Page 18 of Forgotten

“At a gala opening for the Houston hotel,” I said. “I went alone, but his brother, Tom, was high on me for promotions in the company and was touting the Houston deal as all me. He introduced me to his brothers, and Graham and I hit it off.”

“He has another brother?” Tamara asked, her interest suddenly piqued a bit higher.

“Yes, but trust me, you don’t have a shot. His husband would likely put the kibosh on it.”

“Dammit,” Tamara muttered. “What about Tom?”

“Happily married for forty years,” I said. “I got the only single one. And he was divorced already when I met him.”

“Always with the luck,” Tamara said.

I was going to argue with her, and then it hit me that while she had pursued both Jesse and Collin Galloway, only one of us had ever actually dated and slept with any of the brothers.

“Anyway, he was staying in Houston for a few weeks, so we went on a few dates. I don’t know, it just kind of snowballed.Every time he’s in a town I’m in, we go out, and we hold hands and kiss and stuff. So I guess we’re together?”

“That sure sounds like a couple,” Tamara said.

“You’re probably right. At any rate, I have to go. He’s here.”

“Here? Here, where?”

“At the hotel. In Houston. Where I am working. I told you this earlier in the conversation, T.”

“Right, right, well, tell him to come. I’d love to meet him.”

I got off the phone just as Graham came striding through the doors of the hotel. Technically, we were not supposed to be dating, so we greeted each other with a short hug and a kiss on the cheek, which could be written away as Graham’s more Euro-centric upbringing than anything intimate. After he checked in with the front staff and did a round of the hotel like he usually did, he met me in my office on the second floor. It was tucked away, looking almost like two rooms of the hotel, mostly because it was. It was a room, and an office, built especially for me or whoever was regional manager or was given access to work there. When I was in Houston, it was mine.

“So what are your plans this evening?” he said as he took off his jacket and sat in one of the chairs across from my desk.

“Well, like I said in the text, I think I might have to go out of town,” I said. “My sister’s best friend is getting married in a few weeks, and she wants me to be a bridesmaid.”

“How exciting,” he said, showing no extra emotion beyond the ever-present genial smile. “Are you going to be there the entire time?”

“Oh, no, no. I don’t like Foley, Texas that much,” I laughed. “I am just going for tonight and then coming back. I might have to go back a few more times, though, until the wedding. I don’t intend on taking more than a day or two off.”

“Ahh, I see,” he said. “Well, that muffles my plans a bit. I was heading into Paris for a meeting in two days and wanted to see if you would join me. We could share a room or I could get you your own, no pressure. But I thought I could show you some of my favorite places in Paris for a few days while I get some business done there.”

“That sounds amazing,” I said. “I’m sorry I can’t go.”

“As am I. I leave tonight. Perhaps you could join me later?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I’d have to set some things up to take care of business while I was gone.”

“Fair enough,” he said. “And this wedding. Do you want me there?”

I hesitated. I hadn’t expected him to ask. Usually, he didn’t, assuming that if I wanted him somewhere, I would ask.

“I see,” he said, when I didn’t answer. “Well, we can talk about why you didn’t say yes later. For now, let’s have a bit of supper before I leave. Shall we?”

He stood, offering his hand, and I took it, wondering what the hell was wrong with me. Why couldn’t I just commit?

Chapter Nine

Jesse

I always enjoyed coming to Dallas.

The venues were always electric, the crowds always ready to have a good time, the food spectacular, and the beer always flowing. Dallas seemed like a city caught between the cowboy Wild-West image it had sported for a hundred years and a burgeoning artsy metropolis like Denver or Atlanta. Yet, it didn’t feel disjointed, as the two worlds streamed seamlessly into each other, offering cowboy boots and ten-gallon hats chumming along with purple-haired punks and Gucci-wearing preppy kids.

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