Caden
We had pretty much avoided each other for the first part of the next week, neither of us too sure what to say to the other. One thing was for damn sure... she still had feelings for me. Whether it was love or something less intense, I wasn't sure. I planned on finding out on our trip to Texas for sure.
I adjusted my tie on the way into the restaurant that morning and glanced around to see if Luke had arrived yet. We were meeting with Frank Billingsly, which was one of my favorite clients that Luke and I had picked up. He was a Texas oilman, and where my brother had very little in common with him, I had tons. Luke always made sure to have me at the meetings with Frank so that we had a better chance of keeping the old coot happy.
Frank waved me over as I continued to scan the faces in the old-timey diner.
I walked over and extended my hand. "Mr. Billingsly. So good to see you."
"You too, son. Sit on down." He chuckled heartily as he shook my hand. "Your uppity brother is late, as per usual."
"Traffic is a bitch today. I had to leave the house half an hour early to make sure I could get over here in time." I ignored his comment about Luke. "Are you staying in the city for a few days?"
"No, I'm headed home later today. I've had enough of you fancy-pants guys. Well, those guys." He pointed to the people around him as I laughed. "Not you. You're home grown. You're just in the wrong city. When are you coming to work for me in Houston? Don't your folks live out that way?"
"Yes, Sir, they do." I turned my coffee cup right side up, and a waitress came right over and filled it up. "I'm sure our paths will cross sometime in the distant future. I miss home a lot."
"Shit, I bet. I hate it here. Everyone rushes around like they got someplace to be, and you know what?"
"What's that, Sir?" I lifted my cup to my lips and tried to contain my smile. The guy reminded me so damn much of Olivia's dad it wasn't even funny.
"They don't have anywhere to be. People that rush around all the damn time are just scared of what they'll have to face if they pause for a minute." He huffed loudly.
"And that would be?" I set my cup down and glanced at my watch. Luke was late. Idiot. Frank was going to give him hell and waste half the meeting on why it was imperative for my brother to learn respect. Though I agreed, it was rather uncomfortable.
"That without busyness they aren't anything. They have no assets of true value." He shrugged and leaned back in his seat. "Though, unless something has changed in your life, you don't either."
Here we go.
"And why don't you remind me of what those assets are? You know I love learning something new from you." I relaxed enough to let the twang of my accent seep back into my words. I tried like hell to hide it most days of the week and had gotten rather good at it. For some odd reason, New Yorkers thought that anyone who spoke with a slow drawl were slow people, which wasn't true at all.
"Do you have a big piece of land in God's country somewhere, Caden?"
"No, Sir. None other than the land my momma and daddy own. That'll be mine one day."
"And what about a nice house with a porch all the way around it where you and the missus can catch the kids all afternoon on Sundays. You got that, boy?"
"No, Sir. I sure don't." I smiled at the old man's excitement about the kind of life he had and the one I wanted.
"Right. How about that sweet southern belle? You got one of those to keep you warm at night and mend your heart when the world chews you up and spits you out? You got some little ones running around, tearing shit up and reminding you that a house of love is often overused and dirtier than one where busyness rules the day?"
I sat back as my smile faded. "Damn. I want all of that."
"Right you do." He popped the table and laughed, pulling me from my thoughts. "All country boys want that. Just because you're wearing this fancy-ass suit and are smarter than all these Wall Street Junkies, doesn't mean your heart doesn't long for the things that belong to you as a man. Stop living someone else's life, hm?"
"Frank. Are you trying to steal my brother away from me, again? I'm almost jealous of your power." Luke patted my back and took the seat beside me as he extended his hand to Frank. "Good to see you."
"You're late." Frank winked at me and shook my brother's hand. "That's what's wrong with you city boys."
I picked up my coffee and tried to stifle my smirk as our biggest investor gave my brother shit for twenty minutes on the hidden meanings of being late. I usually hated it, but this morning... I rather enjoyed the show.
****
I sat outside the office in my Lexus and waited for Olivia to come down. Luke had texted her after the meeting with Frank to get her stuff together and be looking for me. She walked out of the building and the wind picked up as if on cue. Her hair flew up, as did her blue wavy dress.
Her white panties were lacy and looked like sin on her as I jogged toward her as quickly as I could. I knelt in front of her and trapped her dress to her legs as a laugh bubbled up out of me.
"Did you see my panties?" Her sweet face was painted pink.
"Everybody did, but I'm thinking it didn't affect them nearly as much as it did me." I smiled as she swatted at me. "You remember old Frank Billingsly?"
"Let go of my dress, Caden. Get up." She tugged at my shoulder.
"The wind is still blowing. It will die down. Chill out." I brushed my hand down farther toward her knees so I wasn't holding her thighs. Every part of me ached for the chance to see those white panties again, to take them off with my teeth before giving her a night she wouldn't forget. I had to get my mind off of it all or I'd likely throw her over my shoulder and take her in the back seat of the car. Frank had unfortunately unlocked all the parts of me I kept tucked away. The old bastard had a way of doing that every time I saw him. I'd work for him one day... and I'd have the ranch with the big house, the beautiful bride and a whole yard full of kids.
"I know of Mr. Billingsly. He went to college with my dad." She stepped back and grabbed her luggage. "Come on. It's better now."
"I'll walk behind you just in case." I chuckled at the look she gave me over her shoulder. Where we'd been avoiding each other for the last few days, now was the time to make amends and figure a few things out. I wanted to start slow, to learn where she'd been and what she'd been up to since high school instead of diving into the trauma of our youth. Going to Texas together would give me that chance. I just had to play my cards right.
"He looked a lot older than your dad." I popped the trunk and took her bag for her.
"He's not. Daddy just aged well."
"How have you never met Frank if your daddy was good friends with him?" I lifted an eyebrow and closed the trunk before walking to my side of the car.
"They would have coffee in town at the Texan Restaurant. I just never went by there. I was too busy with cheer practice or running around with friends."
"Or sneaking kisses from a certain football player behind your daddy's barn?"
She rolled her eyes and got in the car as a laugh bubbled up in the center of my chest.
"You didn't really just bring that up, did you?" She glanced over at me with a smile on her lips. Her dark blue eyes seemed to have the power to drag me into the most tranquil of places.
A soft sigh left me as I nodded. "I did. I can still remember the taste of cinnamon on your lips."
"Stop it." She popped me in the chest and turned in her seat to face the front as a smile drew up her lips. "You're so damn corrupt."
"No, I'm not. I'm a good southern boy. I was just reminding you of a fun time in our lives." I shrugged, feigning innocence as I pulled out into the busyness of downtown. "What did you think your life would look like? Before all that shit happened with us. What did you want life to look like when you grew up?"
"I don't know."
"Yeah, you do. Tell me. Come on. Let's be friends for this trip and then we'll get back to stabbing at each other when we get home."
"I don't stab at you. I would never do that." Her tone hardened and she glanced over at me.
Maybe I had it all wrong. Maybe she hadn't spread that shit about me. Maybe someone else had and we'd eaten the lie it created, letting it destroy us because we were in a vulnerable time in our lives.
Wouldn't that be some shit?