Page 11 of Nothing to Beat

“Not with his mother in the room!”

“I know what my boys get up to.”

In general or specifics?Alice would accept her boys no matter what.If they needed to talk about anything intimate, their mother wouldn’t shut them down.Still, the Breckenridge boys didn’t burden their mother with details of their sex lives.Not Breck anyway.Another reason to be grateful he was a man of few words.

“How did you and Breck get together?”

“We’re not together,” she said again, noting the smile Alice concealed behind her glass.“What has he been telling people?”

“Oh, sweetheart, you know our dear Brecken, he says nothing.”

“To anyone,” Savanna said, swallowing a generous gulp.“Ever.Truth is, I’m scared of the guy.Everyone I’ve ever met is scared of him—everyone non-Breckenridge.”

“I’m pretty sure there are some Breckenridges afraid too.Brandt for sure.”

Sequoia laughed.“People say that all the time.”Alice got her focus.“I never understand how anyone can be intimidated by him.”

“Because he’s transfixed whenever you’re near,” Alice explained.“He’s always been drawn to you.You’re drawn to each other.”

Something she couldn’t deny.

“So spill it,” Roxie said, stabbing an olive with a toothpick.“How’d you seduce him?”

“I didn’t seduce him.”

Did she?Maybe she did.Depended on the day of the week.When he was around, she was consistently in a state of seduced and, boy, was it mutual.

Roxie wasn’t deterred.“You work for Breckenridge?Was he the big, bad boss and you the sexy, sultry assistant?”

“I never worked under Breck, not directly.”What the hell!Why be cagey?“I worked with Ben.”Breckenridge patriarch.Another glance at Alice awarded her comfort.“Mr.Breckenridge, Senior.”The boys’ father.Alice’s husband.“I interned with him in college and took a paid position when I graduated.”Given her baggage, God knew why he’d taken a chance on her.“He taught me everything I know.Everything useful I know.”

And the rest she tried to forget.

“Ah…” Roxie’s nod was slow in its understanding.“When you realized the original model wasn’t available, you went for the next best thing.”

“From the first moment he saw you, my boy was different,” Alice explained.“I hadn’t been there when you were introduced, but I knew something had changed.For the first time, he was distracted, I’d never seen him absentminded in my life.To this day, I can tell when you’ve had an interaction.You leave an imprint on him, my dear.”

She should send him an apology card, maybe some flowers.

“So, hey, if you’re so hooked on each other, how come you’re not together?”

The trouble with Breck being so stoic was the world expected its answers from her.Sometimes that was fine; other times she couldn’t remember the answers.Did she know the answers?Not always.

“Because life isn’t as simple as that.”

“My Casanova would argue with you there.”

Baker came in with servers and fresh drinks.“Pizza’s on its way.”

“Excellent,” Roxie said.“Thank you, all!”The servers disappeared.She was so grateful to have something to wet her throat.“Being together is always an option.”Were they still on this?Roxie seemed to think so.“You just have to decide what you’re willing to sacrifice.”

“Unfortunately, it’s not my choice.”

“Breck won’t sacrifice?What would he have to sacrifice?”Savanna mused.“The only thing I can imagine he wouldn’t give up is his family and I won’t believe for a second that Alice or any of the Breckenridges—”

“Of course not, they’re an incredible family.It was my honor to be a part of their ranks for…”

Alice reached over to hold her hand.“You will always be a Breckenridge.”

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