Lost Without You. Yahrah St. John

rub,” Courtney said, eyeing her suspiciously. “You’re envious of the other women. You think he’s superficial, so you’ve chosen to downplay your looks in the hopes that he will finally notice the inner you.” Courtney placed her hand over Gabrielle’s. “Darling, let me tell you, you could end up alone in bed every night if you continue on this route. There are a number of women trying to trap my brother into marriage, and if you don’t act quickly, someone will snap him up.”

       “I am not interested in Shane.”

       “Sure, you’re not.”

       The waiter came back to take their order and Courtney ordered the salad while Gabrielle chose the chicken fusilli pasta. That didn’t prevent Courtney from taking up where she left off in the conversation once he’d gone. “My advice to you would be to glam it up. Let my brother see that you are a force to be reckoned with. And knowing Shane, he will not back down from a good challenge.”

       “How can you talk this way about your own brother?” Gabrielle asked Courtney. “You just met me, and clearly Shane did not speak well of me in the past.”

       “True, but I have a good feeling about you. I knew you were different when we met, which is why I asked you to lunch,” Courtney replied. “Call it female intuition, but I think you are exactly what my brother needs.”

       “You have it all wrong, Courtney. I’m the exact opposite of the kind of woman your brother dates.”

       “Which is why you’re absolutely perfect for him,” Courtney replied. “And it’s why I’m going to make you over so you can win him over.”

      * * *

       Gabrielle sat in the car on the way back from lunch with Courtney completely flabbergasted. She’d tried explaining to Courtney that she dressed conservatively so that men would take her seriously in the lab. But the more she tried to convince Courtney that she wasn’t interested in Shane, the more she dug in her heels, determined to fix the two of them up. Gabrielle could see the wheels turning in Courtney’s mind.

       She had to get her bearings at Adams Cosmetics first, and she couldn’t afford a failed love affair with her boss. It had “disaster” written all over it. No, she had to make Courtney realize the error of her ways.

       “Thank you again for lunch, Courtney,” Gabrielle said as she exited the vehicle. “It was a really nice treat.”

       “You’re absolutely welcome,” Courtney answered. “I just know this is going to work out fine.” She had barely finished her sentence when Shane pulled up beside her in his Jaguar.

       Shane couldn’t believe his eyes. Was that really his sister with Gabrielle Burton, of all people? Why was she being friendly with the enemy? He jumped out of the car with a frown on his face. “Courtney…” He nodded at his sister. “What’s going on?”

       Courtney looked at Shane then back at Gabrielle, trying to gauge their reaction to each other. “I ran into Gabby in the hall and took our new employee out for lunch. Do you have a problem with that?”

       Gabrielle watched Shane’s eyes narrow at Courtney’s use of her nickname and her lack of response. Somehow Courtney using it didn’t seem to bother her nearly as much as when Shane did.

       “That’s awfully nice of you, sister dear,” Shane replied. “Remind me to thank you at dinner tonight. Gabrielle, if you’re finished, can we get back to work?” Shane turned his back and headed into the building.

       “Of course.” Gabrielle smiled at Courtney before quickly rushing behind Shane. “See you soon.” She waved to Courtney.

      * * *

       As he lay in bed, Shane stared at the ceiling and pondered how he was going to handle having Gabby in his domain. She was going to challenge him at every turn, just as she’d done in school, which had always been kind of a turn-on. Back then, he’d thought that all she needed was a good lay. You know, a man to work out all that inner hostility that she’d stored up and most often directed at him. And he’d thought that man might have been him, but Gabby had not been even remotely interested.

       Shane had no idea why she’d taken such offense to him back then. Although they’d been rivals for the top spot, he’d always treated her with respect like the true southern boy he was, as his mother, Elizabeth, had raised him. Thinking about his mother brought a smile to his face. He’d inherited her easy nature, quick wit, fair coloring and beautiful hazel eyes, unlike Kayla, who had favored their father with his fiery temper and mahogany skin.

       Although he loved his father, Shane had to admit Byron Adams was hard to handle and couldn’t be an easy man to love, yet his mother made it look easy. He’d always wondered how his mother had endured thirty-five years of marriage, all the while helping Byron start his own cosmetics company.

       His grandparents certainly hadn’t been happy when she’d decided to end her three-year courtship with their choice for a mate, Andrew Jackson. He was born to the right family and had the right pedigree, unlike poor Byron Adams, a lowly employee of Graham International. They’d tried to talk her out of the marriage, but his mother loved his father, and although she hated to break Andrew’s heart, she’d refused to give Byron up.

       Elizabeth Adams was beautiful, intelligent, courageous and steadfastly loyal. Shane admired his mother a great deal, which is why few women could ever live up to his high standards. As he drifted off to sleep, Shane wondered if there was any woman who could.

      * * *

       In her hotel room later that evening, Gabrielle kicked off her heels and plopped down onto the plush pillow-top mattress. It was not going to be easy working with Shane day in and day out. He was conceited and superior, but despite those less-than-admirable qualities, she had to admit Shane was a brilliant and dedicated chemist. She was amazed at just how much he’d been overseeing in the laboratory.

       He had projects in the works for every line of business at Adam Cosmetics. No wonder Ethan had looked at hiring him some help. If he continued at that pace, he would burn out. Of course, no one could tell him that. Like a typical male, Shane Adams was sure he could handle anything life threw at him.

       But fortunately for him, she had some ideas of her own. She’d been cultivating them since she was at L’Oréal, but the head chemist had been unwilling to try them out. She hoped Shane wasn’t as closed minded. She knew the lab was his domain, but she was determined to carve out a place for herself, even if it was by his side.

       She was just about to head into the shower when she heard a knock on the door. Gabrielle had no idea who it could be, as she wasn’t expecting anyone. Nothing could have shocked her further when she opened the door and saw the man standing on the other side was none other than Andrew Jackson.