Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 61851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
As if on cue, Ben ended his call and stepped back toward Derek’s desk. “Sorry about that. One of the lawyers needed me to clarify something.”
Derek nodded, then got right to the point. “You asked about me and Jessica and there’s something I need to tell you.”
Ben’s brows furrowed, his suspicion clear. “Which is?”
Derek sat up straight in his chair, folded his hands on his desk, and looked his best friend right in the eyes. “I’m interested in your sister and I want to date her.” Ben’s eyes opened wide, and before he could reply, Derek went on. “I invited her to my father’s fundraiser this weekend. She agreed and I wanted you to hear about the two of us from me. Because as much as I respect our friendship and our partnership, I need to see where this thing with your sister goes.”
Ben remained quiet, that frown still in place, and Derek braced himself for a fight. After all, that had been his impulse when he’d first found out about Asher and his sister.
Ben rubbed a hand along his jaw and gave Derek a long, assessing look. “I have to admit, I didn’t see this coming. At least on your end. I mean, I know Jessica has always had a crush on you, but . . . this is still a surprise.” His reasonable tone told Derek that his friend would be more rational than he’d been.
“So . . . you don’t want to hit me?” He’d been braced for anything.
Ben shook his head and let out a low chuckle. “No. Because I know you, and you’re the kind of guy I’d want for my sister.”
“Thank you,” he said, a rush of relief draining the tension from Derek’s body.
Ben held up one hand. “However, it goes without saying that if you do something stupid and hurt her, then we’re going to have a problem. I’d put my sister before the business. Before our friendship. I need you to know that.”
“I would never hurt her,” he assured Ben.
There were no guarantees in any relationship, but for Derek, this wasn’t a short-term affair and Jessica wasn’t just a fling. He saw a potential future with her, and he was willing to do anything in order to prove his feelings went beyond the friendship that had always existed between them. She meant more to him than he was able to put into words.
“Then we’re good.” Ben glanced at the time on his cellphone. “We’ve got a meeting with the lawyers in twenty minutes, so I’ll let you finish up whatever you were doing and I’ll see you in the conference room.”
Ben strode out the door and Derek let out a long sigh of relief. That had gone way better than he’d anticipated and he was able to return his attention to his laptop to finish reading through the document before their meeting started.
A few minutes later his cell phone rang, and he glanced over to see his mother’s name on the display. He tried to tamp down his annoyance because he knew why she was calling him so early in the morning. He’d bet every penny he had in the bank she’d already heard about the email he’d sent to the event coordinator for his father’s fundraiser, requesting Jessica be added as his guest, and she wasn’t happy. Collette Bettencourt kept her fingers in every aspect of her husband’s campaign activities and would have been notified of the change immediately.
Jesus Christ, his snobby, social, and political climbing mother was so fucking predictable. Refusing to deal with her complaints and criticism, he let the call go to voicemail. Once he received an alert the call had ended, he listened to the message she’d left for him . . . about how she’d gotten a call from the event coordinator and he rolled his eyes as she droned on.
“How could you bring a date?” his mother ranted in a high-pitched tone. “Are you trying to be cruel and make Claire jealous? She’s going to be there all alone. Did you even think about how awkward and embarrassing that’s going to be for her, you bringing another woman when it should be her on your arm?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” He’d heard enough and slammed his finger down on the screen, ending and deleting the voicemail. His mother was dense and irrational and he was finished listening to her delusions of how his life should go.
He typed out a reply text: I’m a grown man who can make his own decisions, and I’m bringing Jessica. Claire will get over it because we are no longer a couple and I owe her nothing. If it’s an issue for her, then that’s her problem, not mine. Not up for discussion.
He sent the message, and within a minute, his phone rang again. Another call from his mother that he ignored, and she left yet another voicemail he didn’t bother listening to.