Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Which is why, whatever answer Brick gives me about my dad and his position at Brick Productions, I can live with it.
Bricks looks uneasy with my question, the tiredness coming through in his eyes. He rubs the back of his neck.
“You can tell me. I won’t be upset.” The unease doesn’t leave his face. Bad news will make me feel a little sad, but I won’t freak out on him or anything. “I promise, Brick. I can handle it.”
“Your father hasn’t been a good employee for some time. We really have tried everything with him – retraining, classes, other employees mentoring him, giving him additional supervisors. Hell, I’ve even tried to teach him a thing or two, but nothing has worked. George is just stuck in his ways.” That does sound like my father. He’s a good man, but there are some areas in which he will not change.
“I’m sure you’ve tried.”
“Maybe it was foolish of me, but I kept George around for as long as I did because of my feelings for you. Robert was none to pleased about it, but he let me do it. Now, though, I think we’ve reached the end of that. There’s no way for us to move forward as if nothing has happened. Something has to change.” I wrap my arms around Brick because I understand.
“If you can’t have him work for you anymore, it’s okay. You shouldn’t have to keep my dad on just because of me. I get it. You have a business to run.” He smooths my hair down, kissing the top of my head.
“We’ll figure it out together.”
“Really?” I look up at him.
“Not everything is dollars and cents. It’s why I worked with George for so long before I considered firing him. I’m not sure what we’ll do exactly, but somehow, we’ll land on something soft for your dad. I promise.”
I can’t believe he still wants to help my father on at his company after everything that happened between the two of them. Brick really is a softie underneath it all.
I bring my face to his, pressing our lips together. He’s warm and soft, and I love the way he feels against me. I breathe him in, getting drunk on his scent. His hands wrap around my back, pulling me into his lap. He manages to balance me while keeping us from falling off of the chair.
We break apart, and I lovingly caress his cheek. Then I remember how we started off our morning.
“Why were you in the bed with all of your clothes on this morning?”
“Um…”
“And what made you sick?” Brick looks a little embarrassed. He looks down at the ground before bringing his eyes back up to me.
“I may or may not have had a little too much Scotch last night.”
“What happened?” I picture him sitting alone in his apartment drinking that old-as-sin Scotch, all because I tortured him with my silence.
“Robert decided it would be a good idea to take me to a bar, and I thought it would be a good idea to drink copious amounts of alcohol.”
“You did not!” I playfully slap his shoulder. Brick has never been drunk around me. I would love to see him with his inhibitions thrown to the wind.
“I’m starting to realize it was all a bunch of bad ideas. I try not to have many of those, but last night wasn’t one of my best nights.”
“I know what you mean.” Even though I had a fun time with Mamie last night, the cloud of my uncertainties regarding Brick had hung over the entire evening. I just hope I wasn’t too much of a downer.
But I don’t want to think about that right now. Right now, I have a whole host of questions for my boyfriend.
“What are you like when you’re drunk?” I ask, booping his nose. He wrinkles it, amusement coloring his face.
“I’m really quite boring.”
“Oh, that’s a lie.” I rest my hands over his shoulders. Brick keeps me from falling by placing his arms around my lower back. I’m sure we look rather cozy.
“No, it’s true. All I do is get a little talkative. I become an oversharer, which is no fun for anyone.” Oversharer? Now that is something I would like to see.
“And what about you? How do you get when you’re tipsy?”
“I’m a daredevil. I do things I would never do when sober. Mamie has been able to convince me to do some stupid shenanigans after some wine.” I don’t drink a lot often because of the stupid shit I have done because of alcohol, mainly in my college days. I’ve really mellowed out and gotten an understanding of how to handle my liquor since then.
“Oh, I am going to have to see that one day.”
“Only if I get to meet loose-lipped Brick.” He chuckles at my little nickname for him.