Page 91 of Nothing to Win
Something so brief, yet it had become integral to her world view.If this was what experience gave her, she wasn’t sure she wanted it.
“Walking away?”he asked.
“Yeah.”
“So don’t.”
And she smiled.“I thought you knew Brogan Spurn.When he says stop, it stops.”The wine was welcome.Yes, wine, more wine.“It just happened faster than I thought.”
“Sunday night, right?”
She could feel heat rise in her cheeks.“Yeah, but I… Tuesday was our date night, we always went to dinner and…”
“And you thought he’d honor it.”
With an exhale, her hand went to her hair.“How did I become this person?”
“Don’t worry,” he said, brushing the back of his finger across her cheek.“That’s what we’re going to figure out.”
“My dad wants me to go to Gault’s with them.I don’t even know the guy.”
“That’s something we can change,” Tripp said.“I know everyone, including Everett Gault.”
“Are you going to the—”
“He called me.”
Course he did.“You’re friends?”
“He’s a good guy,” Tripp said with a semi-shrug.“Kinda.Likes them young, but he isn’t pushy.”
Whatever that meant.
“The Breckenridges want to take over—”
“God, no.My dad wouldn’t answer the phone to Everett Gault, even to prank him.”
She frowned.“I thought Breckenridges loved everyone.”
“My dad’s… got his own rules.”
Breckenridge men were no more straightforward than Brogan Spurn.What was it with them all?Was messing with women really that much fun?
TWENTY-NINE
“I’M SAYING, MAYBE THE SEARS are not here,” Julius said.
Brogan had been distracted all day; there was no denying it.He’d been distracted all week.
“They’re here,” he said, already sick of the ballroom full of people around them.
Traveling south for this performance required by Gault, he intended to ignore Conway and Bram Sear unless absolutely necessary.Withdrawing the flight invitation hadn’t occurred to him.When Jenna came into his office that morning and told him the Sears wouldn’t require their places on his jet, relief visited.
Interesting that the call hadn’t come earlier in the week.Canceling last minute on the Thursday morning was strategic, had to be, or Gia hadn’t told them of their split until now.Could go either way.
“How do you know that?”Julius asked.“We haven’t seen them.”
This night was Gault’s welcome reception for the bidding parties.A choice selection of his employees were present too.Presumably the plan was to foster bonds… or pad numbers.Brogan wasn’t in the mood to foster anything.While he believed networking was an important part of business, he wasn’t up to the task tonight.
