Page 46 of Bestie's Bossy Billionaire Brother
He’s right, I know he is. But how am I supposed to move on when the person I love so much is gone? It feels wrong.
At that moment, my phone rings and a brief smile crosses my face when Catherine’s name pops up on my home screen.
“Hey, Catherine,” I say, gesturing for Fred to keep quiet.
“Hey,” she says on the other end. “I just picked Alice up from school and Erica is with me. Alice is saying you promised you would take her somewhere?”
“It’s the truth,” Alice’s voice calls out.
I breathe out a laugh. “Yes, she’s telling the truth. I actually wanted to take both of you. Come over to the office,” I tell her.
When the call ends, Fred raises an eyebrow. “So… Catherine is heading over here?”
I nod nonchalantly. “Yeah, I made a promise to Alice that we’d go somewhere, just the three of us.”
“Okay, so maybe there’s a little something going on there,” he says with a smirk.
I roll my eyes and stand up. “Let’s focus on work, shall we? We have a proposal to complete.”
“Sure, Oliver,” he says, feigning innocence.
I glance over at Jamie over at the conference table, realizing that she’s been present for this entire conversation. I feel a twinge of discomfort, knowing that we’ve been discussing something so personal in front of her.
“Jamie, can you step out for a moment?” I ask, trying to be polite.
She nods as a frown appears on her face. “Yes, Mr. Burke.” She rises and quickly exits the room, leaving me alone with Fred.
“I didn’t realize she was in here,” I say, embarrassed. “And you were talking about my nanny like that in front of her this whole time?”
Fred shrugs. “Who cares? It’s just Jamie.”
I look over at the door, feeling slightly guilty. “Still, we shouldn’t have been talking about Catherine that way in front of her. We sound like assholes.”
Fred holds his hands up. “All right, all right. Let’s not go that far.” He pauses, trying to gauge my reaction. “By the way, is Catherine the friend of Erica’s that you used to complain about all the time?”
My face falls in acknowledgment, and I sit down in my chair. “No,” I deny.
“But she and Erica were tight back at your house over the weekend,” he says. “Like best friends.”
“Fine, yes, but she’s not the same person anymore. She’s really grown a lot since then and she’s been a great friend to Erica. In fact, I think she might be a wonderful role model for Alice.”
Fred just looks at me affectionately before finally breaking the silence. “See? You don’t have to deny it, Oliver. Even though you used to say that Catherine was a terrible example for Erica, it seems like you’ve changed your mind.”
“Yeah, maybe I have,” I say, admitting defeat.
Fred gives me a knowing grin. “You could change your mind about other things, too, then.”
“There’s nothing to change,” I retort.
“Well, if that’s what you’re telling yourself,” he says with a smirk. He then leans in closer and lowers his voice conspiratorially. “Just remember, Oliver, it wouldn’t hurt to admit that you might like this girl.”
I shake my head, not wanting to continue down the same path of conversation. “Let’s talk about something else,” I say, trying to change the subject.
With a renewed sense of purpose, I turn my attention back to the proposal on the table. The words seem to blur together as my thoughts wander back to Catherine. Deep down, I know I’m feeling a lot more for her than I’m letting on, and even as much as I try to deny it, I can’t help but feel drawn to her.
I try to shake off the feeling and focus on work, but the image of Catherine’s luscious lips and enticing curves keeps popping up in my mind.
Suddenly, I realize that I’m not in any condition to finish the proposal. “You know what?” I finally say out loud. “Let’s take a break and finish this later.”
