Page 2 of Enchanting the CEO

Diane rolled her shoulders back. "Good thing she did, because that's not right, taking your money like that. Even if you can afford it."

She smiled, leaning forward. She was wearing a tight white dress with thin straps. It cut a straight line over her breasts. I couldn't see her cleavage, but my pulse quickened anyway. I hadn’t had this sort of reaction to someone in a long while. I exhaled sharply, maintaining eye contact.

"Anyway," she said, "my sister always talks about you and how great of a boss you are, so I might already have a biased opinion of you."

I grinned, clapping my hands once. "A good biased opinion? That's excellent. A change for once."

She tilted her head, smiling. "Wait, so people's opinion of you is usually bad?"

"You did not hear me say that," I replied.

She straightened up after she finished her burger. "But you did. Now I can't unhear it."

"Do you want a drink?" I asked.

She frowned. "No. I shouldn't be keeping you from work." She immediately got up from the chair. "I got what I needed, so I should go. By the way, the burger was fantastic."

It was on the tip of my tongue to ask what exactly she needed from her sister, but it was none of my business.

"Are you sure I can't tempt you with anything?" I insisted.

She shook her head. "No, no, I've got lots to do. But it was really great meeting you, Gabe."

I stepped from behind the bar, shaking her hand again. Her eyes fell on my cuff links for a split second before she lifted her gaze. My brothers and I got into the habit of wearing them, which was a bit unusual, especially for a guy filling in as a bartender. They were out of place here.

"And you too,” I said. I was tempted to ask her again if she wanted a drink, anything to find an excuse for her to stay, but I couldn't flirt with her. She was Celia's sister, for God's sake.

I inhaled Diane’s perfume as she passed me, a mix of roses and something else. I loved it. I'd never smelled that fragrance combination before.

After she left, I went back behind the counter, checking on my bartenders.

"All good?" I asked.

"Yeah, boss," Celia, who was nearest to me, replied. "You don't have to be on duty tonight. We have everything under control."

"All right, then I'm going to head out. See you tomorrow."

My family thought I might be stretched thin because I spent a few hours a week at the bar, but I enjoyed it. It was a welcome change from being stuck in my office all day. I liked being the CEO of my own company, but I also enjoyed bartending and being among people.

But I was glad there was no need for me to stay tonight. I was meeting my family, and I didn't want to cancel on them at the last minute. My brothers and I were getting together at our grandparents' house. Lately, our half brothers, Nick, Leo, and Maddox, would join us, but they couldn't make it tonight.

The Whitley family had a complicated history, to say the least. Our father, Ryan Whitley, had led a double life, resulting in our three half brothers. My second-oldest brother, Jake, had discovered Dad’s infidelity, and it was as if a bomb had detonated in our family. My mother became ill soon after and passed away, and my father had lived in Sydney ever since, abandoning everything. We were lucky as hell that our grandparents stepped in and raised us. Well, mostly Cade, Spencer, and me. I was the youngest. Colton and Jake were already adults, though our grandparents offered them stability.

I had always had a great relationship with Nick, Leo, and Maddox. Grandmother said I liked to put a positive spin on things, and it was true. I still remember the day I found out about Dad and our half brothers. I was devastated, of course, and I felt deeply betrayed, but I'd also been curious about meeting them as soon as I knew about them. Jake and Colton hadn’t been as interested. I think they’d blamed them somehow and had been at odds with them for years. All that was different now that the two of them had come around, and we all got together regularly.

Ryan Whitley didn't just abandon his family when he left. He'd also abandoned Whitley Industries, the company he'd taken over from our grandfather. As we reached adulthood, each of us kids took over a branch of the business. Unfortunately, Dad left them in dire financial condition, but we were able to turn them around. I was proud to continue the legacy of our family. All of us kids were different from our father. None of us were as self-absorbed as he was.

I arrived at our grandparents' home in the Dorchester neighborhood half an hour later. Spencer's and Jake's cars were already in the driveway.

Grandfather opened the door. "Come in, come in," he said.

I gave him a hug, taking him in. He looked good, but both of our grandparents were in their nineties and had some health scares over the past few years. We all stayed on alert to make sure they had what they needed.

We went to the dining room, where Jake was seated with his wife, Natalie, and Cade with his fiancée, Meredith. My brothers all had better halves, which was perplexing because only two years ago, I would have bet my company that we Whitley boys would remain bachelors forever. Even though they'd succumbed to marital bliss, I certainly intended to stay single—though Grandmother thought she could persuade me otherwise. She told everyone she knew that she'd helped matchmake the rest of my brothers. And in a way, she had, which was scary as shit.

"All right, everyone. Colton and Spencer said they’re gonna be late and we should start without them. Dinner is served," Grandmother said dismissively. This was so unlike her, and I glanced at my brothers to see if I could get them to tell me what was going on.

"She's not happy with us because we insisted on ordering in," Cade said in an uncharacteristically serious tone; he was usually laid-back like me. But now I understood her brusqueness.

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