Page 73 of The Best I Never Had

“Just so you know,” I say quietly, “in my head, I’m kissing you goodnight right now.”

His head drops forward, shielding his smile for a second before he looks back up at me. “Six days.”

The heat and promise in those two words send a shiver down my spine. “Six days,” I say back, and my eyes follow him as he leaves, giving me one last smile over his shoulder.

It’s only three hours before Camila returns, rested and pumped with enough drugs to keep her from vomiting for the rest of the night. She demands she repay me with a drink, and the two of us sit on stools behind the hostess stand, whiskey in my hand and water in hers. We chat about her plans for the restaurant and ways to build community, things I’ve seen be successful at Cibare and other ideas that we all thought would work that fell flat.

The rest of the night flies by. And when I lie in bed that night, I can’t help thinking about how much I loved the work at Cibare, even if Gordon was the worst, and how—maybe—if I can grovel in just the right way, I can get my home back.

Chapter 22

OWEN

Another night of dreams filled with Thea. Her touch and laugh and smile. I don’t know how I’m going to make it through five more days of this torture.

I have a flight booked for Sunday night after Harrison and Addy’s goodbye brunch, but I’m hoping Thea will let me join her drive home instead. Normally I’d avoid that drive at all costs, but time with Thea sounds incredible. Hours of talking, learning more about her. Us taking turns behind the wheel, never letting go of each other’s hands.

A hand clamps over my shoulder, jolting me from my daydream.

“A bit distracted there, big brother?” Harrison asks, his dimpled smile stretching across his face. “I called your name three times.”

“Sorry,” I say, scratching at the back of my neck.

“Thinking about a certain future sister-in-law of mine?” His brows bounce, and I shake my head at him. “Oh, come on. You still have feelings for her.”

“We’re just friends now.”

Only five more days of lying.

“Yeah, you saying my bride-to-be is afraid you’ll want to kiss her sister again screams ‘just friends.’”

I shove him but can’t hold in my laugh. “You’re the worst.”

I turn to leave, but he grabs my arm. “Do you have a minute? I wanted to talk to you about the stuff I mentioned a couple days ago.”

Right. The business stuff. My head aches at the thought of the work this is going to create, but I can’t keep putting it off.

“Sure,” I say, “but we need to be quick. I’m supposed to meet Thea in the kitchen soon.”

I’ve mapped out what we’ll need to do to give Harrison and Addy the wedding cake they deserve. We’ll bake the cakes and make the buttercream today. Tomorrow, we’ll level, torte, and crumb-coat the cakes. I smile at the thought of Thea, her curls piled on her head and her tongue peeking out between her lips as she saws the cake leveler back and forth. Friday, while Thea’s doing stuff with Addy, I’ll add another coat of buttercream, getting that perfect texture. Then Saturday morning, I’ll sneak Thea out of the bridal suite to help me stack and decorate the cakes. Maybe I’ll even have time to sneak in a few kisses.

I follow Harrison into Camila’s office, my muscles tensed. I wonder which department he’ll want to move to now. Eventually, he’s going to run out. And when he does, will he leave Hayes completely? The thought makes me sick.

Harrison releases a breath as he sits behind Camila’s desk, then lifts his eyes to me. “I want to take on more of a leadership role at Hayes.”

My mouth falls open. Not where I thought he was going with this. “What?”

At my surprise, Harrison straightens his posture, the muscles in his neck tightening. “Addy and I are building a life together, and I want to provide her with the stability she’s always wanted. I’ve been at the company for three years now, and you became president after only one year. I’m not saying I want to be co-president or anything—I’m not trying to step on your toes—but I think I deserve a bigger role.”

I open and close my mouth a few times before I can find my words. “Yeah, I took the president role after a year, but I also worked there after school every day from fifteen on.”

His jaw ticks. “I’m learning, and I don’t think it’s fair to punish me because you and Mom never cared enough about my future with the company to let me work there in high school.”

To let him work? My hackles rise, but then a memory sneaks up on me. Harrison, sixteen with braces and a face full of acne, asking if he could work at Hayes. Twenty-four-year-old me, newly made president and so overwhelmed I could barely breathe, telling him to enjoy his time in high school, that there would be plenty of time for work. I was trying to save him from living my life. But in trying to keep him from having Hayes pushed on him, I took the choice away from him altogether.

“I’m sorry,” I say, and his brows pull together. “I didn’t realize. I didn’t mean to make you feel left out of the company, and I’m sure Mom didn’t either. Have you talked to her?”

He scoffs. “Mom and I don’t talk.” My brows pull together, and he scoffs again. “Don’t pretend you haven’t noticed. I’m the spare. She doesn’t care what I do. Fuck, she’s more invested in your ex than in my fiancée.”