Page 111 of Wicked Little Secret

“You know, you’re the only woman my brother—"

She interrupted him while he was in mid-sentence, getting out of the booth and grabbing his arm to lead him away from the table

“Do you mind? Those women work for me. I’d prefer not to air my dirty laundry in front of them.”

“I was only going to say, you’re the only woman who ever managed to break my brother’s heart.”

“Oh, you’re right,” she snarked as she rolled her eyes. “That’s not fodder for office gossip.”

Then what he said sank in, and she defensively crossed her arms in front of her chest. “And Maverick is hardly heartbroken. He got what he wanted. Sawyer is with him more than half the time.”

“He wants you, too. He’s crazy about you.”

Olivia jerked her head back. “No, he’s not.”

“Um, I’ve known Pete my whole life, and I can say with one hundred percent certainty that he is head over heels in love with you.”

“He’s in love with his son.”

“Yeah, and his son’s mother.”

Derrick’s words made her heart drop to her stomach. If this was some kind of joke, it was just mean.

“Why would you say that?”

“Other than I have eyes and have seen the way you two look at each other? He told me.”

Maverick told him? She was dying to ask what exactly he said, but it felt too high school-ish.

Derrick continued with his truth bombs. “And I’d be willing to bet you love him, too.”

“How do you—?”

“Like I said, I have eyes, Olivia. The only person you’re fooling is yourself. Well, and apparently my brother. For two people who otherwise seem pretty smart, you two are morons when it comes to each other.”

She stared dumbstruck at Derrick, while he seemed rather pleased with himself.

He jerked his head toward her table and said, “Tell your friends I’ll be right back to get their drink order,” and he turned and walked away like he’d just dropped the mic.

Olivia was in a fog the rest of the night, and the next day passed in a blur.

She debated what she was going to say to Maverick when she picked Sawyer up after work. By the time she was in her Mercedes on her way to his house, she’d convinced herself that Derrick was wrong.

Yes, Maverickcaredabout her—she was the mother of his infant son—but he wasn’tin lovewith her. He would have told her if he was.

Like you told him?

Hey, inner voice—we’re talking about him, not me. Put a sock in it.

She noticed Nick’s truck in the driveway when she pulled up to Maverick’s house, and when she opened the garage door, the Cullinan was gone.

Weird.

“Hello?” she called out when she walked into the kitchen.

She heard Nick’s voice call from the family room, “In here!”

She found Sawyer and Nick on a quilt on the floor, with toys and books strewn everywhere.

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