The Billionaire's Homecoming

by Christina Tetreault

  “I can’t believe you’ve been back a few weeks and haven’t stopped by or at least called us,” Aunt Marilyn said when she spotted him.

  Dad’s only sister, Aunt Marilyn, had always been his favorite aunt, although he’d never tell anyone else that because he adored Aunt Elizabeth and had loved spending time with Aunt Donna before she passed away. Aunt Marilyn though had always been the most laid-back of the group. He didn’t know how she’d turned out like that. All three of her brothers, as well as Brett’s grandparents, were all so uptight and proper. Somehow Aunt Marilyn had managed to follow her own path.

  “This campaign has taken over my life, Aunt Marilyn. I’ll try to visit soon,” he said as he mentally ran through his upcoming schedule. “I’m not sure when, but sometime in the next few weeks.”

  “Only if you have the time. Don’t go out of your way to visit, but a phone call now and then would be wonderful,” she said.

  “That I can definitely do,” Brett answered.

  ***

  He spent the next few hours catching up with his family and then enjoying a long, leisurely lunch. However, when the woman began discussing color schemes and floral arrangements best suited for a spring wedding, he along with the other male members of the family split. Now Brett, his cousins, and Rock, Allison’s fiancée, were seated in the library enjoying drinks and conversations that didn’t involve whether Allison’s bridal bouquet should contain roses or not. The older male members of the family and Rock’s father had hidden themselves in Uncle Mark’s office until the debate over the best color for bridesmaid dresses ended. With so many women present and sharing their ideas, Brett knew all the men would be in hiding for a decent amount of time.

  “Are you positive you want to join this family?” Brett asked. “There’s still time to run. Once you say ‘I do’ you’re stuck. There will be no turning back.”

  A United States Marine, Rock was stationed in Quantico, Virginia, and Brett had gotten to know his cousin’s fiancé well. Since he already considered Rock part of the family, he had no qualms about giving the man a hard time like he would anyone else seated around them.

  “It’s already too late. If I tried to run away, Allison would track me down,” Rock answered with a grim expression. An expression Brett knew was all an act. The guy adored Allison.

  “Yeah, and if she didn’t, I would. And don’t forget it,” Derek said. Although he and Allison were twins and only minutes apart, Derek had always played the role of protective older brother. It drove Allison crazy. Brett figured it was part of why Derek insisted on doing it.

  “Allison doesn’t need our help, and we all know it,” Trent said before looking at Rock, who was not only his sister’s fiancé but also his wife’s older brother. “But we’d still step in if the need ever came up. Which we know it won’t.”

  Sometimes he felt sorry for Allison. His cousin had four brothers and all of them, even Alec who was younger than Allison, had always kept a watchful eye over her. Especially after their mom passed away. “Welcome to the family, Rock.” Brett raised his glass in a toast before he took a sip.

  “So, when’s your trip to the altar going to be?” Trent asked, finally giving Allison’s fiancé a break and looking at Brett.

  “Yeah, we’re going to have to add your name to the pool,” Jake said.

  “My money is still on Scott,” Derek said, referring to their cousin who hadn’t made it to the party. “He and Paige will get married first.” Derek smiled as if he knew something everyone else didn’t.

  Brett looked across to his brother. “I’m guessing they already added your name, little brother.”

  Curt only shrugged. “First I’m hearing of this,” he said, and looked at their smiling cousin. “What do you know the rest of us don’t, Derek?”

  “Scott planned to propose this weekend. Unless Paige realized she could do better, they should be engaged as of now,” Derek answered.

  “Looks like you two are way behind in the running,” Trent said.

  Jake put his glass down on a side table. “I don’t know, Trent. They’ve both introduced their girlfriends to the family. They might not be as far behind Scott in the race to the altar as you think.”

  Trent seemed to consider Jake’s words, and Brett waited to hear what words of wisdom he’d spit out next. Trent didn’t keep him waiting long.

  “Excellent point, Jake. I believe you’re right. With all these weddings coming up, maybe I should buy another tuxedo in case they plan back-to-back ceremonies.” Trent looked over at Alec, his youngest brother and the only single man in the room. “Maybe you can get in on this too. We can have one large wedding and save everyone a lot of time.”

  “Allison would never go for it. And for now I’m happy being single,” Alec said. “I’ll leave the serious relationship stuff to you old guys.”

  Brett had been happy single too. Over the past couple weeks though, he’d realized what he’d been missing by being alone. And he had no plans to give up what he’d found.

  Chapter Ten

  “I wish they’d find something else to talk about,” Eden said.

  Jen looked away from her computer screen and at her coworker. Before Jen’s promotion and move to her own office, she’d sat in the cubicle next to Eden’s. Back then it’d been common for them to chat during the day. Despite Jen’s move to a real office with four walls and a door, they still visited with each other. At the moment, Eden stood at Jen’s open door, a paper coffee cup from Ambrosia in her hand.

  “Who would stop talking about what?” She’d been working on the same project all day, and a short conversation with Eden would be a nice break for both her brain and eyes.

  Her coworker walked inside and sat down at one of the chairs near the desk. “The silly special election in Massachusetts. No matter what news site I check, there’s a story about it. I don’t live in Massachusetts and don’t care who wins. There must be something else important the reporters can find to write about.”

  Jen might not live in Massachusetts, but she had strong feelings about the upcoming vote. On one hand, she wanted Brett to win. She knew how important it was to him. At the same time, she knew a win would also mean he’d relocate to DC for at least part of the year. She didn’t know how such a move might affect them. They hadn’t discussed it, but if he won, he might end their new relationship. Even if he didn’t, distance could put a strain on even time-tested relationships. With theirs being so new, the stress might be too much. When she considered that, she hoped Brett lost to Ted Smith in the primary. Unfortunately, those thoughts always kicked her guilt into action, making her feel like the worst girlfriend alive.

  “And it’s not just on the news and all over the internet. Last night I saw commercials for all the candidates multiple times while I was watching television. Seriously, if you have to show so many, put them on Massachusetts stations,” Eden said.

  She’d stopped watching regular television a long time ago because of all the commercials. Now she either set her DVR to record her favorite shows, allowing her to fast-forward through the commercials, or she watched shows on demand. Perhaps her friend should consider doing the same thing.

  “New England’s a small area. People often watch stations from other states. I’m not surprised they’re all playing the same commercials,” Jen said.

  Eden pushed her eyeglasses on top of her head. “The media is only doing it because a Sherbrooke is running. If anyone else were going against Ted Smith, the coverage would be much less. And if after the primary it ends up being Ted Smith against, say, Gina Hammond, they’ll hardly report anything anymore.”

  Jen didn’t completely agree with her friend’s assessment. This particular election was perhaps more important than most since it could change the balance of power in the Senate. So while Brett’s involvement might be increasing the coverage slightly, there was a lot at stake. Even if he didn’t win the primary, the media would stay focused on the election until the end.

  “A
t least it won’t last too much longer. The primary is on November 7 and then the election will be December 19.” Both dates were etched into her mind.

  “Yeah, but then it’ll all be replaced with stuff about the presidential primary and that election. I guess I better get used to it. Maybe some new big Hollywood scandal will break and distract the media from the election for a bit, giving us all break from politics.”

  “Do what I do. Record your favorite shows, then you can watch them when you want and skip over the commercials,” Jen said.

  “Sometimes I do, but often I hate waiting. And my boyfriend and I never record a football or baseball game. It’s too easy to overhear people talking about it before we get a chance to watch it. Last night during the baseball game, every single break featured a political ad. Most were for either Ted Smith or Vince Reed, but even the third-party candidates got some air time.”

  The phone on Jen’s desk rang, temporarily halting their conversation. The extension number displayed on the screen indicated the call was from the office receptionist and not an outside line. “Hello,” she said. She didn’t have any scheduled meetings for this afternoon and her clients usually called her line directly rather than go through Willow.

  “Jennifer, you have a visitor here to see you,” Willow, the receptionist, said.

  Clients came to see her when they had appointments, but no one else. If her sister or mom did come to the city, they always met somewhere. They never unexpectedly showed up at the office. Actually, Jen didn’t think either had ever stepped foot in the building. If one of them was there now, something terrible must have occurred. Jen ran her tongue over her bottom lip before she asked her next question. “Who is it?”

  “Brett Sherbrooke.”

  Jen picked up on the excitement and the curiosity in the receptionist’s voice.

  “I don’t see his name on your schedule. Should I show him to your office?” Willow asked.

  They hadn’t seen each other as much as she would’ve liked since his cousin’s engagement party, but they’d talked on the phone on the days they couldn’t get together. During those conversations, he always shared his upcoming schedule. She knew today he’d had an event in Seekonk. When they talked yesterday, he hadn’t mentioned stopping in to see her afterward. “Uh, sure, Willow. That’s fine. Thank you.”

  “Is something wrong?” Eden asked when Jen put down the phone receiver.

  Jen shook her head and saved the document she was working on. Then she closed the file folder she had open on her desk. “No. There’s just someone here to see me.”

  Outside of their families and the few people they’d talked to at the North Salem block party, no one knew of their involvement. She wasn’t opposed to other people learning, but she wasn’t sure how she felt about some of the first people being her coworkers. While she got along with all of them, there was only a handful such as Eden she actually considered a friend. She’d rather not provide the office with this week’s water cooler gossip, and that was sure to happen if people saw Brett walk into her office.

  Eden slipped her eyeglasses back on and picked up her paper coffee cup. “I was hoping to pass enough time so I didn’t have to do any more work today. Oh well, I guess I’ll have to spend a few more minutes at my desk.” She came to her feet. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a nice night.”

  She liked Eden as a person, but as an employee was another story. Her friend had a tendency to procrastinate and waste time, which was why she’d been passed over for so many promotions despite the number of years she’d worked at the firm.

  “See you tomorrow.” Jen watched Eden step out of the office, and then she turned her attention back to her desk. She didn’t want anything left out with a client’s personal information on display. While her work wasn’t top secret or anything, she believed the firm’s clients would want their privacy. She knew she would.

  “You’ll never guess who’s here.” Eden’s excited voice announced she’d reentered Jen’s office. “Brett Sherbrooke. Willow is bringing him back to see someone,” she said, not giving Jen a chance to speak. “We were just talking about him. I can’t believe he’s here. I wonder who he is meeting with? I bet he’s here to see Leovanni.”

  Leovanni Pike was the firm’s president, and if Jen didn’t know the truth, she would’ve made the same assumption. Should she tell Eden the truth or let her be surprised when Willow and Brett stopped at her office? “He’s not meeting with Leovanni,” she said.

  Eden looked toward her, and Jen knew the second Eden realized whose office Willow and Brett were headed for. “That’s right. Willow called because you have a visitor. He’s your visitor. Why is Brett Sherbrooke here to see you?” she asked in a low whisper before glancing back over her shoulder. “Never mind. They’re almost here. You can tell me later.” She bolted from the office and down the hall.

  She’d seen him in various types of clothing, but until now she’d hadn’t seen him in a suit. Standing there dressed in a perfectly tailored three-piece charcoal-gray suit, he looked every inch the polished Washington politician. It’s only Brett.

  “This is Jennifer’s office.” Willow stopped just outside the doorway and gestured toward the open door.

  Brett smiled. It was the same smile he’d used for the photographer who had taken the picture that graced the landing page of the Providence Gazette’s website this morning. A similar picture had been attached to an article in the Boston Times earlier in the week. Jen had dubbed the expression his campaign smile. While it looked natural, it wasn’t the same smile he shared with her or his family.

  “Thank you for your help. I appreciate it,” he said, earning him a smile from Willow before she walked away.

  When he turned his full attention Jen’s way, he gave her a true smile and her thoughts immediately went to their good-night kiss Sunday night. It was closing in on five thirty, so most people would be leaving for the night. Perhaps if she closed the door, she could give him a similar one now.

  “I should’ve called first.” Brett moved the knot of his dark blue tie down a smidge. “I hope you don’t mind that I stopped in, but I missed you, and Providence was on my way home.”

  I missed you. He’d said the same three words during each of their conversations this week. The sentiment was returned 100 percent.

  “Of course not. I’m glad you did. I’ve missed you too.” Jen walked around her desk and closed the door, intending to give him at least a hug. Brett beat her to it. The moment the door clicked, he stepped close and pulled her into his arms.

  “The whole drive here I had one thing on my mind,” he said.

  “A sweet snack?” she asked. The man had a sweet tooth that surpassed a five-year-old child’s.

  He lowered his head toward hers, stopping when their lips were mere inches apart. “Not exactly.” He brushed his lips across hers, a light caress she somehow felt from the tips of her toes to the top of her head.

  “That’s what you were thinking about?”

  “As well as a few other things we unfortunately can’t do in your office.” Brett winked at her.

  For a moment, she considered the likelihood of anyone knocking on the office door. Almost as quickly she dismissed the idea. No matter how much you wanted to, there were some things you didn’t do in your office. “I can leave soon. Do you want to come to my house? I can cook us dinner.” And we can do anything else we want.

  He touched his forehead against hers. “I’d like nothing more.”

  “I hear a ‘but’ in your voice,” she said.

  “But I’ve got a meeting with Carl and my team tonight.” He sounded as disappointed as she felt. “Between work and all the other events this week, it was the only time I could squeeze in a meeting with them all.”

  Standing so close, she could see the dark circles under his eyes. It was clear he’d been burning the candle at both ends all week. She still believed he should take a leave of absence from work. She’d suggested it twice now, and he’d insist
ed it wasn’t necessary. As much as she wanted to, she wouldn’t suggest it again. Jen hoped either someone on his campaign team or a family member would, though. He couldn’t keep up his current schedule forever and not burn himself out.

  “Can I get a rain check?” he asked before glancing at his wristwatch.

  Jen checked the time too. She could pack up and head home. “Anytime.”

  “Outstanding.” He slid his tie down another fraction of an inch. “If I have any hope of making it to my meeting on time, I’ve got to go. Can you leave now? I parked in your parking garage, so if you can leave we can walk over together.”

  “Let me grab my things.” It wouldn’t take long to get from her office building to the parking garage, but she’d take what time she could get with him.

  It wasn’t a surprise that most of the employees were gone as they walked through the office. With summer approaching its unofficial end, Labor Day weekend, everyone wanted to squeeze in what little time was left before children went back to school and the days became cooler. Since so many people had already left for the night and wouldn’t see her and Brett leaving together, Jen hoped the gossip would be kept to a minimum tomorrow.

  Downstairs Brett pushed open the door, and hot, humid air hit Jen head-on. She hadn’t left the building all day, and the high temperature now was a big change from this morning. Behind her, Brett continued to hold the door as two other women exited after them. He didn’t show it, but the poor man must be dying in his suit and tie.

  “How long do you think your meeting will last?” she asked once they started down the sidewalk.