AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No family? Don’t be silly. The three of you have each other and you seem close. That’s really nice.” I thought of my brothers for a moment and sadness threatened to consume me as always. Knox was in a prison just south of Birmingham, Alabama, and Jackson was in the rehab I’d paid for in Atlanta.
“We want kids.” Remington stood up from the table and gripped the back of his chair. “Our appointment is at two. Try not to get lost with Pete in the meantime.”
I watched him walk away and felt like I’d somehow done something wrong. Glancing between Boone and Wells, I stopped myself from asking about Remington’s sudden departure. Looking down at my food, I took one last bite and felt like running out of there. The feeling of not being good enough was weighing on me more and more the longer I sat at their giant dining room table and drank out of their crystal glasses. It was a feeling that had been with me my whole life, but it never felt any better.
“Remy’s cranky when he doesn’t get a full sixteen hours of work in. Ignore him.” Boone nodded after his brother and glanced down at the table where his phone buzzed. “Sorry, this is the office. I have to take this.”
I looked over at Wells as we were left alone and smiled. “Do I smell? I feel like I cleared the room.”
He smiled back at me and shook his head. “You smell good, so it’s not that. They’re just tied to work. Remy owns and operates a large company in the city and Boone’s a surgeon. They’re both at work more than they’re home.”
“And you?” I pointed to the paint on his hands. “You’re not a workaholic?”
He absently rubbed at the paint and shrugged. “I don’t know if you can call a painter a workaholic. I paint a lot, but it’s not…work.”
“Well, sure it is. That’s your career, is it not?” When he nodded, I reached out and tapped the back of his hand. “I think categorizing different jobs as work or not work makes it too easy for people in the creative fields to not demand the respect they deserve. You may not be running a company, but you’re working and the time you put in painting is the same as the time Remington puts in at the office.”
He stared at me for a second longer than was comfortable and finally nodded again. “You’re passionate about literature?”
“I’m a reader. I love books more than anything in this world, besides my family. If writers didn’t respect their time and effort, so many of my favorite books probably wouldn’t have been written. And that’s just not okay.” I reined myself in before I got carried away talking about books. “If you’re ever willing to share your paintings, I’d love to see them.”
Bea came into the dining room and froze. “So sorry. I thought everyone was gone.”
I grinned at her and stood up. “Don’t apologize. Come on in and I’ll help you. Wells will probably be grateful for the chance to escape me.”
Wells grunted. “See you for the appointment.”
Bea stared after his retreating back and fanned herself. “Wow.”
I wasn’t willing to admit outright that I found the man sexy as sin just yet. Not out loud, anyway.
“You’re not helping clear the table. I get paid to do this, Memphis.” She seemed to finally catch up with what I said. We’d had the same argument that morning when I’d tried to help clean up after the quick breakfast she’d insisted on making me.
“I’m not going to just sit here like a knot on a log and watch you work.” I wagged my finger at her. “With all the delicious food I’ve already eaten here, after just a few meals, I need all the extra movement I can get. One wrong turn and I’m going to look pregnant before I’m pregnant.”
“Go for a walk through the maze, then. That’s better for you, anyway.” Bea gently patted my arm and guided me away from the table. “Enjoy yourself. Take advantage of this time. You deserve to be spoiled.”
I gave in and found myself outside with the flowers again. I wasn’t sure Bea was right. I wasn’t sure I deserved to be spoiled. I was a liar and I didn’t belong. Still, when the floral scents washed over me, I could almost imagine a world where I did belong in the garden and I could make it my own. I had to cut that fantasy short as the Hawke brothers threatened to appear in it. Again.
With hot cheeks, I hurried to the maze and hid away inside its walls of manicured rose bushes. Like a kid, I giggled when more than one pathway was a dead end. It was, like everything else, magical.
11.
**Remington***
Ilookedatmywatch and adjusted the sleeves of my suit. Tapping my fingers on my thigh, I stood next to the car and waited on Memphis for the second time in one day. She was two minutes late. I hated being kept waiting. We should’ve thought to ask her about punctuality when we were busy asking about whether or not she was educated. To say we may have been impulsive about this whole thing was an understatement.
“Relax, Remy. She’s coming.” Boone climbed out of the car and stood next to me. He’d changed out of his scrubs and into a pair of jeans. He was always good at coming off easy-going. “She’s probably just finishing her makeup or something.”
I scowled at the t-shirt he wore and ran my hand through my hair. “You both look like slobs.”
“And you sound like Don.” Wells was smart enough to keep his head in the car after making a comment like that.
“I’m coming!” Memphis pulled my focus and I turned to see her sprinting towards us in another dress, one that floated dangerously high on her thighs as she ran. The neckline was also daring, the tops of her breasts bouncing alluringly, threatening to come free. Suddenly, I felt the urge to hold a sign and scream ‘Free the nipple’. “I’m sorry! Am I late again? I left early but I met the cat and one thing led to another. I’m sorry. I promise I’m not usually like this. I’m just adjusting, I guess. It’s a new place and maybe I’m slower in Chicago than I was in Georgia. That’s something I’ll have to look into.”
When she finally stood in front of us, there was a light sheen of sweat that made her skin glow and her chest heaved from running, the rise and fall of her breasts tantalizing. She reached out and grabbed my arm to look at my watch, shocking me. When I pulled my arm away from her too quickly, a look of hurt passed over her pretty face.
“I’m so sorry. I just wanted to know what time it is. I didn’t think. Most people probably don’t want to be grabbed and manhandled like that. Well, it looks like Iamlate, but only by a few minutes. That’s not as bad as it could be. Should we go?” Memphis forced her eyes up from the ground and smiled when she spotted Jake. “Hi, Jake! I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”
