The Wrong Brother (a perfect for you novel Book 1)

by Amanda Siegrist

  But his father…

  She couldn’t fathom why he didn’t seem to like her. Probably had something to do with Champ as well.

  The weather was beautiful. Not too cold, especially with a light breeze. The sun was going down, leaving a gorgeous hue of colors during its descent—a mixture of pink, purple, and orange. Blending so well, she imagined it as a painting. One hanging in Dane’s outer office. It would fit nicely next to the one that held the splashes of paint. She didn’t know why she thought that or why her mind even went there, but it would look perfect together.

  “Dane cares for you.” His mother took a small sip of wine. “The best birthday present I received today was him bringing you as a guest.”

  Gabby wanted to snort as if saying, “give me a break.” How could him bringing a woman to supper be considered the best present ever? Especially at this supper table.

  His mother continued. “Bryan’s not a cruel man, even if he displayed some very unsavory behavior inside. He can be hard on Dane. I will admit that. And Champ,” she laughed in a motherly sort of way, “he’s the youngest. What can I say other than he was coddled a bit too much as a baby, and it just…continued. He had a heart defect as a baby. It was scary for a moment we’d lose him. Bryan gets very protective of him because of that.”

  Interesting. Gabby wondered if Dane knew that piece of information. He hadn’t mentioned it. Besides the one night he shared about his brother, he didn’t talk much about his family. She could see why. Of course, just because Champ might’ve had poor health as a baby, it didn’t give him—or his father—a right to act the way they did.

  “I imagine that was a stressful time in your life.”

  His mother looked at her as she reached out a hand and gently settled it on her arm, a wistful smile on her face. “So stressful. I pray when—or if—you ever have kids, you don’t have to go through something like that. It can put a strain on your marriage. It can affect your job. It’s…hard.” Her hand drifted away. “But, he’s healthy as an ox now. A bit too spoiled, I’m afraid. I apologize for any hurt he may have caused you or your friend.”

  “It’s not your apology to give, Mrs. Holloway.” She smiled. “But I thank you for it.”

  She turned her direction to the sinking sun once more. Any more talk like this and she might burst into tears. And why? She wasn’t prone to tears that often, even though she had in the past month a little too much.

  But it had been a helluva weekend so far. Her emotions had been put through the wringer, and she honestly didn’t know how much more she could endure. She wanted to leave.

  “I’ve never seen him so happy.”

  Gabby shifted on her seat and looked back at Mrs. Holloway. “What?”

  “Dane. I’ve never seen him so happy before. You make him happy. You make him focus on more than work.” Mrs. Holloway smiled. A bright, beautiful smile that lit up her features. Her eyes crinkling with slight wrinkles. But they did nothing but enhance her beauty, not deter it.

  “He doesn’t work as much anymore. Bryan’s noticed. Dane tended to do most of the work. I knew this. Bryan knew it. But he thinks it’s better Champ doesn’t exert himself too much, in case, you know, with his health. But with Dane not working every weekend and late into the night recently, Bryan’s seeing how much work he was doing for Champ.”

  Oh, here it comes. The part where she warned Gabby off. To stay the hell away from her son. All because poor Champ had to pick up his pretty little fingers and put them to use other than pleasuring a woman.

  Gabby refused to look away. If this woman wanted to scare her off and tell her to stay away from Dane, she could look her in the eye.

  “Thank you, Gabriella.” She turned her gaze to the setting sun, nearly put to bed for the night. “Thank you for showing my son what life should be about. You’re perfect for him. He probably doesn’t even realize how much.”

  Huh?

  Well, maybe she wasn’t mad about her taking Dane away from work.

  But she knew his father was. She feared what his father would do to break them apart.

  They finished their glasses of wine, talking about the upcoming wine festival that she and Mia loved to attend every year. They had the best Strawberry wine. She could usually devour an entire bottle at the event itself. Plus, she usually bought a case before she left because it was the best. She could never find it in stores, so buying it in bulk until the next year rolled around for the festival had to do.

  Dane joined them. He gave his mother the present he had painstakingly shopped for. A simple gold necklace with a pendant shaped like a penguin. Apparently, his mother loved penguins. She had stuffed animal penguins. Pictures of penguins. She even had a few garden statues of penguins lingering in her roses.

  She, of course, loved it. Considering he didn’t have a card and had pulled the tiny box out of his pocket, she knew it only came from Dane. Gabby saw a moment of pain echo in her eyes when Champ came out on the porch with no gift.

  Gabby didn’t feel an ounce of remorse when Champ’s cheeks flushed a light shade of red when he said he accidentally left her present on his kitchen counter. But he said he’d deliver it straight away tomorrow morning. His mother cooed with happiness as if she believed the bald-faced lie.

  The man sure had a way with words.

  Dane insisted they leave shortly after. Gabby didn’t argue one bit.

  The ride back to her apartment was silent. She didn’t know what to say. Obviously, Dane had no idea either.

  She liked his mother. She could mention that, but then it’d bring the topic of she didn’t like his father and brother. Awkward.

  He walked her up to her apartment and followed her inside. He even locked the door behind him. When they got to the living room, she turned around and looked at him. He stared back.

  Still, neither said anything.

  The silence stretched.

  “This isn’t going to work.”

  Her voice held finality to it.

  She couldn’t even believe the words came out of her mouth. They were a mistake. Except she didn’t take them back. She didn’t say she was wrong and hadn’t meant to say that. She simply waited for him to argue the fact.

  He sighed and nodded.

  He. Nodded.

  Oh, shit. He actually agreed.

  So, she didn’t protest; she hadn’t meant to say it.

  “Thank you for coming with me tonight. It was more bearable with you there.”

  Then he turned around and walked out. The soft click of the door confirmed his departure.

  The best relationship of her life and it was over.

  And she had no one to blame but herself.

  19

  A knock sounded on his door. He thought about ignoring it, but he told himself—forced himself—to be more vigilant about how he acted toward others. Just because he was unhappy and miserable, didn’t mean he should make the people around him unhappy and miserable.

  “Come in.”

  His voice held nothing but indifference. No happy tone whatsoever. Sure, he wouldn’t ignore the knock, but he couldn’t muster about any bright emotion in his tone.

  Ms. Wallace opened the door and stepped inside. “It’s time to leave. I thought you might want to walk down with me.” The kindness and understanding in her eyes made him so appreciative he had such a wonderful secretary. Truly, a heart of gold.

  “I’m not quite ready. But Barry will see you to the bus stop. Have a good night.”

  Her eyes portrayed she wanted to argue, but she nodded and closed the door, leaving him once again to his misery.

  It had been two weeks.

  Two, long agonizing weeks without Gabriella in his life.

  He hadn’t tried to call.

  He hadn’t tried to visit.

  Sadly, she hadn’t tried either option either.

  He vowed he’d smell the roses more often, not let work consume him. He wouldn’t let this breakup change him back into the man he used to be. B
ut it only lasted one day. He’d been working late into the night every other night.

  He had nowhere to go. No good reason not to work. His apartment wasn’t appealing. It was a place he slept and showered. Nothing more. It wasn’t a home. The home that felt like a home—Gabriella’s apartment—wasn’t his home. Not anymore.

  Not after she kicked him out of her life.

  Could he blame her? Nope. Not after the disastrous supper with his family.

  His mother—God, he loved his mother—she had called once asking about Gabriella. He had to confess they weren’t seeing each other any longer. He heard the disappointment in her voice, which he knew he’d hear. But he couldn’t lie. Not to his mother.

  As if an unasked prayer from heaven, his brother hadn’t ventured into his domain once. Probably because things were back to the normal status quo. He was doing all the work again.

  Well, the last laugh would be on Champ. He couldn’t wait to see his expression when he found out.

  Hell, the bastard wouldn’t even care. Nor his father.

  He stared at the open folder, wondering why he was still in the office. Why didn’t he go down with Ms. Wallace? He should’ve. It was Friday. He could do so many other things.

  This folder. This piece of paper, and the ones below it, meant nothing to him anymore.

  He closed it and stood up. Grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair, he slung it on and left the office. He didn’t even glance back.

  A moment of terror entered his system, almost pitching him to the floor in agony, but he managed to stay upright and at a fluid pace.

  The trip down the elevator felt cathartic. Sad and disheartening, yet quite uplifting and exhilarating.

  Another slice of terror hit him when he stepped out of the building. He stood there a moment, frozen. His body immobile, his insides twisting with dread and unease.

  “Move it, man. You’re in the way,” some random guy said, bumping his shoulder.

  That jolted him out of his stupor.

  He walked away from the building and hailed a cab. When he knew he couldn’t see the building any longer, a weight lifted from his shoulders. A heavy weight that had held him down for far too long—way longer than he should’ve allowed.

  He paid the cabbie when he arrived at his destination, almost hesitating to tell the driver to take him home instead.

  Hell, no. Tonight was for him. He’d end it how he wanted to.

  He strolled into The Corner Bar and took a seat at the end of the bar away from the other patrons. He’d never been here on a Friday night, so he didn’t know how busy it would get, but for now, it wasn’t too full, and this area was free of other people.

  Brick—or Rick—stopped in front of him with a beer ready for him. “This looks like this one might be on the house.”

  Dane grabbed it and inclined his head in thanks. “Why didn’t you correct me and tell me your name is Rick?”

  He still felt like an idiot getting his name wrong.

  Brick shrugged. “It didn’t seem right at the time. A few others heard you call me Brick, and I can’t seem to get people to stop. It’s growing on me.” Brick leaned against the bar and crossed his tattooed arms, his sleeves halfway rolled up, eyeing him. As if weighing whether to inquire about his problems.

  Wasn’t that what people did with bartenders? They acted like therapists, people spilling their whoa-is-me problems without a thought or care who they were telling their issues to.

  “I quit my job.”

  Brick’s brow rose.

  Wow. How did he do it? Dane confessed the monumental way his life just altered courses, and Brick didn’t even ask him to confess. Yet, a part of Dane felt even lighter than before. More of that nasty weight shifted away by telling someone.

  “Any particular reason why?”

  Dane rubbed the label on the beer. He barely knew this guy, other than he was a fabulous bartender who deserved the best tip on the planet.

  “I was sick of working under my brother, who doesn’t do shit. I can do better on my own.” A wistful smile touched his lips. “At least, I was told I could by someone…important to me.”

  “You don’t strike me as the type to quit on the spot.”

  Dane exhaled, letting the air escape on its own due time. “Well, for my mother’s sake—it’s a family business—I should’ve given two weeks’ notice. But to hell with my father and brother. I didn’t tell them anything. I did tell my office manager, so he won’t be put on the lurch. My father will think I’m making the worst mistake of my life when he finds out.”

  Tom was a good man. He had promised to keep the information to himself. A few minutes before Ms. Wallace had knocked on his door to tell him the day was over, he had sent his father an email, cc’d his brother. It wasn’t an elaborate and long explanation—a few simple words to get his point across.

  I quit. With regards, your least favorite son.

  He hadn’t received a call yet from his father, so he could only assume he hadn’t seen the email. Or maybe he didn’t care.

  “Are you?”

  Dane didn’t even need to ponder that question. “Hell, no. I’ve only made one mistake in my life, and it would never involve my brother.”

  “Well, I sure in hell hope the mistake you’re referring to is leaving Gabby, you dumbass.” Jaxson appeared out of nowhere, settling on a barstool right next to him.

  “Umm…” Dane cocked a brow, completely confused by Jaxson’s irate manner. “Gabby broke up with me.”

  “Yeah, because that’s what she does best. Pushes people away. She loves to help people, but when it comes to herself, she doesn’t let anyone in. She pushes and pushes and pushes people out, and you let her.” Jaxson slammed his hand hard on the bar top. “You walked away without a fight. I thought you loved her. You said so yourself.”

  “Yep, I heard it, too,” Brick said as he produced another beer it seemed out of thin air and set it in front of Jaxson.

  “You didn’t…you didn’t say I said that to her, did you?” Because if Jaxson had, then Gabriella didn’t love him back. She would’ve come to him if she knew he loved her.

  He hadn’t heard a peep from her in the past two weeks.

  “It’s not my place to tell her.” Jaxson leaned closer. “It’s yours. We might not have gotten along in the beginning, but I can see how perfect you’re together. She’s perfect for you, and you’re perfect for her. And only an idiot would walk away from something so damn perfect.”

  “Hold this conversation.” Brick walked away to the other end of the bar. It appeared two patrons were giving the woman bartender—Dane didn’t know her name—some grief. A few words from Brick, with a menacing glare, and they stopped whatever attitude they had.

  Jaxson and Dane watched the entire scene, oddly enough, waiting for Brick to start the conversation back up.

  “Okay, continue,” Brick said as he leaned back against the bar once again with his arms crossed. “Does she know you up and quit your job?”

  “You what?” Jaxson asked as the surprise slid across his features.

  Dane shrugged, hating to get into his family affair once more. “It was time. I’m starting up my own company. I already have a secretary. I just need to find some clients.”

  He had enough money to start his own company. Money was something he never worried about. Plus, he rarely spent it, and he knew how to invest wisely. He even found a modest space to rent for the time being until he built his company up to something amazing. And he would. If nothing more than to spite his father and show him who was the better son at architecture and making the business thrive.

  “Gabby would love to hear that. In fact,” Jaxson said with the sarcasm lacing his tone, “she’d love to hear anything from you. She’s a mess, dude. She won’t admit it, but it’s been hell working with her. She misses you. She needs you.”

  But did she? She survived much worse without him in her life. Was he really that important to her? She didn’t even last af
ter one supper with his family.

  Not that he blamed her. It had been a brutal affair. He barely survived the meals himself. It took a strong mental strength to deal with his father and brother.

  “Do you love her still?” Brick asked as if they were talking about going to a baseball game and how good of seats he got.

  He stared at the label on the beer and started to pick at it. “I love her so much it hurts she told me it wasn’t going to work between us. She could be right.”

  “She’s dead ass wrong. And she lied.” Jaxson leaned even closer. “She lied to you.”

  Dane looked at him. “What?”

  “You know what I’m talking about.”

  Damn it. Dane knew Jaxson was baiting him. Gabriella swore she’d never lie to him, and he believed her. Yet, maybe she had lied when she said it wasn’t going to work between them. He should’ve asked her why. Why would she say that? Why would she think that? Why would she lie and say words she didn’t mean?

  Or maybe he was a fool for trusting her. Maybe she believed they wouldn’t work out in the long run.

  “Get off your ass and go to her.”

  That sounded like an order from Jaxson. The fierce look from Brick said he’d kick him out of the bar using the muscles stretched across his chest and arms.

  Fine.

  He’d go to her.

  And beg her to give them a chance.

  Because Jaxson was right.

  She was perfect for him.

  Gabby curled her legs underneath her and stared at the TV. She had no idea what was even on. She had flipped the switch, yet her eyes hadn’t processed anything.

  It had been a long week of work with barely processing much. She had a short temper, little patience, and she didn’t even organize the two filing cabinets the idiots at work purposely messed up.

  Just to get her out of her funk.

  It didn’t work.

  Nothing seemed to make her feel better. Not Jaxson’s comforting presence. Not Mia’s consoling words. Mia didn’t pry as much as Jaxson had. He wanted to know what happened. She refused to talk about it. To explain why she ended it.