Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72027 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72027 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
I stand up to greet them, but Miles’ demeanor tells me this might not be the friendliest hello. My sweet girl looks about ready to cry and I fight taking her into my arms. Instead, I decide to try to save the dinner.
“Hello.” I reach my hand out to Miles like it’s a peace pipe. “Barclay Hammond.”
“Miles Holly,” he says, shaking my hand with a grip so tight it hurts. Point made, good sir.
“Miles, behave,” Tessa whispers under her breath. “Barclay, this is Maggie, my bestie.”
Maggie’s jaw is somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere, and I have to smile. “Hi … um, wow!” she mutters.
“Great to finally meet you, Maggie.” I reach to shake her hand, but she’s frozen in place.
“You’re … uh, so much better looking in person. I mean, you’re super hot in all the internet photos. But wow. ” She fumbles with her words, and Tessa laughs. Even Miles’ frown has slipped into a straight line.
“Maggie, don’t you have to run out and get something from the store?” Tessa looks like she has a nervous tick in her eye.
“Oh, yeah,” she says, hitting her forehead. “I forgot. Hope to see you soon, Barclay. You wouldn’t happen to have any hidden brothers or friends I could meet?”
“Bye, Maggie,” Tessa says in a motherly tone, gently placing a hand on Maggie’s back to move her along.
“Man, Tessa, you’re one lucky bitch,” Maggie whispers loud enough for me to hear.
“Imagine driving with her for two days.” Miles rolls his eyes, and a side of his mouth tips up.
“She seems lively.” I chuckle, and he nods. It’s our first breakthrough, and I’ll take anything at this point.
After Maggie leaves, Tessa sits in the chair next to me, and her brother takes one on the other side of the table, directly across from me. I’m not sure how we’re going to stuff our long legs under the table, but it’s clear he wants to access me, face to face.
I decided to be less formal tonight and dumped the monkey suit and tie, choosing to wear a fitted black V-neck T-shirt and dark jeans. Miles has on identical clothes. Aside from our opposite hair colors, we resemble six-foot-three bookends.
“I’m sorry for the tension, but I ambushed Miles,” Tessa confesses, and Miles crosses his arms over his chest. “He didn’t know you’d be here, eating with us.”
“I hate surprises,” he huffs.
Jeffrey’s waiting a few feet from the table with the bottle of champagne. Figuring this is as good a time as any, I nod my head at him. He opens the bottle and has me try the first taste, then pours three glasses of bubbly.
I lift my glass. Tessa and Miles follow. “Cheers.” We tap our glasses and sip on the liquid. Miles raises his brow in a sign of approval.
“Not bad,” he says.
I want to tell him the bottle costs over five hundred dollars, so not bad isn’t what I was aiming for, but I keep my cool and smile along.
“I hope you don’t mind, but the chef is preparing something special for us,” I tell them. “Filet mignon, corn crème brûlée, and asparagus.”
“Sounds delicious,” Tessa says. “Right, Miles?”
“Actually, it does.” He rubs his toned stomach. “I’ve been eating fast food for two days on the road up here.”
“I’m going to leave you boys alone to talk for a few minutes,” Tessa says, getting up from the table, and I want to pull her back down into her seat. Her abandoning me wasn’t in our plans. “I’ll go chat with Michael at the bar.” She grabs her flute and is off.
Miles stares at me, and I stare right back. Finally, he laughs, and I wonder what he’s found so funny.
“You’re nothing like I thought you’d be,” Miles says, and I wait to hear if that’s good or bad. “I’ve been walking around this hotel all afternoon, looking for one person to rat you out as a rich playboy. Funny thing is, they all seem to genuinely like you.”
“That’s good to hear.” I exhale and lower my shoulders.
“They tell me the turnover rate is low. The pay rivals high-end hotels, and the benefits are unbeatable in the service industry.”
“It’s true. Just like you, I’m trying to follow in my father’s footsteps, both here and at Hammond Press. Keep his legacy alive.”
“Well, there you go and make me like you, too,” Miles genuinely smiles at me for the first time. He eyes me for a minute, but I know he has something else to say. “I want to tell you a story, okay?”
“I’m game,” I answer, having no clue what to expect.
“When I was seven years old, my mother brought Tessa home from the hospital. I’d never seen anything so small in my life. I was a big kid for my age, I bet you can understand.” I nod, knowing how it was to always be the tallest in my class. “She was this delicate little bundle with blonde ringlets all dressed in pink. I knew she was special and made a vow beside her crib to be the best big brother on God’s green earth.”