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“I wish we could call Liz,” Bell says after my mother leaves.
When Thomas and I planned this out, we knew we had to tell Liz what Stan had done and the truth about her parentage. It was a conversation Mom had with her, so Thomas and I don’t know what was said, but the end result was Liz dropping out of school and leaving town. She left a note for us saying she needed time, and that she’d call when she could.
At first, Thomas and I were determined to find her and bring her back. Even had a private detective all picked out. But then Bell and Mom talked us down. Said to trust Liz and give her the time she asked for.
Time for what, I’m not sure. But I said I’d give her a month, and if I didn’t hear from Liz by then, all bets were off.
Thomas walks back to the desk, opening the top drawer. He grabs yet another stack of papers and holds them out to me. “Here you go. I’ve signed control of the company back over to you. It’s all legal this time.”
Taking it, I smirk at my stodgy older brother. “Thanks, dude.” I smile wider when his eyes narrow. Then I toss the paperwork in the garbage. “But no thanks.”
“What the hell?”
“Tommy-kins, did you just curse?” Bell’s shocked voice rings with humor.
Thomas pinches the bridge of his nose. “Between Chase calling me dude and you making up the most ridiculous nicknames, you’re both going to spike my blood pressure.” He points to the garbage. “Why the hell did you do that?”
“Because I don’t want that. I want something else.” I turn to the open office door. “George!”
My PA walks in holding a large file folder and hands it to Thomas. “Will that be all, Mr. Moore?”
“Chase, George. You’ll need to call me Chase now for sure. Especially since there’ll be two Mr. Moores in residence now.”
The uptight fellow just quirks an eyebrow and leaves.
Thomas’s eyes narrow farther on George’s retreating back, then shift to me. “What are you talking about, two of us?”
“Open it.” I nod at the file in his hands.
Bell leans into me, and I wrap an arm around her as we watch my brother open the file and read over the paperwork inside.
“You want”—he clears his throat, sounding emotional for the first time ever— “you want both of us to run Moore’s?” He looks up, confused and maybe a little hopeful. “Together?”
“Yep.” I’m sure I’m grinning like an idiot, but I’m too happy to care.
Until Thomas remains quiet a little too long.
Shit, maybe I read this wrong.
I unwrap my arm from Bell and move closer to Thomas, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Hey. Uh, you don’t have to. I mean, I thought you’d want to, but if you don’t…” I run my free hand through my hair. “I just thought, with us talking again, that maybe—”
Thomas finally looks up from the file, his smirk throwing me off. “Why do you always have to make things weird?”
“You fucker.” I punch his arm in retaliation for making me squirm. You know, as manly men do.
“Great!” Bell claps her hands, smiling broadly. “Now we can get started.”
Thomas and I share a look. “Get started with what, babe?”
She wags a finger at me, tsking. “I told you, no calling me babe in the office.” She walks over to the door, her pert ass swaying beneath a short, flowy skirt. “Alice,” she calls out. “You can bring it in now.”
I’m pretty sure my brother just choked on air at the mention of the new marketing exec.
I throw him a curious look. “Dude?”
He glares at me, the Golden Boy façade firmly in place.
Interesting.
