Page 109 of Dr. Brandt

In being around businessmen all my life, I knew the tone that Spencer used well. It meant he was guiding this conversation in a direction that would either help me or make me angry. There was no in-between.

“Madly in love with that Warren bastard,” I said, then closed my eyes when I realized I’d said it loud enough to stop the ball from being traded by my friends in the pool, bringing a mischievous and all-knowing grin to Spence’s lips.

“That’s fucked up,” he said casually.

“Yeah, you think? Jessa and I were just getting things started, getting to know each other again, and then it’s like, boom! Like it wasn’t meant to be or something.”

“Wasn’t meant to be my ass, Cinderella,” Spence said with a laugh.

“You wouldn’t understand,” I said with the same annoyance I felt. “Let’s just end this conversation right here.”

“I’d gladly let that die; however, your depressed ass just told me I wouldn’t understand something. That doesn’t fly with me,” Spence said, acting like a cocky asshole.

“That’s why your last deal made us more money than Mitchell and Associates had ever done,” Jim said. He dried off and caught his daughter as she rushed to him when the women passed by with the kids. “I’ve got her,” Jim said, waving at Avery.

It must be nice to help your lady out instead of having her kick you in the balls repeatedly with her new man.

Fuck. I was acting like the biggest bitch ever, but I was so damn defeated that I didn’t know what to do.

“Mm-yeah,” Izzy said, reaching her arms out toward me. She kicked her two-year-old chubby legs against Jim’s in protest while I smiled. This little girl, with her pitch-black hair and icy blue eyes, was my little buddy. I adored her feisty personality and how she could give Jake’s son, John, a run for his money.

Jim popped the pacifier out of Izzy’s mouth. “Now you can talk, Izzy,” he said.

“And here I thought little Izzy had you wrapped around her finger,” I said, smiling at Izzy, who was now angry at her dad.

“She does,” Jim grinned at his annoyed daughter. “But this whole pacifier thing needs to end and soon.”

Izzy frowned and looked up at Jim with a lethal expression. “Well, you’ve officially pissed her off,” I laughed.

“She looks a lot like you do these days, Cam,” Spence added.

“How so? I didn’t realize I looked that adorable when people pissed me off?”

“You do. Your pretty blue eyes must make you both look the same,” Spence said. “However, little Izzy doesn’t have a look like the world is ending when things don’t go her way,” he sat back in his chair and took another sip, “so that’s where you’re different and not as cute as her.”

I rolled my eyes and had a feeling I’d be doing a lot of that tonight.

“What’s going on with you, Cam? Catch me up on how things are going with Jessa. Last we spoke, you put Warren in his place and were planning to get back your son and Jessa?” Jim asked, joining the grand inquisition.

“Yeah,” Spence said after I looked down, pissed that my plans weren’t working out. “His bark is a lot louder than his bite.”

“Fuck that noise,” I said to Spence. “I’ve tried. It seems all I do is push them further into Warren’s arms.”

“Warren is the biggest fuck-knuckle I’ve ever met. And you honestly think you’ve lost your son and Jessa to that dipshit?” Spencer laughed while he and Jim exchanged knowing glances. “You’re losing your game to a man who practically begged Jim and me to hire him to work in our advertising department that day in the hospital? He’s a fucking douche. How the hell are you letting that guy beat you at anything?”

“He hit you both up for jobs while I was in surgery with Jacks?” I said, shocked at this revelation.

“Not shitting you,” Spencer said. “The man has no dignity. If he did, he would’ve never asked friends of Jessa’s or Jessa’s ex for a job.”

“We had to pull him over to a corner to entertain him and keep him away from Jessa because he was no good to her. I suspect his chattering was grating on her nerves, and rightfully so under the circumstances,” Jim said. “I imagine she would’ve been mortified if she knew he was hitting us up for jobs, though. It took Alex and Spence’s directness to level him down quite a lot, but if it were up to me?”

“You’d have him curled up in a ball in the corner of the room, crying like the bitch he is,” Spencer said to Jim and then turned to face me. “Listen, Cam,” he grew more serious, “don’t let this whole thing get into your head like this.”

“Spence, forgive me if I’m too forward, but you can’t be troubled to hang onto a woman for more than a night. I’m not sure I can see this as no-big-fucking-deal as you can. She’s the love of my life, and I fucked it up.”

“Dat-dat-mir!” Izzy said, pointing at me.

Jim chuckled. “I’ll never know what the hell she’s saying, but she says this shit every time she gets pissed.”

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