Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 78054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him I had been wrong about that too, but I kept it to myself.
“Keep me up-to-date on your schedule. I realize things might come up at the last minute, and that’s fine. We’ll work it through.”
“I appreciate that.”
“That’s all I can give you. I’ll treat you with courtesy and respect, and I expect the same from you. We’re coworkers. Acquaintances. That’s it.” He met my gaze, his steady and distant. “I’m sure there’ll be barbecues and suppers with staff and friends, and I’m fine for you to be there. I don’t expect you to hide up here. But that’s all we are. Are you clear?”
“Yes.”
He stood. “Fine. I’ll go tell Maxx and Charly.”
He turned to leave, and I stood as well. “Brett?”
He turned and looked over his shoulder. “Thanks for this. And earlier—when I was crying. I’m sorry I overreacted.”
He shook his head. “I wouldn’t call that overreacting, Kelly. I’d call that being real with me. I think that was the most honest emotion I have ever seen from you.” He paused, his hand on the door handle. “Too bad it happened too late for us.”
And he walked out.
CHAPTER SIX
Brett
Her sobs, her words, echoed in my head all night.
Because I don’t know how to stop.
I had the feeling Kelly had been on the run her entire life. Searching for something. Trying to escape memories.
The memory of how she felt in my arms stayed with me. I swore I could still smell her fragrance on my skin. I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was as if that was where she belonged. I couldn’t stop the thoughts.
Her tears had gutted me. I had seen Kelly happy, teasing, angry, and defensive. Sexy and alluring. Sleepy and quiet.
I had never seen her cry. Never witnessed her so vulnerable.
There was more to her being here than a fight with Carl. She’d held him on a pedestal so high it was unreachable. Her friend. Her mentor. I had met him once in Toronto and disliked him intensely. He’d had a last-minute shoot and called Kelly to assist him. I had gone in with her out of curiosity, wanting to see her in action. When I mentioned going, she seemed surprised but pleased.
Carl didn’t look overly happy to see me. His handshake was brief, and he ignored my presence except to snap that I needed to stay out of the way. I stood in the corner, watching and silent. He barked orders at her and another assistant. He pointed and demanded. Kelly was patient, often talking quietly, pointing out an angle or making a suggestion. He rolled his eyes, yet I noticed he often used her advice. But he was an asshole about it, somehow turning it into his own idea. He came across as arrogant, selfish, and narcissistic, and I told Kelly so.
“He takes credit for your ideas,” I insisted.
“He has to roll them around in his mind. That’s how he works. He interprets and makes them his own.”
I barely withheld my snort.
“He’s an egotistical jerk.”
Kelly laughed and told me he was artistic and broody. I hated the way he talked to her, ordered her around like a lackey. She shook her head.
“He’s my boss, and he expects me to do my job.”
“Maxx doesn’t expect me to mop his brow and cut up his fruit,” I snapped. “Or is so lazy he can’t get a piece of equipment from a table five feet away.”
“It’s my job to make his life simple. He can concentrate on taking pictures, capturing the beauty he sees through his lens, and I do the rest.”
“You’re far more talented,” I argued. “Your suggestions were dead-on every time.”
She had smiled and kissed me. “You’re biased. I’m still learning.”
I’d had the feeling if Carl had his way, she’d be learning for a lot of years to come.
She thought the world of him and his talent. She idolized him.
Why would he steal her work, and what had made her ill?
Was she really okay?
Why did I feel so much anxiety from her now?
Those questions plagued me.
And considering how it felt when I held her, how right it felt to have her in my arms again, the biggest question of all was—how I was going to handle seeing her in the office beside mine? Hearing her voice? Her laughter? Knowing that I had to stay away from her?
My head felt as if it was going to explode.
She shouldn’t still affect me this way, but she did. As much as I denied it, nothing had changed for me.
I sighed, leaning my head back on the chair. I sipped the bottle of beer, barely tasting it. My thoughts were never-ending, focused on the upcoming week.
I knew she had moved in to the apartment after I left. I saw Maxx carrying some boxes up the steps when I was leaving. Chase was coming out of the barn with others. I didn’t offer to help. Charly would help her unpack and settle.