Page 6 of Have To Be Mine

No matter who I was flirting with or dancing with, I kept looking for the woman who’d walked away. A few of the girls actually noticed where my attention was, which led to one of them insulting me, one of them slapping me, and one of them suggesting a threesome.

But when my Cinderella left the ball sometime around midnight, it took the wind out of my sails and I lost interest in anyone else. No other woman would compare to her and I just couldn’t make myself settle for anything less.

I slouched in my usual chair and watched Adrian bounce Buck on his knee while simultaneously managing to look irritated with me. The guy was butthurt about shit that wasn’t a big deal. I was handling things. It was insulting. I hadn’t let anyone down yet. I was the guy who got shit done in the eleventh hour.

I needed a damn vacation. What I would give to be in the Maldives with Sebastian and Bernadette right now. Not with them, but on a similar beach with a beautiful woman and no scowling brothers.

“Dash, honey, you look tired,” Mom said, setting down a platter of green beans.

“I’m fresh as a spring day, Mom.”

“You have circles under your eyes.” She reached over and touched my face like I was twelve instead of twenty-eight. “Someone can’t handle their liquor.”

My brothers laughed and I gently moved her hand away. “I’m perfect. As always.”

“Humble too,” Briggs said from across the table. His wife, Mandy, elbowed him in the ribs, but she was smiling.

I grabbed a roll from the basket and tore into it with more aggression than was probably necessary. The truth was, I’d barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her. The mystery woman that walked away from me and then avoided me the rest of the night. Those dark eyes that had assessed me and dismissed me.

I’d asked around but nobody seemed to know who she was. Not a wedding guest. Not a plus-one anyone could identify. Like she’d been a figment of my imagination.

Elizabeth was sitting to my left. “Late night?”

“It was a celebration,” I said with a shrug.

Mom settled into her seat at the head of the table. She looked tired too, but we all were after the wedding. As fun as it was, it was stressful for everyone involved. The only one who didn’t seem a little worn out this morning was Bucky. That baby was beyond spoiled. He didn’t even know how spoiled he was yet. He babbled happily while trying to grab Adrian’s wine glass. Normal. Almost peaceful.

Then Adrian cleared his throat.

Here we go.

“So,” he said in a tone that meant business was about to be discussed whether anyone wanted it or not. “The Greece campaign launches in three weeks. The vendor contracts need to be finalized. The hotel situation needs to be resolved. The equipment shipments are delayed. And our logistics coordinator has been⁠—”

“Handling it,” I interrupted. “I’m handling it.”

“You will be. That’s why you’re on your way to Athens tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” I looked around the table like someone was going to tell me this was a joke. “As in Monday tomorrow? Less than twenty-four hours from now tomorrow?”

“Yes, Dash. Tomorrow. You’ve had too many distractions around here to get everything ready. So you’re heading over early.”

“Just like that?” I looked around the table but no one seemed bothered about the idea, aside from me. “You can’t give me a couple days to get packed?”

Adrian shook his head. “You need to get over there. Stop avoiding your responsibilities.”

“I haven’t been avoiding anything. I’ve been handling things.” I looked at Briggs like he might have my back.

“You haven’t returned calls,” Briggs said calmly, not looking up from his plate. “You missed three conference calls with the Athens team. The hotel called Adrian directly because they couldn’t get through to you.”

“I was busy.”

“Doing what?” Elizabeth asked. She was cradling the baby while trying to eat one-handed. “From what I heard, you’ve been at the club every night this week.”

How did she know that? “I’m allowed to have a life.”

“Not when it interferes with the business.” Adrian set down his fork and knife with deliberate care. “This isn’t a request, Dash. You’re going to Greece. You’re going to fix whatever messes have accumulated in your absence. And you’re going to stay there until the campaign wraps.”

The walls felt like they were closing in. I looked at each face around the table. Mom. Adrian. Elizabeth. Briggs. Mandy.