“And yet every time we wake up with the laptop in between us the next morning.”
Brandon heaved an exaggerated sigh. “One day, Gemma. One day I’ll have the energy to make it through forty minutes of television in one sitting.”
“Of course, you will, darling,” his wife replied. “That’s what retirement’s for.”
Brandon groaned. “Get out of here,” he said, gently pushing her towards the bathroom.
As expected, twenty minutes into the show they were both sound asleep.
Chapter 3
“Hello?”
“Hey, Brandon, it’s Matt. I know you’re probably swamped with work but I’m downtown near your office and thought I’d see if you wanted to grab a coffee?”
It was late Tuesday afternoon and Brandon still had miles to go before he was done. But he also hadn’t had lunch. “That sounds great, actually. I could murder for a sandwich.”
“Excellent,” said Matt. “Do you have a favorite spot?”
“How about Pure Eatery on Virginia Ave., if that works for you? It’s right around the corner.”
“You’re the expert. I’ll follow your lead,” Matt laughed.
“Great. See you in ten minutes or so?”
“Perfect,” said Matt. “See you.”
Brandon took another look at his laptop. He had five different windows open on the screen and several copies of various contracts encircling his keyboard. The little computer would disappear underneath them before much longer. He rubbed a hand over his tired eyes, rolled his shoulders, cracked his neck, and grabbed his coat from the back of his seat. It would do him the world of good to get out for a few minutes. The paperwork would still be here when he got back. Unfortunately.
***
Hungrily, Brandon started in on his panini. “Thanks for the invitation, Matt. I really needed to get out of the office.”
Matt nodded, sipping a latte. “I know how easy it can be to forget to take a break.”
Brandon nodded, closing his eyes as he chewed. Pure Eatery made his favorite sandwiches.
Matt smiled. “Do you and Gemma come here for lunch sometimes?”
Wiping his mouth on a napkin, Brandon shook his head. “I wish. Her office is on the other side of town. We rarely have a long enough lunch break to meet in the middle.”
“What a waste,” said Matt. “All the more reason to take that vacation you keep talking about.”
“You’re telling me!” Brandon reached for his coffee. “How’s the set up going?”
“Very smooth, thanks,” Matt replied. “It’s all pretty cut and dried, to be honest.”
“Is the office near here?”
Matt shook his head. “It’s actually on the other side of town as well, near the art museum. I’m just in the neighborhood to talk to some suppliers. They always move faster if they have to deal with you in person.”
Brandon laughed, picking up his sandwich again. “I bet they do. But you’re right about Gemma. If you have the time, do me a favor and take her out for lunch too? She’s even worse than I am about forgetting to eat.”
Matt took another swig of coffee. “Of course, I will,” he said. “But I was actually thinking about asking both of you out to dinner sometime this week, if you have the time. I’d like to return the favor.”
Brandon swallowed and smiled. “Sounds fantastic. I’m sure Gemma would love to.”
“Great. Does Thursday work for you?”
“I think so. Every day is as bad as the other, in our world,” Brandon chuckled. “But I’ll ask Gemma and we’ll let you know?”
“Perfect. It’s a date.” Matt raised his latte in a toast and Brandon clinked his mug to it.
***
Gemma was working on the sofa, as usual, that evening when she heard the front door open and shut. She frowned. Putting her laptop on the coffee table, she got up and poked her head into the hallway. “Brandon?” she asked, surprised to see him.
“It’s not a good sign when my own wife sounds so surprised to see me for dinner.”
Gemma smiled, coming to put her arms around his neck. “Probably not,” she agreed. “I wasn’t expecting you home for hours. Is something wrong?”
“Again, not a good sign,” Brandon chuckled, wrapping her in his arms. “I had lunch with Matt today and it got me thinking. We haven’t had dinner together on a work night in weeks. I thought we could order in from that Thai place you love.”
“I’d love to, but I just had Thai last night. What about Italian?” Gemma rested her head on her husband’s shoulder, running a finger along his jaw. She hadn’t eaten Thai since last week, but she knew Brandon only ate it to please her. Some creamy manicotti would be much more up his alley.
“Even better,” Brandon kissed her hair and gently pushed her off so that he could hang up his coat. “I’ll call Mama Carolla’s. What would you like?”
“The Mediterranean pasta, please. And let’s go wild. What about cannoli for dessert? After all, who knows the next time we’ll have dinner together on a Tuesday!”
Brandon laughed, dialing the restaurant. “Hopefully next week, like normal people.”
“I love it when you dream big,” said Gemma.
Her husband grinned down at her. “That’s why you married me isn’t it? Go finish whatever you were working on. I’ll join you in a second.”
They spent the next half an hour working quietly together in the living room until the food came. Even if it wasn’t a romantic night on the town, Gemma was happy just to have Brandon around. When the pasta arrived, they took a break from their work and Gemma poured them both some wine.
“To the big dreams,” said Gemma, toasting.
Brandon laughed and raised his glass. “Oh! I forgot to tell you. Matt wants to take us out for dinner on Thursday. Do you have time?”
Gemma thought about this while she speared a cherry tomato with her fork. “I make time,” she said eventually. “I mean, it’d be such a shame not to. He’s only in town for a little while.”
“And he’s such a great guy to have around,” Brandon blew on a bite of steaming manicotti. “It’s not every day you meet someone who can charm the wife and the husband.”
“True,” Gemma smiled. “He’s certainly not one of your usual sports buddies, that for sure.”
Brandon chewed his manicotti blissfully. “I’ll let him know Thursday’s a go then,” he said when he’d finally swallowed.
***
Thursday night rolled around, and Gemma and Brandon bumped into each other outside Fogo de Chao, both coming straight from work.
“Hi, sweetheart,” Brandon leaned down to kiss her cheek. “How’s the office?”
Gemma put her arm through his. “Oh, the same as always: a total madhouse. Yours?”
“About the same. I’m absolutely starving. I hope this place has breadsticks!”
Gemma laughed. Brandon was notorious for eating all and any pre-meal nibbles restaurants provided.
“I doubt it, honey,” she said. “I don’t think Brazilian steakhouses are really known for their breadsticks.”
“You’re breaking my heart, sweetie,” Brandon replied as they headed inside. Even before they made it to the host’s stand, they’d spotted Matt waving from the depths of the restaurant.
“That’s our table there,” Brandon said to the hostess before she could say anything.
“All right then,” the woman smiled. “Let’s get you to it.”
Matt rose to greet them, clapping Brandon on the back and giving Gemma a quick peck on the cheek. “So glad to see you guys. I am dying of hunger.”
“So you’re not just glad of our company, then?” Gemma quipped.
Matt chuckled. “I’ve really got to stay on my toes with you, don’t I? Of course, I’m glad of your company. But I won’t be able to appreciate it fully until I’ve put something in my mouth.” He turned to the hostess before she could retreat to her stand. “Could we get some bread or something, please?”
> “Of course,” she smiled. “I’ll have some sent around.”
“Perfect, thanks,” Matt flashed her a charming smile.
“A man after my own heart,” said Brandon as he perused the menu. “I can never wait until dinner actually arrives. Oh, look at those steaks.” His eyes wandered, following a passing waiter whose arms were laden with a variety of grilled meats.
“Focus, Brandon, focus,” said Gemma. “The faster you order, the faster you eat.”
“Right, right,” Brandon nodded, burying his nose in the menu.
“Do you know what you’d like?” Matt asked Gemma, smiling. His warm eyes crinkled behind his glasses.
“The mango sea bass,” she replied, forcing her eyes back to her menu. “I’ve heard it’s to die for. You?”
Matt gnawed his lip. “I don’t know yet. I’m terrible at choosing for myself. I always want to try everything.”
Brandon chuckled. “Can’t blame you when the choices are this good,” he said.
“Exactly,” Matt replied, licking his lips.
That night, Gemma and Brandon went to bed together happy, full, and exhausted. Gemma lay in the curve of Brandon’s arm, his other wrapped around her. She looked at the far wall, thinking. Between dinner tonight and Brandon’s surprise appearance on Tuesday, they’d seen more of each other this week than any other in months. It made her realize how much she missed having her husband around. If the push they needed to spend a little more time together was Matt, then she was grateful he had come into their lives. If only she could get him out of her mind.
Ever since she’d met him, she’d known Brandon was the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She’d had other boyfriends in college, but no one had ever been able to make her laugh like he did. He made everything they did together interesting and funny. And laughter, she’d soon learned, turned her on more than anything else. It wasn’t that he didn’t make her laugh anymore, it was that they were so tired and busy that, when they did have time together, laughter was as far as they got; the desire that used to drive them had faded. She was still wildly in love with Brandon, but she wished he could make her stomach flip flop like Matt did.
With a sigh, Gemma closed her eyes and tried to think of something else. But, as tired as she was, it was a long time before she fell asleep.
Chapter 4
On Tuesday, Gemma found a surprise visitor waiting in her office when she returned from the day’s first round of meetings.
“Matt! What a lovely surprise!” she smiled, putting her things down on the desk.
Matt rose to greet her, kissing her cheek as always, laying a hand on her arm. Gemma felt goose bumps rise and fall under the thin fabric of her pale green blouse.
“When Brandon and I had lunch last week he said I should stop by and take you out next time I had the chance. The office site is just around the corner from here,” Matt explained. With a mischievous grin, he continued, “He told me that you’re even worse than him at forgetting to eat.”
“He said that?” Gemma put her hands on her hips, pretending to be put out. “Me? Forget to eat? Never! I’ll eat when lunch break rolls around, just like everyone else.”
“Gemma, it’s already nearly 2:00. Lunch time has come and gone.”
“Oh,” said Gemma, looking up at him sheepishly.
“Do you have time to grab a quick bite? You could probably do with it.”
“Yeah, that would be great.” Wearily, Gemma smoothed a hand over her tightly coiled hair. “Just let me tell my assistant to forward my calls.”
“Of course,” said Matt, pulling a dark brown sports jacket over his blue checked shirt. He was wearing those black jeans again, Gemma noticed as she dialed the extension. She bit her lip and focused on the phone.
They went over to the Indianapolis Museum of Art because Gemma insisted its café had a surprisingly good lunch menu for a museum.
“Plus I just love this place,” said Gemma, as her cappuccino arrived. “I minored in art history in college. Brandon used to take me here on dates. It was a foolproof way for him to get laid.” She put a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide. “I… sorry, that was --”
“No, no,” said Matt, laughing. “Don’t apologize. Art really gets you going, then?” He waggled his eyebrows at her, “Is it all those nudes?”
Blushing, Gemma shook her head. “No, it was being challenged intellectually. Brandon would always ask questions about why such-and-such a piece was so important or what have you. I had to think about my answers. And that’s…that’s what ‘got me going,’ as it were.” She smiled down into her coffee at the memory.
“Nothing to be ashamed of in that,” said Matt, sipping his tea. “Do you guys still come here often?”
Gemma shook her head ruefully. “Haven’t been in years. The rest of our lives are a bit too challenging, I’m afraid. And not in a good way. But enough about me. How was golf with Brandon on Sunday? It’s such a boy’s club. You know, I’ve never even been on the green?”
“No, really? You should. It’s great. Plus the clubhouse makes excellent fish and chips.”
“Yes, I’ve heard rumors to that extent,” Gemma smiled over the rim of her mug.
“You need to make Brandon take you. The batter is just to die for. Do you play golf?”
Gemma shook her head. “No, never had the patience for it. All that wandering around, lining up the ball and the hole and the club. I like my physical activity to be intense and my hobbies to be relaxing. Golf is halfway between the two. It seriously needs to make up its mind.”
Matt laughed, half choking on his tea. “So true,” he managed once he’d caught his breath. “I wasn’t a huge fan, to begin with, to be honest. But it was a necessary skill for my line of work and now I actually really enjoy it. It can be quite meditative, all that lining up the ball and the hole and the club.”
“If you say so,” Gemma smiled. Her smile grew even wider as their food approached. “Ooh, I’m so glad we didn’t miss lunch service. Their soups are so delicious.” She rubbed her hands together and Matt grinned back at her, one corner of his mouth a little higher than the other. Gemma’s stomach did somersaults.
“Also, Brandon said you fly out on Sunday morning, is that right?” she asked, busying herself with her food.
“I’m afraid so,” Matt replied.
“So soon! What a pity. You only just got here.”
Matt nodded, tossing his salad. “Such is the life, I’m afraid. And I have to say, I’ll miss this posting more than most.”
Gemma looked up, biting her lip. “Well,” she began, softer than she’d wanted to. She cleared her throat and started again. “Well, Brandon and I were thinking that we absolutely can’t let you leave without a goodbye party. What would you say to another barbecue? Saturday night?”
“Sounds divine. I’d love to,” said Matt. “Then we’ll have come full circle.”
“Exactly,” Gemma nodded. “Oh, there is one thing, though. Brandon says you can’t come unless you bring some more of those, and I quote, ‘artsy-fartsy hipster beers.’ I’m afraid you got him hooked.”
Matt shook his head. “I warned him this would happen. Tell him not to worry. I won’t let him down.”
“I’ll let him know,” Gemma grinned.
***
Saturday evening arrived sunny but with a perfect amount of breeze. Under the clematis, the table had been stocked with plenty wine, despite the promise of Matt’s artisanal beers.
“You can never have too much wine,” said Gemma, when Brandon pointed that out. “How long have we been married? You should know that by now.”
“Fair point,” Brandon replied, adjusting the ties of his red and white checked barbecuing apron around his hips.
“Howdy neighbors!” Matt waved from behind the gate, a six-pack of beer in hand.
“Hello! I’ll be right there!” Gemma smiled at her husband and went to open the gate for Matt, whose hands were full. As always, Matt leaned down to kis
s her cheek.
“I’ve got my eye on you, buddy!” Brandon called from the barbecue, waving a pair of tongs.
Gemma started guiltily, but Matt just laughed. “Don’t get jealous, Brandon. You know you’re the one I’m really here for.”
Brandon guffawed, opening his arms to their new friend. “I know, I know. But I wouldn’t blame you. I mean, really. Look at her.”
Both men turned to Gemma, open appreciation in their eyes. She could feel the blood rise in her cheeks. “Oh stop it, you two!” she said, looking away.
Taming The Billionaire Page 44