Page 59 of Austin

“Hmm … so my little secret might be out now?”

“She won’t say anything, but she warned me that you could be a little crazy.”

“I think you like crazy.”

“I’m not sure about that yet,” she whispers.

“Stop harassing my employee.” Bryce’s voice jolts us both to look up in his direction.

I don’t move but act as if my sitting on his assistant’s desk is the most natural thing in the world. “Technically, she’s our employee.”

He looks at me and then at Jalynn. His duffel bag is now gone, but he’s still wearing his jeans.

“Back from Tahoe so soon?” I kid.

Disregarding the fact that I’m sitting on his assistant’s desk, he walks into his office. “I forgot something,” he says as he closes the door behind him.

“Forgive him. He needs to get laid,” I say to Jalynn.

She giggles. “I think that’s the whole point of his trip.”

I nearly bolt up in surprise. “You know who he’s going away with?”

She profusely shakes her head. “I’m not telling you anything. Bryce is my boss, and I respect his privacy. Seriously, Austin, you need to stop giving him so much shit. The man is a machine. He’s here all hours of the night, post-edits every paper before it goes to print, scours financials, marketing, advertising—”

“Some call that obsessive.”

“It’s called dedicated. He doesn’t tell people how to do their jobs. He just makes sure they’re doing it to their best ability. Your mother raised two amazing men. You should be proud to be his brother.”

Her words cause me to take a breath. I raise a hand to my chest and softly rub it.

“Well, you haven’t met Tanner yet,” I joke.

“I’d love to someday,” she says seriously.

I can’t respond because Bryce comes walking out. His hands are empty, and his gaze is back to assessing Jalynn and me still sitting here.

I hold my hands up and step away from her desk. “I know; I know. Back to work.” I give him a nod toward the hallway leading outside. “Go have fun in Tahoe. I’ll hold down the fort.”

Bryce nods his head as he walks to exit the building.

I turn back to Jalynn. “Come to dinner with me tonight. It’s just my dad and Missy, so I can’t promise it will be fun, but I’d like for you to be there.”

“Dinner with Missy?” She says the name like it’s poison on her tongue.

“I promise we’ll go for a drive after.”

Her interest is piqued. “Does that mean, you’ll let me take the wheel?”

Let Jalynn drive my car? I’ve never let anyone drive my car, let alone a girl I’m dating. But I shrug, thinking it might be fun. “Only if you’re good.”

* * *

I’m dressed for tonight’s dinner in a slim-fit black suit and no tie. It makes me feel like I’m George Clooney, preparing to rob a casino. I pull my Corvette ZR1 up to Jalynn’s building and adjust my cuff links as I walk up to the entrance. It’s a cool night with the sky slightly overcast, yet the moon begs to make its appearance despite the cover.

Before I get to the intercom, my phone vibrates. I answer Jalynn’s call and look up toward her window.

“I was just about to buzz you.”