Starting the car, she took a deep breath, focused on the smooth sound of the new engine and automatically checked the gas level. A paper covered the gauges.
Nice car, slut
*****
Matt Duncan peered through the door as Grace got off the elevator and walked down the hall toward her office. He snapped straight, shaking his head in disgust. Leering at an employee—he was such a pervert. In his defense, he’d been closing his door when the elevator pinged. The glimpse of Grace emerging froze him in place.
For six long months he’d worked hard to hide his attraction to her. Ever since she’d walked across his office for her interview. Marilyn Monroe couldn’t have done that expanse of polished hardwood more justice. He’d instinctively checked to make sure his tongue wasn’t hanging out. Miracle of miracles, no drool pooled on his desk either.
Her job performance, warm friendliness with the other staff, persistent charm, quick wit, and sharp intelligence had quickly made her an asset. And served to fuel and deepen his attraction. Admiration and respect rode hard alongside physical attraction.
He scrubbed a hand over his face and clicked the door shut. The day had barely begun and was already headed to hell in a handbasket. Breakfast with his mom and stepdad had rocked his world, and not in a good way. The cherry on top of his crappy morning? His receptionist reminding him of his brother’s appointment.
“Mr. Duncan?”
Matt strode over to his desk and hit the intercom button. “Yes?”
“Your eight-thirty appointment is here.”
Not what he wanted to deal with today. Especially since his mom hadn’t shared her devastating diagnosis with Jeff yet. Cancer. Damn, she didn’t deserve that. Not after all she’d been through with her ex-husband—his father—screwing around on her.
“Send him in.”
Retrieving his coffee from the bar, he carried it to his desk. A large object between him and his brother was always beneficial. Jeff threw open the door and stomped in before Matt’s butt hit leather. Great. Already sporting an attitude.
Matt leaned back, sipping cold coffee gone bitter. His brother flung himself into one of the hard chairs facing the big desk. His worn polo shirt pulled taut over his round belly. Prematurely thinning hair added to Jeff’s general resentment of the world. In less charitable moments, Matt wondered how they came from the same parents.
“Hey, big bro.” Jeff didn’t make eye contact. “What’s up?”
“You tell me. You’re the one who asked to see me.”
Jeff snorted, finally raising watery eyes to Matt. “Yeah, and I have to make an appointment with your stinkin’ secretary to even get in the door.”
“You said it was about business, and that’s how a business is run. People make appointments with one another so they can schedule their day. Makes things easier on everyone.”
“Or just you.”
Matt gently set his cup on the desk and laced his fingers together in his lap. “How’ve you been?”
“Fine.”
“How’s your new job?”
Jeff laced and unlaced his fingers, straightened and slouched and then straightened again. Matt tensed. His brother cracked his neck.
“That’s kinda what I wanted to talk to you about. Things didn’t go so good. The supervisor was totally unreasonable when I forgot to come back from lunch last week.”
“You forgot…” Matt pinched the bridge of his nose. “…to come back from lunch?”
“Yeah. I got distracted. So, I figured, ya know, to hell with it.”
“Really.” Matt wanted to close his eyes and pretend Jeff wasn’t sitting there. That he hadn’t just blown off this latest job. One Matt had gotten for him, calling in yet another favor. He couldn’t wait to hear from the contractor. In fact, he was surprised he hadn’t already.
“I was hoping you’d let me help out on the construction site again.”
Matt bit back a sharp bark of laughter. “You think I should let you back on my job sites, where you took your buddies after-hours two months ago and let them take off with fifteen hundred dollars in materials and tools. Three months ago you almost killed a guy when you swung the crane around too fast and lost a load of lumber.”
Jeff slunk lower. “No need to get bitchy about it, man.”
“I’ve warned you before. No foul language in my office.”
“Sh…Damn, dude. What’s gotten into you?”
“During the ten years you blew off, roaming free and living off Dad, having a grand ol’ time, I’ve worked my butt off building this business. I have a reputation for well-built structures and well-run construction sites. All of my employees behave in a professional manner at all times.”
“I had my own business for a while, ya know.”
Oh, Matt knew. He knew too much about that disaster. It had taken the whole family pooling their resources to drag Jeff’s butt out of the sinkhole he’d created. Plus, a corporate lawyer, moving company and a psychiatrist. He didn’t need to be reminded of that fiasco.
“I can’t allow you on the job sites.”
Jeff stared at the floor and shrugged his shoulders. Beneath the desk, Matt fisted his hand. This shadow of a man was all that was left of his brother. He had so many memories of growing up together, playing alongside each other and on the river, hunting and camping together and the stringers of fish they caught.
He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Would you like something to drink?”
“Nah. I gotta go.”
Jeff rose but hesitated, studying the floor. Opened and closed his mouth. In the end, he just turned and walked out without another word. Matt stared after him. He had spent months working through his anger over his brother’s betrayal, and Jeff never expressed an ounce of remorse.
His shoulders slumped and he fought the urge to lay his head on the desk.
An image of Grace flashed through his mind. The shock of his mom’s news had brought the reality of life sharply into focus. Between his brother’s behavior and his mom’s illness, he didn’t know how much more his family could take. Life was too damn short. He squared his shoulders. It was time to see if there was more to his attraction.
“Grace, isn’t that report due to Mr. Duncan. As of, like, five minutes ago.”
“Yes. I’m on my way. I promise.”
“He’s in a real mood today, ya know.” Sally shook her head and walked away.
Like her day didn’t already suck. Getting fired on top of everything else would seriously suck. She’d snagged a position that a lot of people would kill for, in a firm recently listed in the top ten list of a local business publication. At twenty-seven, she was the youngest executive in the large construction firm.
Not to mention, the job enabled her to pay for her beautiful new car.
The low-grade headache thrumming at the base of her skull kicked up a notch. She wanted to drop her aching head into her hands and sob for a few minutes. Or hours. Something…anything to release the build-up of fear, stress and delayed shock. Instead, she straightened