Twenty

Zoe was finding out the hard way that avoiding someone who worked in the same building was tricky. Dylan had given her a week, but his calls, texts, and attempts to see her were increasing in frequency and she was almost certain he was watching for her car on the Oceanix surveillance system now. He certainly had a habit of showing up at the coffee shop right after she did. Up until now, she’d managed to always be busy with something, but today she was screwed. The shop had a few people in it, but there was no one at the counter waiting to be served, nor any emergencies she could come up with that she hadn’t already used. No, today she was fresh out of ideas and it was time to face the music—or Dylan. “Good morning.” She forced a smile as he took a seat on a stool in front of her.

He studied her carefully as if looking for a clue as to what she was thinking. “Morning, sweetheart. It’s good to see you.”

“You too,” she replied truthfully. Because even as she’d been avoiding him, she’d missed her friend. There was a hole in her life without him that she didn’t know quite what to do with.

Running a hand through his hair, he asked, “Will you talk to me now? I know you’ve been trying to dodge me for days, but I can’t take it any longer, sweetheart. I need to know what’s going on with you. Hell, I’ve resorted to bribing half the people at the front desk, the concierge, and the cleaning crew to tell me when you get here every morning. I even groveled to Dana, who told me to do something I’m not sure is even possible with my dick.”

Zoe burst out laughing, picturing Dylan lowering his pride for a chance to talk to her. It was a bit of an invasion of her privacy, but the reasoning behind it was sweet. Plus, she hadn’t left him much choice. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you and Dana. I’d say you liked each other since you fight so much, but I don’t think she has any secret feelings for you.”

“Oh, she certainly doesn’t,” he agreed. “She lets me know exactly what she thinks every time she sees me.” They share an amused look before his expression turned serious. “They contacted you about Josh, I heard. I forgot to mention your mother in the list of people I’ve tried bribing for information on you.”

“Yeah,” she said softly. “I guess having a rich and powerful daddy helps when you’re in trouble.”

“He won’t be coming anywhere near you again, sweetheart, I promise.” For the first time, she noticed his scraped, discolored, and raw knuckles. Surely he didn’t?

She reached out and picked up one of his hands. He winced slightly, but that was his only reaction. “You went after him, didn’t you?”

He turned his hand until their fingers were threaded together. “What else would you have me do? He almost got you killed, Zoe. There was no way I could let that go. He hurt you and betrayed me. His daddy might have gotten him off with community service, but even he was smart enough to stand back and let me at him. He also told me that Josh will be moving back to Chicago with him indefinitely.”

“Really?” Zoe asked, sagging with relief at the news. She knew that with him here, she’d always be looking over her shoulder, which was no way to live. “Do you believe him?”

“Actually I do. He’s a hard-ass. He won’t tolerate something like this happening in his backyard again. He controls the money, so in a sense, he controls Josh through it.”

“Thank God,” she whispered. “That really gives me some closure.”

“Where are we at, baby?” She’d been expecting a similar question, but found she still wasn’t prepared for it. Yet she could no longer put this off; he deserved more than that.

“I love you, Dylan. I can’t remember a time in my life when I haven’t. I once thought that I could handle anything as long as we were together and you felt the same way.”

“Why do I sense a ‘but’ in all of that?” he asked solemnly.

She gave him a sad smile. “You’re a very busy man and that’s okay. I work a lot of crazy hours too, so I understand that it’s necessary sometimes. As much as I love you, I don’t want to spend my life waiting for you to come home. I want to get married and have a family one day. But I don’t want to do it as a single parent. I was raised by a mother that tried her best to fill both roles for me, but I still felt it when the other kids at school brought their dads to special events and mine wasn’t there. I . . . I need something to change, Dylan. I know you have a demanding job, but there has to be a way to have a life outside of the office.”

Zoe was surprised when he sat quietly through her entire speech. She’d expected some interruptions or objections, but he’d said nothing. Wow, doesn’t this bother him at all?

When she was finished, he leaned over the counter and kissed her cheek. “I completely understand what you’re saying. Would you agree to have dinner with me tonight? I’ll send a car for you. That way, if you want to leave afterward, you won’t be dependent on me for a ride home.” When she hesitated, he added, “I think we owe each other that much, don’t we?”

“All right,” she agreed. “I’ll be ready at seven if that works for you?”

Getting to his feet, he said, “It’s perfect. I’ll arrange everything. Thanks for not running from me today.” And with that, he was gone and she was something akin to stunned. Or maybe hurt was a more accurate description of what she was feeling. Did he not care what she’d said? Sure, he’d asked to see her tonight, but he’d given no indication that he had any intentions of trying to meet her halfway.

“So what’s going on with him?” Dana asked as she walked up to stand next to her.

“I have absolutely no idea,” Zoe admitted, “but I think I’m getting a consolation dinner tonight.”

“He broke up with you?” the other woman asked in shock.

“No—that’s the funny thing. I kind of gave him an ultimatum in a roundabout way. But somehow I feel as if I’ve played right into his hands. Almost as if there’s a plan in place that I don’t know about.”

“Huh,” Dana murmured. “I don’t suppose you’d let me come along.”

“Um, no,” Zoe said, laughing, “not a chance. Although you should probably keep your phone handy in case I need to be talked off a ledge.”

“You laid it on the line for him,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, but I guess I didn’t think he’d seem so unaffected by it.”

“He loves you, Zoe. He just needs to realize that while he can. Men are slow sometimes, but I have a feeling he’ll get the memo after your little talk today. If not, Mike’s still single.”

“Oh God,” Zoe moaned before turning away. What have I done?

•   •   •

Dylan got to his feet as Zoe approached the table. She was stunning in a simple black dress with thin straps that showed off the generous swell of her breasts. Down, boy. Save it for later. You’ve got more important matters to take care of first. “You look beautiful,” he said sincerely as he pulled a chair out for her. He’d chosen a local seafood bistro that was one of their favorites. He’d arranged ahead of time to have a secluded table in the corner where they’d have some privacy. Of course, as Ash walked up behind her, he didn’t know why that was necessary with his brother along.

“Thank you,” she replied as Dylan leaned in to kiss her cheek. Fuck, I want to taste those lips again.

“You do look hot,” Ash said, causing Zoe to whirl around in shock.

“Asher . . . um, hi. I—I didn’t know you were going to be here,” she stuttered before shooting Dylan a questioning look.

“He won’t be staying for the meal,” he assured her. “I just needed him to drop by for a bit to help me out.”

She looked confused as to what he’d need assistance with, but she shrugged and took the seat that he indicated. He took his own, leaving the last one for Ash. When Ash took a laptop from the bag he was carrying and set it on the table, Dylan shot him a “what the hell” look. They made small talk until they were relaxing with a bottle of wine. Finally, Zoe said, “All right, this is starting to freak me out. What are we all doing here?”

Before he could answer, Ash laughed and flipped the top on his computer open to show what looked like a PowerPoint presentation. Sure to God he wasn’t going to talk work while Dylan was trying to convince Zoe that he’d changed. “I—um, want to talk to you about some new developments that you’re unaware of. I’m hoping they’ll make a difference to you.”

“That’s where I come in,” Ash interjected. “Instead of us both boring you with a lot of promises, I thought I’d make it easier to understand.” No, he didn’t. Dylan closed his eyes briefly before glancing at Zoe. She was staring at the screen as if fascinated, which he thought was a good sign. As long as this wasn’t some disaster that Ash had made as a joke. The first few screens were basic facts about how the Pensacola location did more business than the others. He had to admit, his brother had skillfully shown why Dylan stayed so busy. He’d also listed all the projects that they had in the works now and in the future.

Shit, now she just looked depressed. This was only confirming her beliefs that he’d never have enough time for her. “Could we get to the point?” He nudged his brother under the table. At this rate, she’d run from the restaurant and never speak to him again before he could get to the best part.

Ash glared at him. He was rather OCD about his presentations and being rushed wasn’t something he liked. Thankfully he clicked a few more times and Dylan found himself laughing as a big selfie of his brother filled the screen. At least he’s wearing clothes. “So yours truly will be moving to Pensacola and dividing the daily responsibilities with Dylan. We’ve known for a while that the resort is getting too big for one person to handle. My operations manager will take over in Charleston and I’ll be here permanently within a month. There will still be some things to work through as we find the right balance, but this should lighten Dylan’s load, allowing him to spend more time with you.” With another click, Zoe’s image filled the screen with hearts circling her head. Sweet Lord.

She threw back her head and laughed before clapping. “That was one of the most informative things I’ve ever seen. Plus, I now know so much more than I did about the Oceanix.”

“I am pretty amazing,” Ash bragged. “Oh, wait, I forgot one thing.” Click. No way! There on the damned screen was a picture of a man on his knees with a diamond extended toward a woman.

While she was gaping at the image, Ash was motioning for him to take action. This was not at all what he’d had in mind for tonight, but the jig was up now. Ash obviously had no intention of leaving before the good part. So Dylan slipped from his seat and almost fell flat on his face before he finally ended up in the correct position. Click. Dylan leaned to the side incredulously to see yet another picture, this one instructing her to look down. “I—um, love you so much, Zoe. Will you marry me?” Real smooth. How could she resist that?

Tears were running down her cheeks and he had no idea if they were happy or sad ones. Maybe she just felt sorry for him for making a fool out of himself. Then she flew into his arms, knocking him back against the seat as she peppered kisses all over his face. “I can’t believe you did all of this for me.”

“Technically I did it,” Ash inserted before Dylan shot him a look.

“Yes, a thousand times yes! I love you too, Dylan, and I never wanted to be without you. I just couldn’t come last anymore. Please say that you understand.”

“Of course, sweetheart. I’m ashamed to say that it took almost losing you to make me see that you’re more important than anything else in my life. Without you, I can’t breathe. You’re my one constant and you always have been.”

“Oh, Dylan,” she cried as he slid the ring on her finger. Click. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the screen change to the words “And they lived happily ever after.” For once he had to concede that his brother was indeed a master when it came to presentations. He’d just helped Dylan close the biggest deal of his life.