The Running Series Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 15

  As we made our way into the living room, the aroma of the meal smelled fantastic. Harrison and the chef spoke French to each other briefly. Then the chef greeted me with a nod. He had set a table for us al fresco, and there was music playing softly in the background.

  At first, it appeared like items checked off a list as the start to a romantic evening, but Harrison headed straight to a wall of gleaming oak doors and immediately opened them to reveal a large screen television, quieting the music and turning on the post-game show on the sports channel.

  Aha, sports, my second language.

  Harrison opened the glass doors, bringing the indoors outside with us. We sat down to a table for two on the patio with a beautiful view on one side and the post-game coming at us on the other. It was perfect.

  Then I saw a small piece of white stationery on my plate, a note card that read: I don’t like debts, so I’m paying this one in advance. Whenever you’re in town, you can be my controversial seatmate anytime. Please enjoy the season tickets. -HPB

  “Wow, Harrison, I don’t know what to say. I mean, of course I love the Bears, but I can’t take your season tickets. Don’t you want to have them on hand to take your girlfriend? Or a business guest?”

  “Ah. I’m currently without a girlfriend,” he hedged, “and I have access to a corporate skybox anytime I want. You won our bet fair and square, and I pay my debts. Plus, it would mean that I could see you again!” he said with a glimmer in his eye and a slight crook to his smile. He had the same masculine looks as Grayson, but now that I’d had time to study him and interact with him, I realized his personality was completely different.

  He was charming, but in a fun, boyish way. His hair and facial features were exactly those of Grayson, with a similar square, dimpled chin, a deep angular jaw line, pointed nose, and blue eyes. But when Harrison smiled, his smile wasn’t full throttle like Grayson’s, but rather a crooked, slight upturn to the right side of his lips. His lips were redder than Grayson’s, too, probably from spending far more time outdoors. I felt sure I’d find a lot more differences. It was funny how I noticed the tiniest differences like how he wore his watch on his right wrist, the opposite of Grayson.

  “I would love to catch another game with you. Of course, I don’t plan on losing, but I’ll have to get creative in case I have to pay back my debt!”

  We both chuckled as we enjoyed our dinner. The chef had prepared a selection of grilled meats with seasoned potatoes. It was either delicious, or I was famished, or a combination of both. I couldn’t even remember when the last time it was that I’d eaten, but all of a sudden, I was in serious danger of not looking very ladylike as I fought the urge to shovel my food into my mouth.

  “Alex, have you made any plans yet to work here in Chicago?” Harrison asked between generous bites. He must have been as famished as I was.

  “Drew made arrangements for me to stay on with PMC and work remotely with Jennifer Riley, an assistant working the clinical side in my territory. We were doing that while I was undergoing rehabilitation and physical therapy, and it worked out really well, so they’ve converted it to a beta program. I don’t know how long we’ll keep going, but PMC was overwhelmingly patient while I recovered. I kind of feel like I owe it to them and Jennifer to make it work.”

  “Are you finished with physical therapy? Because I know a few people if you need a name.”

  “Yeah, I’m going to keep working with a personal trainer to get my strength built back up. I still have a little bit of weakness in my right leg, and it makes me fall down if I’m not careful. I can’t really swear that was all from the stroke, though. Cooper says that I like to watch my toes grow when I run.” We both laughed over that image.

  “Not to force myself too far into your personal space, but the reason I ask is that I have full access to the gym and private lap pool in this building, and they have awesome personal trainers, if you’d like their contact information. If you’re going to stay in the city for any length of time and want your own space, I also have another condo leased in the building for corporate guests. You’re free to use it if you don’t want to stay in your dad’s guestroom. I’ll give your information to Vinnie, so he’ll be aware you may want to use it. It comes with full housekeeping services and full chef services. And you’d be close to your old stomping grounds. Just give it some thought.” He went back to eating as if he’d offered me another glass of wine instead of an apartment with a gym, housekeeper, and personal chef.

  “Stomping grounds?” I knew what he meant, but I had to ask him, just to tease him. I had to do something to lighten the intensity.

  “You know I’m talking about the coffee shop,” he said, pretending to roll his eyes at my feigned ignorance.

  “I knew that. But this time, don’t expect me to make your coffee!”

  He smiled as if he was thinking of me jumping behind the counter to whip up a cappuccino, then his expression turned serious.

  “No, I was really thinking you could enjoy a cup with me, and maybe this time, you’d actually pay attention to me!”

  Oh. So, there was interest, after all, in what I paid attention to. Why, Mr. Brooks, I got your message loud and clear.

  We spent the rest of the evening exchanging funny barbs back and forth, and I could tell he really was a guy’s guy, sports, pool tables, beer kegs, the works. There was almost a fraternity boy-style about him. Personality wise, he was far less uptight than Grayson. Their dress code might be the same—same jeans, same shirts, and same style of shoes even—since outwardly they were identical, but that was where it stopped.

  “Why didn’t you go the Army route like your dad?” I asked during a game of darts. I wanted to know what made them take different paths.

  “It really wasn’t for me. I believe in cowboys and Indians, so I get it. But at the time, I was more interested in liberal arts. I, uh, also have this little vision problem.”

  “So? There are people in the military who wear glasses,” I pondered with a confused expression.

  “Yeah, but mine kept me from shooting straight.” We both laughed.

  “And here I put my life in your hands, only to find out you’re blind?” I gasped in fake horror, which only made Harrison laugh even harder.

  “No, I had laser surgery to correct it, but it was a great excuse for not joining at the time. It just wasn’t for me. That’s where Grayson and I are different. Well, one of the ways. You probably figured out by now that on the inside, we’re barely even related to each other, twins or not.” He stared at me, his gaze almost contrite.

  “Harrison,” I began, letting out a long breath. Here was the conversation that we’d unwittingly been building up to all day long. “I’m not looking for comparisons between you two, at least not in a romantic way. But I sure don’t plan to be the object of a competition, either. I do want to get to know you, and I’m interested in what makes you tick. I mean, you’re Grayson’s brother, his family. Grayson means the world to me, no doubt, but I can’t even begin to pretend we can make it as a couple. That’s why I came here, to get away, to have some time to think and finish my recovery. I know you heard my call with Cooper. I sent Grayson home. He’s got things he has to deal with, and I have to deal with what I can from my end. If being a friend to me is too close for comfort for you, I can appreciate keeping a distance.”

  Thinking out his next play, Harrison nodded. “Alex, I need a beer buddy. You know, the one where I yell, ‘Hey bro, bring me another beer,’ while we watch the game. Nothing more, nothing complicated. If you’re up for hanging out with me, I can too. I travel a lot, so it’ll be hit or miss whether I’m here or not. That mentality toward relationships has carried me along this far, and I’m pretty sure it has a lot to do with why I haven’t managed to score the love of my life.”

  “Has the best one gotten away?” I asked quietly, gauging the look on his face as the answer I knew too well.

  “Well, there was someone very special to me years ago, but she couldn
’t handle my global travel. It made for constant friction between us. I couldn’t wait to get back home to her, only to have her whining that I left her alone too much and demanding to know who I’d been with on my trip. I have to be trusted in my line of work.”

  “Well, I’m certainly not one to give advice. The closest person to me is Cooper, but he’s like the brother I never had. We’ve been friends practically all our lives.”

  “Never more than friends?” Harrison asked seductively, raising his eyebrows with a sexy, knowing smirk.

  Coughing and choking on my wine, I threw a hand over my mouth. It would be horrible if this lovely vintage came out of my nose like a twelve-year-old boy laughing up his milk in a school cafeteria. “Oh, gosh, no. Cooper is gay!”

  “Wow, I sure can pick ‘em, huh? I used to see him come into the coffee shop all the time, but I thought it was so he could flirt with you! I couldn’t tell how far your relationship had gone. Then I saw him with you again at the hospital and figured he’d moved down to Dallas with you, so…”

  That brought on a whole new wave of laughter from both of us. I guess I’d never really considered how it looked that my best friend had picked up and moved to Dallas. That kind of support and selflessness made me miss him all the more.

  “Alex,” Harrison continued, his voice husky and soft, his eyes refusing to meet mine. “I noticed something else in the hospital. It’s obvious to everyone you are in love with Grayson.”

  And that was all it took to destroy a perfect moment.

  It had been a great day; one that was actually restful and uplifting. I’d been outdoors, enjoyed a great meal, and laughed more in one day than I could remember even smiling in the last few weeks. But Grayson still managed to work his way back in and make me ache. I sighed.

  “Yes, I love him. But I’m just not in a place right now where I can let myself think about that, let alone talk about it. I hope you understand.” I needed to lessen the blow of my harsh reply. I punched Harrison lightly on his toned bicep and said, “And being here with you doesn’t mean I’m hunting for a replacement!”

  “Yes, ma’am! Now, I have been told loud and clear!” His words matched the tenor of my joke, but I swore I saw something cloud his expression for a fraction of a second. I could see there was an edge to him.

  Was it because I expressed my love for Grayson? Or did Harrison have a secret agenda to compete with Grayson and get in the middle of what was going down between us? I decided to go for the million dollar question.

  “Harrison, have you and Grayson always competed for the same girl?”

  He coughed suddenly, choking back his drink to keep from spitting it out. He stood up so quickly I wasn’t expecting it, continuing to cough with one hand raised toward me to keep me in my seat. After a minute more, he recovered and walked over to the edge of the patio and looked out over the city. Finally, he turned to me, and I could see very real pain in his eyes.

  “I loved Olivia first.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  I didn’t speak. I waited for him to say something, anything, that could stop the violent thoughts swirling in my mind. Grayson stole his own brother’s love? What kind of man does that?

  “I can already tell what you’re thinking, and no. Don’t blame Grayson for this. At least,” Harrison paused with a slight shrug, “don’t blame him entirely. Olivia had a salacious sexual desire, what some people might even consider twisted. Alone, she was wild and adventurous, but her public face wanted the picture postcard home life with the house and the minivan full of kids, having lunch at the country club with the other wives. I was a young lawyer just starting out, and her goals climbed a lot higher than she thought I could do.

  “We dated for some time, and I thought it was getting serious, but when she met Grayson when he came to town for a holiday, that was it. I never thought he would steal her away from me. It was weird; it was like I was shocked, but also somehow completely not surprised when Olivia packed up and left town to be with him. But I never thought my brother was capable of that. It destroyed my relationship with him. For a long time, I pretended I didn’t even have a brother.”

  I was stunned. There are no words to make that right, to smooth it over, so I sat and waited for him to be the one to speak. But I had to know if Harrison had been seeing her again. Taking a gamble, I asked quietly, “Were you the father of her baby?”

  “How did you know about the pregnancy?” he asked, his eyes wide with concern for a moment before he relaxed and leaned back against the patio rail, nursing his drink.

  “No. I didn’t even know she was pregnant until she called me after the miscarriage. But I know her well enough to believe she told Grayson she hadn’t been pregnant in the first place. She realized she would never have him again, so why keep up the pretense? I haven’t seen her since their engagement party a year ago. Once she started seeing Grayson, I stopped anything to do with her. Or him, for that matter. She had an insatiable sexual appetite, and her cheating on him didn’t come at all as a surprise, especially those times he was away while he was in the Army. She couldn’t handle being alone.”

  Harrison strolled back and sat down on the sofa. “Alex, I’m sorry. I’m not comfortable talking about Olivia. Pathetic, huh? You and I have both suffered at the hands of the Wicked Bitch of the West, haven’t we?”

  I smiled at his comparison, and he even managed a weak laugh before raising his hands and making funny little chomping motions with his fingers. “She’s a relationship piranha.”

  “I completely agree. And I’m sorry for asking. I didn’t know you two had been together. Hope I didn’t drag up anything too painful?”

  “No,” Harrison said with a sigh. “You had no way of knowing. Besides, this is all supposed to be ancient history, but in some ways, it hurts just as much as it did back then.”

  I nodded. “I think I should be making my way home,” I said, standing up. “Can I call a cab? I have a big day tomorrow, arranging for the courier to pick up all my things in Dallas.”

  “Alex, I have a second car in the garage, please take it. It’s my company car, but I own the company, so you’re free to use it. And when we get downstairs, I’ll introduce you to Vinnie, if he’s in. He’ll get you a set of keys, and you can come and go as you please.”

  As we made our way downstairs, I figured out the role Harrison was taking with me as the protective big brother. He wasn’t trying to make moves on me; he was actually really respecting my relationship with Grayson. He knew I was another casualty of Hurricane Olivia, and he was a fellow survivor.

  “I really appreciate the offer of your apartment and your car. It’ll actually be a great help to me, but I’m kind of stubborn in the handout department. I’d like to pay you rent, if that is okay with you.” I watched his face for a reaction. I didn’t want to take advantage of someone, especially if that someone was only trying to make up for the hurts his own relative had caused, but I also didn’t want to spit on Harrison’s generosity if he really was just trying to be a good friend.

  “Alex, it’s a corporate car and apartment. If I let you pay rent, it screws up the accounting. For once, take the handout!” He pulled me into a very brotherly hug and helped me get into the shiny black car the attendant had brought around.

  I smiled and thanked him again. When I pulled out of the underground garage, though, I couldn’t help but see him in the rearview mirror standing, staring after me as I drove away.

  On my way home, my mind drifted, comparing the Brooks brothers. One was so cold and formal, but had a smoldering passion that simmered beneath the surface. The other was warm and outgoing, but used that exterior to cover up a lot more pain than he was letting on. I could feel the tension welling up in me.

  The evolution of the story continued, but one factor kept coming back into play—the evil plastic bitch Olivia Balcone, the spawn of Satan himself.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Cooper would be able to help me put some perspective on all of this.
We hadn’t had the opportunity to catch up or dissect everything that had occurred.

  I sat in Dad’s driveway and sent Cooper a text, but he didn’t respond.

  Not getting an answer made me realize how much I missed him. I missed our daily banter and him putting me in my place in that enjoyable way of his, and I missed his brutal honesty. I counted on him to tell me what I needed to hear, not what I wanted to hear. Our problem was that he still had faith in Grayson, and I didn’t. Not anymore. Grayson was as guilty as I was in the running away department, except that he ran from his own family with Olivia in tow.

  I did have to give him credit for coming after me after the gala and then flying all the way to Chicago to find me, which was way more than I’d expected. When he left, he did it without telling me how he felt about me. He told me what had happened, but he never said he loved me. That burned the most.

  Sure, I could assume he cared about me, or maybe even loved me, since he came all that way, but it wasn’t the same thing. He’d shut me out of his thoughts, kept me behind a wall of glass, so I could see through, but never really reach his heart. It was amazing how I could feel so close to him when we danced, but only moments later when I wanted to know how he felt about me, I couldn’t be further away.

  I walked into my dad’s house, and his deep voice called to me from the den.

  “That you, Alex? How’d you like that game with Harrison?” he asked with a little chuckle in his voice.