Brynn

 

 

"You know that I'm a Bishop?" I furrow my brow. "How do you know that?"

Cooper Lannen chuckles. "Julian told me all about your design business when he toured one of our other projects a year ago. I commended him on the seamless opening of the Bishop Hotel on Fifth Avenue. I mentioned how much I loved the interior design and he told me that you'd had a hand in that."

I had more of a pinky finger than an entire hand in that.

Julian hired one of the design firms who he's worked with for years to handle the interiors of the hotel rooms and the lobby. The building itself has so much rich architectural history that it made the job of the design team simple. They played off the hotel's innate charm to create rooms that are elegant and sophisticated.

My one and only role on that job was to oversee the area rugs in the lobby.

I may not have put my stamp on the space, but it was a notable addition to my portfolio.

"So, as I was saying." He pockets his phone.  He took another short call after telling me I had the job. I was grateful when his phone rang. It gave me the minute I needed to swallow back the rush of emotion I felt bearing down on me. By the time he ended his call, I was back in control, or at least I appeared to be. My heart is still racing. I can practically hear its beat in my ears. "I talked it over with my kids and we all agreed that your pitch stood out from the rest and I need to say I respect the fact that you don't depend on your surname professionally. Your father has a lot to be proud of when it comes to you."

He might be. I wouldn't know. We don't talk business.

"My children are taking over the business next fall."  He shakes his head and looks past me at the blank canvas that I'll soon transform into the show suite that a broker will use as an integral part of the marketing campaign to sell out the building. "It's not easy for me to hand the reins of my life's work over to those three."

I don't know any of them. I've read about Mr. Lannen's children, but that was only because I wanted to understand the full scope of the business. Each of his two daughters heads a specific division within the company and his son is in charge of international acquisitions. Even though Sonya Lannen runs the residential developments, her dad took the lead on this building. I can see why. Cooper's proud of The Beryl. That's evident in the care he's taking with its launch.

"I can't imagine how that must feel, Mr. Lannen," I admit. "I don't have any children."

"They're more trouble than they're worth." He hides a smile behind his fingers as he touches his gray beard. "I love my kids but not enough to give them control of this building. This is my last hurrah and you're just the girl to help send me off into retirement in style."

I know I am. I'm going to kick ass so hard on this project that when his children are in the market for an interior designer in the future, Brynn Janie Interiors, will be the only name on their list.

 

***

 

"I think I have to find a new gym to work out at," I mutter as Adley and I sit down on a bench in Central Park.

It's her lunch hour and since I'm not meeting the contractor I hired to help me with the closet in Mrs. Pentlow's bedroom for another two hours, I thought we could spend the next sixty minutes gossiping our way through a quick meal of a sandwich and lemonade.

I'm fast tracking the Pentlow project now that I've landed the job at The Beryl. I've been over the moon since yesterday. I even skipped my session at the gym to go out for a celebratory Bellini after my meeting with Cooper.

I eyed up the pub across the street from the gym and headed to their outdoor patio instead of to the treadmill I usually devote my late afternoons to. My ass might not thank me, but the rest of me enjoyed my mini-celebration even if I did spot Smith going into the gym just as I took the first sip of my drink.

"Why? I thought you liked that gym?" She takes a generous bite of her turkey and avocado on grain bread and chews.

"Do you remember when I told you about Smith Booth?" I look down at the untouched pastrami on rye in my lap. I skipped breakfast again today, even though Sydney had scrambled some eggs before she left for work. She gave half to me and after I'd picked at it for a full fifteen minutes, I pushed the plate away. I've had zero appetite since Smith reappeared in my life.

"The guy from Rise and Shine?" She finally asks after she swallows. "He's so hot, Brynn. Like holy hell hot."

"He's not that hot," I say quickly.

"Lie to yourself if you want, but he's got that certain something going for him." She shakes her head and blows out a puff of air. "If you weren't secretly crazy about him, I'd ask you to introduce me."

"I'm not secretly crazy about him." I roll my eyes. Everything I've told Adley about Smith is related to why I can't stand him. I needed to get all the anger and pent up frustration I was feeling off my chest after I spotted him on one of the massive screens in Times Square a few months ago. He was conducting an interview on the cable newscast he used to anchor. I blurted out who he was and why I hated him. Adley stood silently next to me repeatedly nodding as I sobbed my way through my past with Smith Booth.

She washes down another bite of her sandwich with a sip of lemonade. "You know what they say about the thin line between love and hate."

"Who are they and what do they say?"

"They are people who have fallen in love with their sworn enemy." She throws her arm around my shoulder. "It's true though, Brynn, love and hate come from the same place in your heart. You had a crush on this guy and then he crushed your dreams. Maybe you need to face him, give him the shit he deserves and see what happens."

"He acts like he doesn't remember what he did to me." I pick up half of my sandwich before I place it back down on the paper napkin in my lap. "It pisses me off. I wanted that brownstone. He knew it and he still went ahead and bought it."

"Brynn." She softens her voice. "I know that house meant a lot to you, but your grandma would totally get what happened. She wouldn't want you to carry this hurt around with you. I never met her, but I'd bet a hundred dollars that she'd tell you it's time to let it go."

I wish more than anything I could hear my grandma say those words to me. 

"You bought a kick ass apartment. You're making a name for yourself in this town. She'd be super proud of you."

"I hope that she'd be," I mutter.

She sighs heavily. "If you forgive Smith, you'll feel better about all of this. I guarantee it. You'll be able to look at him and not want to strangle him."

Forgiving Smith feels impossible, even if a part of me is wildly attracted to him. Since Adley is in the mood to hand out advice, I make a confession. "The other day at the gym, Smith was about to kiss me."

"What did you say?" Her hand squeezes my shoulder so tightly I wince. I won't be surprised if her fingernails tear a hole in the white blouse I'm wearing. "You didn't mention that. Why the hell did you not tell me that?"

I glance at her. Her face is lit up in a full smile. "It's not a big deal. I was trying to work out. He walked in and started to lean down to kiss me and then…"

"And then what?" She pats my jean covered knee with her fingers. "Tell me what happened next."

"His lover walked in and gave him hell," I reply with a roll of my eyes. "End of story."

"That's not the end of the story, Brynn." She moves to grab her sandwich. "I think your story with Smith is just beginning."

She's wrong. Whatever happened at the gym between Smith and I was a one-time thing. I doubt he'll ever try and kiss me again. Even if he does, I'll resist. I think I will. Won't I?