Brooke on the other hand was bitter...at the whole world, generally. She should be happy. She deserved to be happy, but somehow fate didn’t agree with her. Because she was developing feelings for a person she could never have. She was sick of feeling so lonely and seeing how angry and snappy she had become, Beth, Steve, and Alaina had taken him to the bar, hoping to help him out of his misery.
Two glasses of whisky and Brooke told them everything about what happened with Nathan.
“So, Bradford hired me.” Brooke slurred.
“Yeah we know. You’ve told us at least ten times.” Beth cackled.
“But I didn’t want him to…” Brooke whined.<
“Good morning, people,” Brooke said as she approached the men.“Good morning, Brooke,” Both men said in unison.“Well, are you ready with the plans?” Nathan asked, enjoying the blush that painted Brooke’s skin when he looked at her.“Yeah, I’m ready...I mean, the plans are ready, if you want to look at them…” Brooke was speaking, carrying three charts with her in an attache, trying her best not to think too much about the half-naked man standing in front of him.“Them? As in more than one?” Gavin asked.“Yeah. Usually, we present the client with multiple s
From then on, Brooke worked with her crew tirelessly to bring the mansion of her dreams to life. Occasionally ( which was almost daily) Nathan visited the site or her office, wherever Brooke was working that day, claiming to track the progress. It was one such afternoon when Brooke was working in her office and Nathan walked in.“Burning the midnight oil, I see.” Nathan teased, looking at the scene in front of him. Brooke was going through some papers. Wait, that was an understatement. Brooke was immersed with piles of papers overflowing around her office cabin. She was concentrating on something that she was reading, an adorable expression on her face, with her tongue poking out a little, eyebrows furrowed.“Oh, hey,” She looked up a little apologetically. “I’m so sorry for the mess around h
The week went by and their bond was slowly strengthening. They didn’t necessarily meet everyday, their schedules didn’t allow them to. Although their encounters were frequent enough for anyone to think that they did meet everyday after all. Brooke was at the grocery store, buying stuff when she crashed into Nathan. She was just walking towards the check out counter when she bumped into him. “I didn't know even billionaires have to buy their grocery themselves.” She teased. “Hey,”Nathan greeted her, a blinding smile on his face that had Brooke melting a bit. Those dimples were going to be the death of her. “As embarrassing as it is to admit it, its the truth. My mother is one who took care of the groceries back home.”
Brooke locked herself in her apartment for the rest of the day. She was really scared of what Greg might do if he saw her again. She wouldn’t put it past him if he attempted to assault her again. Plus, it made her worry about Nathan and how Greg could damage her friendship. Just thinking about that made her nervous. Her hands were sweaty and her breathing was too fast for her liking. She knew he was in panic. She needed to think about what her next step should be. She thought about all possible scenarios and the one that best suited her situation was coming clean with Nathan, before Greg had a chance to ruin anything. She needed Nathan to believe her otherwise, if Greg persuaded Nathan to believe his falsehood, then she could lose not only the friendship but also the contract that she’d signed with Nathan’s company. She couldn’t afford to lose that contract. She was pacing in her living room, trying to figure out the mess she had landed into when ther
Now that she heard it, Brooke remembered that particular day in Hawaii. It was her cousin’s wedding and her entire family had flown to Hawaii for a weekend celebration. Her relationship with Greg was still new and she wasn’t ready to take the next step and introduce him to her family just yet, not unless they were on a strong footing. Greg had offered to accompany her as her date when he had told him that she was going to Hawaii, but she had told him she wasn’t ready yet. She remembered there was a flash of displeasure on face for a second before it was gone. He was quite understanding then, at least he pretended to be. Then came the weekend and Brooke was enjoying the trip with all her cousins and family when Greg had made a dramatic entry at the wedding venue, claiming he loved her and missed her so much that he just couldn't stay away from her. At that point of time, Brooke had thought that gesture was incredibly romantic but now as she reflected o
Early morning the next day, Brooke went through her morning routine and went for her morning walk near the lakefront. She secretly hoped that she could bump into Nathan. After her encounter with Greg had left her terrified. The talk she had with Beth and Steve definitely helped calm down her nerves. But meeting Nathan would definitely help her relax more. She had to admit that whenever she was near him or spent time with him, it always uplifted her mood. No matter where she was or what she was or what she was doing, just getting a glimpse of the man was enough for her to forget about all her worries. Nathan had that effect on her. She just wished that one day Nathan would declare that he was magically single and ready to mingle again. She sighed sadly, knowing that there was a possibility that Nathan’s relationship with his girlfriend was pretty serious because why else would he buy a house for her? She just wished someone would do that fo
Brooke went home and hurried her way through shower and breakfast. She got dressed in a royal blue short sleeved shirt and a white embroidered long skirt, her blue stilettos complimenting her outfit. She made a quick work of her hair in a french knot hairdo and applied just a little bit of make-up. Once she was ready, she drove towards the brewery. She parked her car on the parking block and walked towards the brewery, where Nathan was already there to greet her.“Welcome to the Texas branch of Short Stack Brewing Company.” Nathan greeted her once Brooke approached him. She was looking elegant in her simple dress.Thanks.” Brooke smiled at him. “You didn’t have to stand here for me, you know.”“Well, of course I did. I&rs
Every time, then onwards Nathan visited her, he brought various flavors of beers that Short Stack Brewing Company was currently trying to blend. He would ask if Brooke liked a particular flavor or not. Brooke found it adorable when Nathan went on and on about what ingredients went into brewing a particular flavor, etc. Brooke loved to listen to Nathan talk so passionately about his business. They even had lunch together with Nathan bringing some extra sandwiches or soups that he could share with her. He would invite Brooke back to his office some days, but she always politely declined. They already spent too much time together, enough to raise some eyebrows. She didn’t want to be the topic of gossip all over the town once again. A few months passed and Brooke hadn’t yet received the next installment of raw material. The transport was held back because of a landslide on the route and there was some delay expected. She called Nathan’s office to let him know but he wasn’t there. She call