Page 47 of Office Affairs

“Depends.” Russell unrolled his sleeves in the same slow way he did everything. The man was nothing if not meticulous. “She won’t accept anything that she considers payment.” His head lifted and the man stared past me, past Chase, with a look of such adoration that it made me look away. “There’s more to Sabrina than any of us thought.”

“What are we going to do?” I usually dove into the nitty gritty with the kind of glee that made others frown. “We all like her. Enjoy spending time with her. What does that mean for the long run?”

Russell stopped mid-motion from buttoning his cuffs. A crease lined his forehead. “I’m all in. No matter what.”

“Me too.” It wasn’t the first time I’d made a rash decision, but I felt more confident about this one than anything else I’d done in my life. Even accepting the position as CEO alongside Chase and Russell could not compare. “Whatever this is, I’m not ready for it to be over. Might never be ready.”

Chase swiveled to face us, his face a blank mask that most would interpret as unfeeling or indifferent.

I knew better. This was Chase trying hard not to show how deeply he’d already fallen. Even if it was just in front of us, the men he considered closer than brothers. His reluctance pissed me off, because both Russell and I could see his hidden emotions playing out every time he was in the same room with Sabrina.

“She’s renting a house from me,” Russell spoke into the quiet without a hint of remorse. “She asked me not to tell you.”

“Since when?” My own voice turned cold. “You can’t keep shit like this from us. Not if this is going to work.”

“Why the fuck do you think I’m telling you now?” The first touch of anger reddened his cheeks. “This is new to all of us. We need to keep things clear. No secrets.” He met my gaze. “It’s not like I’ve been sneaking over there to see her. I’m not an adolescent.”

“Never said you were.” We were all too old for that kind of bullshit. “I’m glad she’s being taken care of.” I meant every word, even if I wished that I had been the one to offer a place to stay. “Did she say why she needed it all of a sudden?”

Come to think of it, Sabrina never talked about her home life. We knew next to nothing about her other than she had a son and was pursuing her degree.

“I didn’t ask,” Russell said. “But I gave her a deal on the place. Seemed like the right thing to do. It’s obvious she doesn’t have anyone willing to help her.”

“And she won’t take anything from us.” The growl in Chase’s voice finally clued me in to his problem.

“You’re pissed that she’s so independent.” I laughed, a deep, belly laugh that loosened the knots in my shoulders. “It’s not a bad thing.”

“No.” He agreed, but the furrowed eyes never relaxed. “I don’t like not knowing what’s happening in her life. We should be able to protect her and help her whenever we want without it turning into a fight or her feeling like we’re paying for her services.” His mouth wrenched sideways at the last bit, and he spat the words out.

An idea formed. “We should go see her. Surprise her at home.”

25

SABRINA

Morning light filtered in through the shades and pried my eyelids open. I blinked and smacked at the alarm before realizing it wasn’t even ringing. My blurry vision landed on the clock and my head flopped back onto the pillow. Why did my body insist on waking up this early on a Sunday? I groaned, closed my eyes, and pulled the spare pillow over my head to block out the sunlight. The room whirled behind my closed lids and a rush of nausea jerked me upright. With one hand over my mouth, I bolted for the bathroom. Too fast. The rush of motion sent my stomach writhing and I barely made it to the toilet.

As quickly as the nausea hit, it passed, leaving me breathless and shaky. I ran a washrag under cold water and pressed it to my face, breathing in the clean scent and wiping the tears that always occurred when I heaved.

“Are you sick?” Keith waited for me in my bedroom doorway, his eyes wide and curious. “Did you get my stomach bug?”

“I must have,” my voice came out rusty and guttural, and I paused to rinse my mouth out before leaving the bathroom. Wait. Keith had been sick over a week ago. If I was going to get sick, it should have happened within a couple of days. I shook off the uneasy feeling. “Or it could be the ice cream I ate last night. Better not eat anymore until I say it’s safe.”

“You’re just saying that cause it’s your favorite and you want to eat it all.” Keith crossed his arms, his lips puckered in a perfect pout. The insolence reminded me so much of myself that I laughed.

Love and affection pushed thoughts of illness aside. “I’ll save you one bite. But you have to eat your breakfast.”

The pout evaporated. “Will you make sausage and pancakes?”

Ugh. The thought of smelling meat cooking sent my stomach into another nosedive. I stiffened my body against the raging tide and gave a clipped nod. “Sure.” What the hell was wrong with me? I loved sausage and pancakes. Mmm. Soft, fluffy pancakes and rich maple syrup. Now that sounded delicious enough to make a full meal. “You want to help?”

Keith bounded over to the counter and climbed onto a stool. “Can I mix the pancakes?”

“Absolutely.” I poured all the ingredients into measuring cups and slid everything within reach. Opening the refrigerator again, I caught a whiff of last night’s roast and my stomach revolted with a savageness that left me breathless. My heart hammered, and I took a series of slow, deep breaths until the feeling settled. Cold sweat popped out on my forehead and slid down my spine. I couldn’t remember ever feeling this way with a stomach virus. The last time I threw up was …

My brain froze, then jumped into warp speed. Nausea. Vomiting. Aversion to smells, especially meat. The last—and only—time I’d ever felt this way, I was pregnant with Keith. No.

Denial hit harder than a lightning bolt. I dashed to my phone and opened the calendar app, tapping it backward. Where was it? My fingers shook, the tips numb, when I spotted the little star beside a date two months ago. I double-checked, then opened my menstrual cycle app to verify that I hadn’t logged the days there either.

---