Page 2 of The Other Side
“You living out of your car now, or was it a wild night?” he chirps.
Assuming he’s referring to my sock-clad foot planted on the blacktop, I smirk. “My night was eventful. Not sure I’d classify it as wild,” I reply, shifting to slip my other boot on. “Got a text from Jared on the way here. We have a last-minute site visit to conduct today.”
“Where?”
I grab my backpack from the seat before straightening to meet his chestnut eyes. “A restaurant under construction in Bohemia.” My hand slaps the truck door closed. “The owner’s been riding my ass non-stop.”
“Have you met a client of ours who wasn’t a dick in some capacity?” Bryan asks.
I whip my attention to him as we walk side by side. Shining a tight-lipped smile, my head wags. “I’m just a glutton for punishment.”
Bryan expels a chuckle before we travel the concrete walkway lined with shrubs. “That, or this architecture firm just really needs you.”
Sunlight bounces off the glass of the large windows bordering the entrance. My palm curls around the metal handle of one of the double doors, swinging it open to let Bryan through first.
“Yeah, let’s go with that,” I say, slipping inside the building behind him.
We journey through the lobby and up to our company floor. The staggered glass partitions instantly greet me, murmured conversations floating about.
“Hey, gentlemen!”
I veer my attention to the right. Behind the tall glass of her office, Debra’s waving from her leather computer chair.
“Good morning, Debra,” I greet, raising one hand.
“Brant?” she drags out.
There’s a dramatic inflection in her tone. I don’t miss the way her chin slightly dips, or the way her blue eyes pop over the oval frames of her glasses.
I know that tone and look.
I lift a finger to my ear. “I got this wild ear infection last night out of nowhere, so it’s really tough for me to take orders. Imagine how hard it would be for me to follow through with them, so…” My teeth grind together as I shrug a shoulder. “Yeah, that’s a—”
Her mouth dips in the corners, her eyes pleading with me.
My arm finally drops at my side, and I toss a smirk. Both of us know I’m willing to commit to anything she asks. I’d like to consider myself an overachiever, but moreover, she’s the business manager of Nexis. I don’t have much of a choice.
Or a choice at all.
So, here I am…walking toward her with piqued interest.
My palm wraps around the strap of my backpack while the other digs into my jeans pocket. I eventually cross the threshold of her office as I tease her. “It should be illegal for you to come at me like this on a Friday morning. But hey, if you’ve accepted who you are,” I sigh, idling in front of her desk, “then I guess I have as well.”
She props her elbows on the desk, interlocking her fingers under her chin. Her expression is unamused, and I drop my shoulders as I flip a palm out.
“Shoot,” I offer.
“Can you please contact Mr. Patel and follow up about his monthly payment that’s overdue?”
I wince as I chuck my head to the side. “Bryan is such a slick bastard,” I scoff, returning my attention to her with raised brows. “He always waits to greet you until after I do.” My index finger pokes in Debra’s direction. “You know he always primes me in the parking lot, right? Before stepping in here. Makes small talk with me to throw my focus off, just so I’ll respond to you first.” My eyes pinch as I rotate my head to look out the glass walls of the office. “I knew he didn’t give a shit about my night.”
“And yet, you fell for it again,” Debra acknowledges flatly.
I gently nod as I mutter. “I fuckin’ fell for it again.”
She tilts her head with a smile, her feathered locks whisking with the movement. “I’ll buy you a drink at our next happy hour.” Then she straightens in her seat, sympathy flooding her eyes. “For the phone call to Patel, but more importantly, your disturbing lack of wits around Bryan.”
“Debra,” I say, leaning my palm on the chair in front of her desk. “When was the last time we had a happy hour? If you can recall the exact date and time, I’ll pay for everyone’s drinks.”
