Page 22 of The Bad Boy's Good Girl

* * *

Bronx sat across from his brother inside the dimly lit Spanish restaurant, Alejandro’s. It was the best place to eat in Serendipity, offering up a Mediterranean fusion menu that he found refreshing and satisfying. The chef owned a dozen different restaurants around the country but had fallen in love with a local girl and stayed. But right now he didn’t want to think about love or commitment because the news Brooks had just told him. “She what? Did she say why?” Nola had put in her notice to leave the company. Two weeks and she would be gone. Or so she thought.

Brooks shook his head, looking as bewildered as Bronx felt. “Nope. But I know why and it’s my fault. She’s been acting so damn odd lately and I threw it in her face, questioned our friendship.”

He hated that his brother felt responsible but Bronx knew he couldn’t tell him the truth. That he was the reason Nola quit, at least he felt pretty sure he was. But he might be able to fix it. “She has to give two months just like every other executive level employee, did you tell her that?” She would get no special treatment in that regard, but it might give him time to let her see what a mistake it would be to quit.

“Of course, I did. Her response was a new resignation later with the updated last day and that was it. Then she called in sick for two days.” He shook his head and Bronx knew his brother had his doubts too. Nola never called in sick.

“Sounds like a crock of shit to me. What do you plan to do about it?” Nola and Brooks were too close for him to let it go at that.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I think something must be really wrong with her. Nola is never sick and she puked in my office the day she resigned. I’m worried about her.” Blue eyes squinted at him, studied him closely before asking the question. “Did something happen between you in D.C.?”

He didn’t want to lie but he knew if he told Brooks the truth he would assume the worst. The worst might be true but he didn’t want any shit about it when nothing could be changed. “Plenty happened, we were there for a full week. Care to specify?”

“That was all the answer I needed. Dammit Bronx, is this your fault?”

He wasn’t touching that shit with a ten foot pole. “Did you stop by her house, try talking to her away from the office?”

He nodded. “On my way here, no answer.”

His eyes said exactly what Bronx had been thinking. Nola had been home and just didn’t answer the door. “Let’s go.”

“Now?”

“Now Brooks. Come on.” Nola might still be upset about the way things had gone down between them, the way he’d treated her afterwards but that was no damn reason to take it out on Brooks. Her supposed friend. He tossed out a few bills to pay for their dinner, left the young waitress a hefty tip, and stalked through the restaurant and out into the chilly early evening air.

Brooks fell in step beside him. “I don’t want to ambush her, Bronx.She won’t respond well.”

“I don’t give a damn! She can’t just act this way and think it’s okay.” He had to reconsider what he thought about Nola because she certainly wasn’t acting like the goody two shoes he’d gotten to know. Anger building, he made it to her porch in two long-legged strides, smashing his hand loudly against the door. “Nola, open up!”

They waited, staring at each other, thoughts distracted by the odd turn of events. Finally a deadbolt sounded, a chain and the knob turned. Nola pulled open the door and Bronx gasped. She was pale with dark circles under her eyes and hair standing up all over her head. She still looked beautiful but clearly she wasn’t feeling well. “What the hell is wrong with you guys? I told you I was sick so you ambush me on a Saturday night?”

“We were worried,” Brooks told her, brows furrowed and eyes filled with concern. “Can we come in?”

“No.”

Bronx didn’t like that answer and stepped forward into her space with every intention on pushing his way in. “Come on, Nola.”

“No!” She shoved him back. “This is my home and you don’t have the right to show up like this. I work for you but you don’t own me or my personal time. Neither of you!”

Her words had shocked them both but Bronx felt the hurt radiating off his brother and he wanted to lash out at her. But Brooks put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “Come on, Nola, I thought we were friends.”

“Are we? Because last I heard you weren’t sure of even that.” Her green eyes were at odds with her harsh words. They were blank. Emotionless, and Bronx didn’t know why. What happened to the always light, constantly smiling nice girl he’d always both wanted, and wanted nothing to do with? The answer came from his conscience. You did this to her.

“I just want to know that you’re all right, Nola. You’ve been acting out of character and now you’re sick. You’re never sick.”

“I said I’m fine and you’ll just have to accept that. Both of you.” Her gaze darted between them both, bouncing like a pinball before stepping back and slamming the door on them.

“Well, that went well,” Brooks said, accusingly.

Bronx shrugged with a nonchalance he didn’t feel. “She wants to be left alone so let’s give her what she wants.” He didn’t coddle anyone. They were all adults and he took adults at their word. “Come on, I’ll buy you a drink.” Or ten, because that was the only way he could possibly forget the vacant look she wore.

* * *

“I need you to coordinate with Bronx on the pre-release blitz for Galactic Warriors while I focus on finishing contracts for the predictive software.” Brooks barely looked at her as he gave her the orders and Nola knew this would be the hardest two months of her life.

Brooks would never pawn her off on his brother unless he hated her. She didn’t know why he did but it became obvious he didn’t want to see her at all to do this. Feeling rejected again by yet another Corona brother, she stood on shaky legs and nodded. “Okay.” Normally she would have argued, given valid reasons why she shouldn’t have to work with his pigheaded, manwhore brother. Today all she did was accept her fate. Brooks wanted her out of his sight and she loved him enough to give him that.

---