Page 62 of Kissing the Boss (Fairy Tale Quartet 2)

He cocked his ear my way. “Say what?”

So I filled my stepbrother in on the scene with Christopher in the elevator and how Lana had stormed Ezra’s office soon thereafter.

“No shit?” Brick blurted while Ezra furrowed his brows. “I’ve always wondered who her spies were. I can’t believe you finally ferreted one out.”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to tell him this?” Ezra stepped closer to ask me, his voice lowered, even though Brick was standing right beside him and could hear the question clearly.

I nodded and patted his arm. “It’s okay. I trust Brick.”

He merely sucked in a breath like he wanted to disagree, but he ended up nodding his faith in me.

A knock came at the closed door. This time, Brick was the one who pushed me down out of sight.

“Hey!”

But it wasn’t Christopher Elton who opened the door and stepped into the office.

Hayden paused when he saw the three of us, me kneeling between the two men.

“Oh. It’s you.” Brick let go of my head, so I could scowl at him and push back to my feet, wiping imaginary dust from my thighs.

Hayden blinked in confusion, his gaze skimming over Ezra before moving to me and then settling on Brick. Holding up a single sheet of paper in his hand, he said, “Who really came up with this shoe design?”

Brick sniffed, acting innocent. “What’re you talking about? I told you in the email. I did.”

“And I know when you lie, Broderick.” Hayden narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t make this.”

“Yes…” Brick stepped closer to Hayden, widening his eyes as if trying to convince him with his big-eyed stare. “I did.”

“No. You didn’t. And what the hell is Kaitlynn doing in your office?” He glanced toward Ezra with slightly narrowed eyes, but didn’t question his presence.

“Oh, I hired her as my secretary after our dear mother fired her.”

Hayden shook his head, flashing surprise. “Lana fired her?”

Brick wrinkled his nose. “You call her Lana?”

Hayden turned from me to blink at his younger brother. “Of course. What do you call her?”

Brick shrugged. “I don’t know. Mother?”

“Hmm.” Hayden made a disinterested sound from the back of his throat. Then he waved a finger in my direction. “Does Lana know she’s working for you?”

“Not yet. Not that I’m aware of anyway.” Brick leaned against his desk. “Did you know Mother never paid her?”

“Of course.” Hayden scowled my way as if he blamed me for that fact, when… Yeah, okay, it totally had been my fault—er, suggestion—that I’d be unpaid. “Since you’re not aware if she knows,” he went on, still scowling at me as he spoke. “Then I’m sure Mother doesn’t know yet. Just warn me the second she finds out. I’d like to be out of the country that day.”

Brick shrugged. “Whatever. She doesn’t intimidate me.”

Hayden snorted his disbelief, only to waggle the sheet in his hand again. “So who really drew this?”

Throwing his hands up, Brick growled, “Why don’t you believe I did?”

“Because I’ve known you your entire life, and I can tell when you’re lying. You did not make this design.”

I wrung my hands, wondering if I should step forward and confess my involvement only for Ezra to cause a shiver of longing to race down my arms when he leaned toward me.

“You were right about Hayden,” he murmured in my ear. “He really doesn’t smile often, does he?”

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