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Chapter Twelve

T ate

“That’s a no.”

I deny Gannon’s call and pull out of my neighborhood.

The Monday morning sun is bright and warm. It should be enough to lift my spirits. Even if I wake up in a bad mood, the sun has a way of straightening me out before I get to the office.

Usually.

I have a feeling that won’t work today.

Gannon calls again. I deny him for a second time.

I kept my eyes open for Kelly all day on Saturday. That night, I sat at the bar in Ruma for far too long in hopes that she’d come down for dinner. I watched for her at the airport on Sunday and spent my time sitting in the traveler’s lounge searching for her online.

Social media platforms. Search engines. I looked everywhere I could think of … and came up empty-handed.

The only Kelly Kapowski who came up for me was a fictional character.

Another call from my eldest brother. I send him to voicemail just as fast as I did the first two times.

This thing with Kelly is bizarre. I don’t understand it. She wrote call me on the note she left behind. But how do I call her with no number?

It must be an unfortunate omission or misunderstanding. That’s all. Or maybe her name is Kellyanne or Keely, and everyone calls her Kelly.

Yeah. It has to be something like that. What else could it be?

If I were a lesser man, I might entertain the idea that the name was made up so that I couldn’t find her. If I were anyone else—Gannon, for example—I’d expect that she probably played me or used me for my dick. Guys like that get taken advantage of all the time.

But I’m me. That’s not the case. I’m a catch.

I downshift and slide into the middle lane to pass a car piddling around in the fast lane.

My phone rings yet again, and I start to decline it. But just before I do, I notice the number is Carys’s and not Gannon’s.

My stomach tenses. What if something’s wrong? What if something happened to Ivy?

Shit.

“Hey,” I say, my brows pulled together.

“Answer your fucking phone,” my brother says.

Asshole.

“I called you three times,” he says.

“And I sent you to voicemail three times. It would’ve been four had I realized this was you, too.”

He groans. “Why are you acting like a child?”

“I’m not. I’m acting like a man who doesn’t want to hear your bullshit before I’ve had lunch.” I get back into the fast lane. “Actually, I don’t want to hear your bullshit at any point today. Let me stand corrected.”

“You don’t want to hear my bullshit? Aw. Is Tate feeling like a big boy today?”

“Fuck off.”

Gannon chuckles. “Don’t be pissed at me because you got played this weekend.”

I should’ve just turned my phone off this morning.

I re-grip the steering wheel and squeeze, counting to ten before I say a bunch of shit I don’t mean. Sure, Gannon is being a dick, but he’s also messing with me because that’s what brothers do. At least we have a relationship these days where he feels comfortable enough to joke around with me.

That wasn’t always the case.

Under normal circumstances, I’d crack a joke or make fun of him, but I’m a little on edge today. I’d probably push it too far.

“I’m assuming you want something since you called a million times,” I say, zipping past a line of cars.

“I need a favor.”

“Awesome. Call someone who cares.”

“Cut the shit, Tate. Carys woke up sicker than hell, and Ivy has a fever this morning, too. I’m staying home to take care of my girls.”

Oh no. “Are they okay? Do you guys need anything?”

“I have a call into the doctor’s office now. I suspect it’s a virus, but I’m having someone come by the house to check it out. Can’t risk it.”

He takes a deep breath that raises my hackles.

Gannon doesn’t ask too much from me on a personal level. Ripley calls with favors. Renn calls with manipulations. Come over for dinner, and let’s build this coffee table while you’re here. Jason doesn’t ask for jack shit.

I give Gannon a ton of hell for “making me” travel for work.

While I do hate it and want to segue into a different position, he’s not punishing me or giving me the short end of the stick.

Schmoozing people is what I’m good at. It’s a space where I’ve been valuable to the family business.

But the truth of the matter is that Gannon is fair and an excellent leader at Brewer Group.

Under his leadership, we’ll soar heads and tails higher than our father would’ve ever managed.

But he never asks for help on a personal level.

If he’s requesting my assistance as his brother—if it’s to benefit his wife and baby girl, I’m in. And the bastard knows it.

“What do you need from me?” I ask, rolling my eyes.

“I need you to sit in on a meeting at the Raptors offices.”

That’s the last place I want to be. I groan.

“Look, I’m not any happier about this than you are,” he says. “But that doesn’t change the fact that the Raptors administration is in limbo once again, and someone from our family needs to be there as a show of support. As a sign of strength and continuity.”

“Is McCabe coming back?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. I’m looking for an interim marketing director until he does, or we find someone to replace him.”

I blow out a breath, turn on my signal, and cut across two lanes of traffic to hit the exit for the hockey offices.

“What time is this meeting?” I ask, resolved to my fate.

“It’s at ten.”

I glance at the clock. “You mean in twenty minutes?”

“Yeah, I know it’s inconvenient. I thought it was at one. I fucked up.”

Nice of you to admit that. “You’re lucky I’m close. I had two virtual meetings this morning from home, and was on my way to the office, so the Raptors office is close by.”

“I appreciate this. And, so you know, I told human resources to start looking for someone to take a load off your plate.”

I flinch, and my tires hit the rumble strips on the right side of the road.

“What’s that sound?” Gannon asks.

“I almost wrecked. Did you say you’re going to hire someone to help me? For real?”

He sighs dramatically. “I have to do something. You won’t stop complaining.”

“Do you have a fever, too?”

“I could change my mind, you know.”

“Let’s not make any rash decisions,” I say, pulling into the Raptors parking lot. I find the spot with a sign reading Brewer and park my Mercedes SL600. “I’m here. Anything I should know about this?”

I cut the engine, grab my keys, and climb out of the car. The lights flash as I lock it behind me.

“Not really,” he says. “You’re just there to show we’re involved in the business. We’ve been making great headway, and McCabe assured me that he’s met with his assistant and ensured she’s up to date with his plans. We just need a Brewer representative in a chair.”

I buzz myself in and nod at the security guard on my way to the elevator bank.

“I still think we try to sell this team,” I say softly, stepping into an empty elevator car to whisk me to the top floor.

“That would be amazing, but we can’t sell it as it stands. The revenue is shit. The forecast is dismal. And I refuse to take a loss on it. It would be like Dad got us one last time.”

I bite my tongue.

The topic of our father is much more sensitive with Gannon than it is with me.

As the oldest son, Gannon’s relationship with Dad was arguably the most complicated.

He was beyond devastated when Dad showed his true colors and has had the hardest time accepting it, I think.

But we’ve all dealt with it in our own way.

I, for one, always thought he was an arrogant son of a bitch, and whether it’s the correct response or not, I frankly enjoy the thought of him sitting behind bars for the rest of his life while we’re on the outside living ours.

My only regret is that Renn’s wife, Blakely, and Bianca had to shoulder their unfair share of his insanity. I could strangle him with my bare hands for that.

“I get it,” I say instead, stepping out onto the executive level. “We’ll get this turned around. But I need to go figure out where this meeting is being held. I’ll keep you posted.”

“Thanks, Tate.”

“You’re welcome. Tell Carys that I hope she feels better. Give Ivy kisses from her favorite uncle.”

“Done. I told her this morning that her favorite uncle Ripley was worried.”

I gasp. “Look, there are lines that shouldn’t be crossed …”

He chuckles. “Bye.”

“Goodbye,” I say, grinning as I end the call.

I slide my phone into my pocket and pause at the reception desk to say hello. The pretty redhead who must be new to the facility directs me to the conference room in question, and I make my way down the corridor.

Thanks to Carys’s incessant chatter about plants and the way she leaves little potted ones in every space she touches, I notice that a few green things might brighten the place. It’s very dull and cold here. Or maybe that’s on brand for hockey. What the hell do I know?

My footsteps slow, and a smile curls my lips.

Kelly loves design. What would she do with this?

I sigh, frustration licking at my nerves. I have to stop thinking about her—at least while I’m working. I keep thinking she’ll fade from my memory. But it’s been days since I saw her, and she still takes up most of the real estate in my brain.

I wish I could figure out why.

Sure, I’m wildly attracted to her in every way.

Her brain, body, and intelligence are the ultimate package.

It probably doesn’t hurt that she left without saying goodbye.

That leaves me with no closure. I’ve used that trick on women a time or two.

It keeps them wanting more. But it’s more than that. Dare I say it’s deeper?

It sounds crazy to think I’m this into a woman I’ve spent one night with, but I can’t get her out of my head.

“Mr. Brewer, hi. Good morning,” Daniel Garrey says as he exits his office. He extends his hand, and we shake as we make our way down the hall. “It’s good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too, Dan. How are things?”