had changed that. "A woman that loves your brother with all my heart."
"I can see that on your face." She moved back and wiped at her eyes. "He was so warm and caring when we were kids, all through school. The kind of guy that would give you his jacket on the coldest of days, or change your tire even if you kicked him in the shin earlier that day."
"Did you kick him in the shin a few times?" I smiled and tried to hold back my own tears. I could see that side of Jason so much in the office and the way he treated me already. Just having him help me through the whole process of building my house, even with my greatest fantasy as the contractor on the project, was more than I could have asked for. He was a good man. No, a great one.
And he was mine. Realization rolled over me. Gratefulness in thick, suffocating waves.
"I did." She sniffled. "I'm just starting to see that side of him again. He was close to our mother."
I reached out and rubbed the top of her arm. "I'm not going to hurt him. I promise."
"Okay. He just loves you a lot." She wrapped her arms around herself.
"I'm so grateful for that." Warmth infused every part of me.
"Hey. You two okay?" Jason's voice was soft. Concerned.
Natalie smiled at me, her back to Jason. "I'll see you in the morning. I'm going to shop a little more. Thanks for the reassurance. I was praying like hell I wasn't going to have to kick you in the shin."
