Page 15 of Duty and Desire

“You’re my daughter. Bender and Sons is a family company. I’m not offering you a job as the CEO; I’m telling you that you can still work for the company. Iwantyou to keep working for me.” He shakes his head, his gaze going over my shoulder to the door, and a faraway look fills his eyes. “I know you working for me was never a part of your plan, just like it wasn’t a part of Aiden’s.” His gaze comes back to me. “And I know it makes me a bastard for being happy that life has forced the two of you to come and work for me, but I am happy. So, if you came here today to tell me you’re planning on quitting, I’m telling you that I do not accept your resignation. You’ll get your license, work at one of the housing developments owned by Bender to learn the ropes, and then we’ll go from there.”

“Dad—”

“I love you, Bridgett,” he cuts me off before I can tell him why I don’t think that’s a good idea. “I know I haven’t said that enough, and I know I don’t deserve anything from you, but please give me this.”

The plea in his voice does me in, and I give in with a sigh. “Okay, Dad.”

“Okay.” His fingers squeeze mine. “Now, tell me what’s going on with Conner. Has he signed the papers?” he asks, and I drag in a deep breath, then tell him everything that’s happened, leaving out anything that might cause him stress, including any talk of Mom.

My mother might have wanted me to marry rich and stay that way, regardless of the emotional damage it might cause, but my dad did not, and he made it clear more than once that he did not like Conner. He even tried to talk me out of walking down the aisle on my wedding day, but hope blinded me, and I was convinced my story would be different than his.

I was obviously a fool with blinders on, but at least he’s never said, “I told you so.”

When his nurse comes in with his dinner, I give him a kiss on the cheek and say goodbye to her before leaving and heading home. As I climb into bed, I don’t think about the fact that I agreed to work for my dad, even though I’m not sure it’s something I really want to do because I’m not sure I’ll be able to change how the people working for him feel about me.

Instead, I dwell on my meeting with Noah and overthink every single second of it.

CHAPTER 8

I’VE GOT A ROOM

Noah

Sitting in my squad car with my speed gun aimed up the road, I wait for someone to inevitably drive by going over the speed limit. Some get pissed that we have routine speed checks. But having had to console a woman whose daughter was killed by someone driving recklessly and witnessed firsthand the aftermath of a wreck that could have been avoided…. Yeah, I do not mindone bitthat people get pissed when they’re pulled over for breaking the law.

When a car comes around the bend, I glance down at the numbers that appear on the device, then set it aside and flip on my lights before pulling out behind them. As they start to pull over onto the shoulder of the road, the radio in my car cuts on, and Winnie who works at dispatch asks officers to respond to a fire at the townhomes where Bridgett lives.

With a curse, I speed by the car that has now pulled over and head into town, trying not to think about why the fuck a ball of some emotion I’m not ready to recognize is sitting heavy in mygut. When I arrive at the complex, the fire trucks are already set up in the lot, along with an ambulance and two other cruisers.

I notice right away they’re focused on the building Bridgett’s unit is in, but I don’t see any flames coming from the structure, which connects three separate townhomes. There’s only a plume of black smoke rising above the building, where they are aiming the water. I park at the curb and get out, doing a scan of the lot for Bridgett’s car, but I don’t find it in her designated parking space.

With it being after four in the evening on a Tuesday, its absence brings me some relief because it’s likely she’s not home right now and instead at work.

“Have you guys cleared Unit B?” I ask as I walk past the fire chief and the other officers gathered on the sidewalk.

“The building has been cleared,” David, who’s been the fire chief in town for the last year, shouts at my back. I still head for her doorway to check for myself. I knock and wait, then pound again. When I get no response, I head to the group of men gathered out front.

“You know someone who lives here?” David asks, and I jerk up my chin.

“My best friend’s sister has been staying at his place.” I look over at the ambulance and notice they have an older woman on a stretcher. “What happened?”

“Kitchen fire. The woman who lives in Unit A had a pan on the stove, and it caught on fire when she forgot about it and went to bed. She phoned in the fire when she noticed smoke filling her place. We were able to put it out, but…but there’s currently a hole in the wall that gives a nice view into the unit next door, along with damage to the roof between the two homes.” He glances at the building. “The building and units A through D will be uninhabitable for at least a couple of weeks. If you have your friend’s number, you should let them know.”

“Fuck.” I jerk my cell out of my pocket and step away from the group as I dial Aiden. When he doesn’t answer, I hang up and tap my cell against my thigh. I should have gotten Bridgett’s number from her the first time I saw her. And I definitely should have gotten it when she shocked the shit out of me and showed up at my job with cookies.

Cookies that were so good I would have sworn she bought them if she hadn’t been so adorable when talking about the kind of fucking chocolate chips she used.

Knowing I can’t do anything right now but wait for her to show up, I get to work gathering the information I’ll need to give to the families displaced by the fire.

At ten to six, when I watch Bridgett pull into the complex’s parking lot, I get out of my car. With the lot now empty of all emergency personnel, she’ll have no idea what took place today until she sees the yellow tape on her brother’s front door. As she exits her car, I walk up behind her and try not to acknowledge how beautiful she looks with her hair up in a bun, and her fancy-ass clothes and shoes on.

“Bridgett,” I call out. She spins around as a squeak of surprise escapes her lips currently painted a pretty burgundy color.

“Oh, you scared me.” Her eyes move over my uniform. “What are you doing here? Are Aiden and May okay?”

“They’re both fine—or I think they are. I haven’t been able to get in touch with your brother all evening.”

“I think he’s been in meetings all day.” She shakes her head as she pulls her handbag up over her shoulder. “Is everything okay?”