Page 15 of Enemies with my Bestie’s Brother
I am not going to blow up. We can have a normal conversation like adults, even though he has a particular skill for getting underneath my skin.
“Sleeping together. The last thing I want is for anyone to find out.”
“Landon knows.”
“And Landon isn’t going to say anything. Nobody else knows anything, which means that the both of us are going to keep our mouths shut. It’s better this way.”
“I can agree with you there. I don’t want anyone knowing that I slept with you. Especially not Penny.”
There is a slightly offended look on his face. “Well then, good. I’m glad that we’re on the same page about that.”
“We should also be on the same page about it never happening again. It was a mistake. I don’t want to think about it or talk about it anymore.”
Though I say it more for myself than for him, I know it needs to be said. There can never be a repeat of that weekend, even if it was the best weekend of my life.
I can’t risk another morning waking up alone, wondering why I’m not good enough for so much as a goodbye. And, there is no way that I can risk letting him in again. I can’t be as vulnerable with him as I was that weekend. He’s already proven that allowing him to see even some of the parts of myself that I hide from everybody else is a mistake.
It’s a mistake that I’m determined not to make again.
I look over at him when the silence stretches on for too long. “We need to promise each other that we’re not going to talk about it anymore. Not even with each other.”
Grayson nods, the muscle in his jaw twitching slightly. “Alright.”
Glancing away from him, I focus on the bridge again. “Well, with that settled, when do you want to get started?”
“As soon as possible. I’m tired of living out of a hotel. I don’t need much to feel settled in the apartment, and I would like to be living there throughout the process.”
I pull out my phone and open a new note, typing in what he says. My thumbs fly across the screen as I start to brainstorm ideas for the bedroom beneath that.
“What would you say the ideal look for your home would be? Are you looking for more cold tones and mixed metals, or do you prefer something with warmer tones and different types of wood?”
He sighs. “I don’t know. Usually the designers I’ve hired in the past figure it out for themselves.”
There’s a sharp undertone in his voice that lets me know he would rather talk about anything else.
“Alright, well, I can just come up with some designs and send them to you for approval, along with a quote of what each room is going to cost. I’m going to need to visit the apartment first, to get a good look at what I’m working with.”
I tuck my phone back into my pocket and look over at him. He glances at his watch and gets up.
“I have a meeting I have to get to. I don’t have time for an apartment tour right now.” Grayson tucks his hands into his pockets and shifts his weight. “When do you want to meet?”
“Well, I’m going with Penny and Baby J to the zoo this weekend. But, we could meet on Monday? Honestly, I’m free all week,” I say, tucking my hair behind my ear as I look up at him.
He looks down at me, his gaze dropping lower before returning to my eyes. My heart beats faster at the look. It’s long enough and lingering enough to make me think that keeping things all-business between us might not be as easy as I think it will be.
If he is already looking at me like he can’t decide whether to kiss me or tell me to get the hell out of his life, I can’t imagine what the next several weeks are going to be like.
He pulls out his phone, checking something before nodding to me, a slight smile crossing his face. “Monday morning works for me. Nine?”
“Yeah, that works.”
Grayson makes a note of it in his phone. “Alright. I’ll see you then. Have a good afternoon, Whitney.”
His tone is cold and formal. There is no hint of warmth, like there would be between two people who might get along with each other from time to time. We seem more like strangers than people who had spent time around each other over the past several years.
If this is what it takes to not sleep with him again, then this is what it takes.
Still, I can’t help but hope that he turns around to give me one last look as he leaves.
