Page 13 of My Best Friend's Grump Brother

He jumped away from Selena like she was on fire, “Mr. Sinclair, I didn’t see you.”

Obviously, the man was too busy committing assault. I also didn’t miss the giant tent that had formed in his trousers, which only increased my anger.

His eyes were wide with fear, his pupils moving between Selena and me. He knew what he did was stupid, and now he was likely trying to devise an excuse.

“Leave,” I ordered.

He nodded his head and turned to walk down the hall. My eyes moved to Selena, who looked pale and shocked. It only confirmed my initial thoughts of her when I first met her. Selena put on this bravado of fierceness. She blinked and took a deep breath. She looked at me with a blank stare. Usually, I could get a strong read on her, but not this time. She was this blank canvas, or rather, she had this wall around what was really going on in her mind.

I opened my mouth to speak, but she faked a slight smile on her face and spoke before I could.

“Good morning, Mr. Sinclair.” She didn’t wait for my reply. She turned on her heels and made her way down the hall toward the paralegal offices.

Aside from her file, Claire’s stories, and the times I tried avoiding her at our house in Braven, I didn't know this woman very well. So, I guess I had no business in trying to read into her demeanor and exchanges. She wasn’t even a friend of mine; we were barely acquaintances. So why could I not shake the feeling that there was something that this woman was hiding?

Chapter seven

Around Every Corner

Selena

“Selena?”Brandonnudgedmyshoulder from beside me.

“What?” I said, zoning off in a gaze. I looked up and realized the cashier was waiting for me to place my order. “Sorry, please, may I have two chicken salads with sweet potato fries? What are you getting, Bran?”

“I will have the turkey club, please.”

We had walked over to the small little café opposite the building for lunch.

Of course, Lisa had opted to stay and work on her case while we grabbed her lunch for her. I

just assumed that she didn’t want to be around me. It was no secret that I was not her favorite

person—but if I’m honest, I would say Lisa didn’t like anyone.

“You’re distracted.” Brandon pulled me out of the line toward the small table in the corner of the cafe. “You just seem so out of it.”

Brandon was a good guy, and I didn’t mean that in the generic way that all nice guys were good. I meant that this man had no evil in his body. It was like he was untouched by the harshness of this life and had remained pure and untainted—unlike some of us who lived in all the ugly.

“I just have this big case with Dan—I mean, Mr. Sinclair.” I was still trying to get used to calling him Mr. Sinclair—my boss whom I had envisioned fucking thirty different ways in a bathtub.

Don’t ask me why that specific location. It was just something my brain came up with on its own.

“Oh yeah, the Ashton LeVrous case. I was jealous I didn’t get on that one.” Brandon had this boyish charm to him. His caramel eyes danced against the light as he stared at me. “But I think it will be good for you. You know, for you to find your footing in the firm. If you do well in this, it will prove that you belong here.”

I blushed. It was no secret that I was not exactly the most qualified person in the firm. The rest of the employees came from prestigious backgrounds and went to top-ranked schools worldwide. I was a little trailer park girl who lived in poverty all her life.

“Hey,” Brandon placed his hand on top of mine. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

I smiled, “I know, but you’re right. I still need to earn my place at the firm, and doing well on this case with Mr. Sinclair will make me an asset.” I need to make sure that I stay out of trouble so I don’t lose this job.

“Order for Selena!”

Brandon hopped off the seat and made his way to go and collect our order. I got up but stopped short when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. Whenever I received a text, my heart would stutter in my chest.

I pulled it out of my jacket and froze.

Shit.

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