The Running Series Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 8

  It was great to be reassured that I was doing the right thing, but a part of me still couldn’t help but feel like I had just ruined any chance with Grayson. He had enough to deal with, besides having to pretend nothing was going on between us.

  And what had Zoe said? That he bruised easily and had a nasty habit of dispensing the silent treatment after a disagreement? That would go over really well at tonight’s dinner meeting.

  “Cooper, I have to run to the airport,” I called out to where I could already hear the sound of water running in the bathroom. “Today is the big day. Wish me luck!”

  “You got it. Luck!” he yelled playfully as I left for work.

  On the drive to the airport, my mind rolled over those few stinging last words with Grayson. Was I out of line? Would he play along tonight like I requested or would he throw me under the bus? I couldn’t trust that he wouldn’t say or do something. So, completely reversing my decision at the last minute, I decided I had to at least clue Drew in on my budding relationship with Grayson Brooks, just so somebody knew what was going on.

  “Hey, Drew. How are you? How was the flight?” I asked, greeting him.

  “Oh, you know. It was just as much fun as every other flight. Getting up at the crack of dawn and paying six bucks for a cup of airport coffee, so I can wedge myself in between all the other businessmen dumb enough to travel for a living…but enough about the glories of cross-country flying. I’m ready to put a bow on this deal for you tonight. It looks like you’ve got Dr. Brooks right where you want him, and more importantly, right where our company needs him.”

  Crap. I didn’t think that could be further from the truth. I didn’t want to have this conversation at all, but certainly not in front of the baggage carousel, waiting for Drew’s luggage, but unfortunately, it looked as though I had to settle this sooner instead of later. I mustered up some courage, but the look on my face must have been a dead giveaway because Drew was giving me a strange, questioning look.

  “Listen, Drew. There’s, well, before we get any further along with this, there’s something important that I have to let you know.” I softly sighed, trying to find my words and my courage. “Drew, I have started seeing Grayson Brooks. Socially, I mean. I wanted to keep it private for a while to see if it even goes anywhere, but he’s adamant about being honest and very public from the beginning. No secrets.”

  Drew’s face was tight, his lips pursed, and he was so quiet, just staring at me with an unreadable expression. “Alex, I should fire you right here on the spot! You have a morals clause in your contract, which clearly prohibits any behavior that could cause an embarrassment to the organization. How could you do this?”

  “Drew, it just happened. I’ll fill you in on all the details if you want, but please, please don’t fire me. I promise you I can and I will keep work separate. This will not affect our proposal or sale in any way.” I paused to look away; I couldn’t take his forceful glare. “We didn’t plan this; it just happened. Ever heard of chemistry? Romance?”

  He raised his finger, pointing it at me, “Don’t take that tone with me, Alex. If this deal blows up tonight with the board team here, you’re going to have some explaining to do, much higher up than me! I will not cover for you on this.”

  Our drive back over to the restaurant was quiet, except for the usual calls that Drew had to deal with. I could feel from the few looks he exchanged with me the enormous frustration he was experiencing. He’d arrived in Dallas confident we would have a new partnership with this hospital, but now he felt like our deal with Dr. Brooks could go south at any moment.

  Drew double checked the set-up of our private room and dinner menu, including audio/visual components. He was behaving like he didn’t trust me at all.

  It really began to sink in how my actions may have compromised my entire future. I didn’t know how I’d be able to rectify the situation with PMC or with Grayson if tonight didn’t go well, or even if I’d want to fix things with Grayson.

  Sambuca’s private dining room was the perfect venue for our meeting. Thinking about dancing with Grayson just a couple of nights ago brought an unwilling smile to my face.

  “Care to share with me what has you grinning so mischievously?” Drew hissed through tightly clenched teeth, forcing his words out through his fake smile. We were busy testing the computer components for Drew’s revamped presentation against what the restaurant provided, and I had become lost in my thoughts about Grayson.

  “I was just thinking back to the outfit I had planned to wear tonight,” I said nonchalantly, covering up my mistake to my eagle-eyed boss. “What I had originally picked out would have made me blend into the black table linens. That wouldn’t be good, to look like I was wearing a table cloth!” I was getting way too good at lying to him, but I was on thin ice, and I wasn’t about to get into another round about Grayson. “Did I hear you tell the manager service for fourteen? Who are the extra people coming?”

  “A couple of the venture capitalist guys have formed a new group. They’ve bought back into our organization, giving us more funding. I don’t know them personally, but Phillip has a great relationship and goes way back with these guys. He thought it would be good to have them here tonight.”

  We finished up with the equipment, and I ran home to change.

  On top of three boxes on the counter was a note from Cooper.

  Alex, this is a big night for you and a big night deserves an elegant ensemble. Please accept this as a token of what is to come. Just so you know, this is compliments of a darling little stylist, Monica. Here’s her card. And she said to tell you that ivory is the new BROWN!

  Toodles, CR

  I opened the larger box and found the most gorgeous ivory bouclé shift dress and matching short cropped jacket. The second box had warm mocha and black patent toe-tipped low-heel pumps, and the third had an elegant choker made of large black ball beads with earrings to match. I decided a sexy-messy bun was the perfect choice for the elegant ensemble, and I rushed to get ready.

  By the time I reached the private dining room, it was already noisy with the men visiting. I found Drew, Phillip, a couple of gentlemen I didn’t know, and Grayson already enjoying the wine. I said hello to everyone, except for Grayson, who just glared at me and maintained a professional distance; he even seemed very standoffish.

  I couldn’t read his facial expression, which made me most uncomfortable. I decided to avoid a confrontation with him, at least for now, since he seemed to be comfortable with everyone else.

  I purposely chose my seat across and at the opposite end of the table from him. There was one empty seat next to me, which I assumed belonged to a board member who hadn’t made it, which was perfect.

  I shared polite conversation and discussions about our product line with the guests who were seated around me, and I was able to relax a tiny bit.

  Maybe this would work out after all. Drew and the board seemed pleasant and eager, and even though I had gotten the cold shoulder, Grayson kept up polite conversation all around him. He smiled and talked animatedly with all of the right key players in the deal.

  As the servers started taking the dinner orders, the door to the dining room opened.

  “Hello, everyone. I’m Dr. Grayson Brooks. I’m so sorry to be running late; my clinic schedule ran behind.” Grayson smiled apologetically and sauntered over to the once-empty seat next to me, scooting himself inappropriately close to me as he leaned over to whisper, “I see you’ve finally gotten to meet my brother.”

  “What…? What is going on here?” I whispered under my breath as my gaze darted from the Dr. Grayson Brooks sitting next to me to the other one at the opposite end of the table. There are two of them!

  Identical twins…?

  CHAPTER SIX

  I felt the room spinning and fading out, but I couldn’t control or stop what was happening. The next thing I knew I was on the floor, staring up into a circle of confused faces hovering over me.

  “Alexandra! Alex
andra, can you hear me? Do you know where you are? Drew, I need to make sure she doesn’t move or try to get up. Please go see where the ambulance is.” It was Grayson talking, but I couldn’t talk back. I could only see and hear him faintly. Then, reality faded again to blackness.

  Bright lights shone in my eyes, and people scurried in the room. I felt that I was moving, but I didn’t know where I was. I started drifting back off to my happy place.

  Through the darkness, I heard Grayson’s voice barking orders, even as a humming noise vibrated through me. Nothing was real.

  When I woke up, I had a terrible headache, and there were machines all around me making noise. The lights were so bright; it hurt to keep my eyes open. I saw Drew and another person pacing around the edge of the room. I was having double vision and kept seeing Grayson move about.

  Oh no, wait, it’s not double vision. I remembered something now; there were two of them. He’s a twin? What the hell? Why hadn’t he told me his identical twin had something to do with PMC? He had some explaining to do, but my head hurt too badly to discuss it with him right now.

  “Alexandra, are you awake? Do you know what day it is today?” It was Grayson asking me questions, and his voice rattled.

  Opening my eyes, I found him standing beside my shoulder, holding my hand and lifting my eyelids gently, one at a time. His hands twitched nervously.

  “Grayson, it’s Thursday. I was at our dinner. Where am I? And by the way, you have some explaining to do!”

  Drew rushed over and gave me a big hug. “Alex, I’m going to step out to call Phillip and let him and the rest of the guys know that you have regained consciousness. Do you want me to call anyone else?” Drew took on the role of big brother, instead of the pain-in-the-ass boss. His voice was warm, but I could see frustration in his eyes.

  I knew I could count on him. I noticed he was glaring at Grayson, or was it the other one?

  “Drew, please call Cooper. His number’s in my cell phone. Let him know where to come get me. Make sure you don’t freak him out!” I pleaded.

  “Alexandra, I’m afraid you won’t be going home for a few days. You hit your head really hard, which caused a skull fracture and some significant swelling to the brain. You’ve been unconscious far too long. They need to keep you here for a couple of days. I’m sorry, my love, but you aren’t going to win this argument!” He looked around the room at the other PMC employees and asked, “Hey guys, can you give us some privacy for a few minutes?”

  And with that, we were quickly alone. The room was quiet, but there was an intense friction in the air around us.

  “Alexandra, I don’t know where to start,” Grayson said softly, still holding one of my hands tightly between both of his.

  I remembered Cooper’s backwards compliment from earlier today and decided to interrupt him, “How about some truth, Grayson? You are Grayson Brooks, I presume, at least, I think you are. First, you can start by repeating the last thing you said to me this morning, so I know I am still talking to the same man. Then begin to fill in the gaps with nothing but the truth, so help you God. Don’t leave anything out, understood?” My heart was still full of passion, but my brain was on overload with so many questions.

  “I’m so sorry I walked out on you this morning. I should’ve been more understanding of your need for privacy. I just felt like you were trying to hide how you feel about me. Now I know we both have lots to discuss about our pasts before we could ever be able to make a future.” He was quiet for a few minutes then continued with a serious tone.

  “But there’s time to talk about us later. Right now, I need to fill you in on your condition. You fainted and fell out of your chair, hitting the concrete floor and leaving a really nasty cut behind your ear. I did your sutures, about fourteen of them, but they’re in your hairline. Once the stitches come out after you’re healed, you’ll hardly even know there had been a cut there at all. The real worry is that you were unconscious way too long. The CT scan shows you have a little swelling in your brain. Your blood pressure hasn’t been stable, either, probably due to the blood loss back at the restaurant, so we’re just keeping you calm. The neurology team will want another CT scan in a few hours.”

  It was almost comical watching Grayson morph back into the all-business doctor I had seen for myself in the operating room. He was so serious, but so careful and thorough with his explanation, that I could feel the same reassurance he gave all of his patients. No wonder his practice had grown so quickly; anyone would be lucky to be in Grayson’s capable, compassionate hands.

  But I didn’t want to think about his hands, capable or otherwise. I wanted to stay mad at him for just a little while longer.

  “Thank you, Grayson. Really. I appreciate you taking care of me. But you don’t have to stay. I’ll be fine. And I promise to cooperate with the nurses and do as I’m told,” I said with a weak smile.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” he argued, slightly louder than before. “I’ve cleared my day tomorrow, too. If you feel up to it, we’ll have plenty of time to talk. I promise to bring you up-to-date on my crazy life with Harrison, my twin, and my ex-fiancé Olivia, the works. And that’s only if your reports look good,” he cautioned. His voice was packed with emotion, his hands trembling as he touched me.

  I could feel his concern for me. However, all of my old questions reared their ugly heads. “Not so fast. You have to explain about your twin. You are a twin, right? And why is he here with my CEO?” I pleaded for answers just as a nurse came in to recheck my vitals, followed by Drew, Phillip, and Grayson’s twin.

  The nurse turned to everyone in the room. “Gentlemen, if you don’t mind, I’ll need some privacy with Ms. Morrison. I’m sorry, but that includes you, Dr. Brooks.”

  Grayson tried to balk at the nurse, telling her he needed a few more minutes, but she ushered them all out.

  “I’m Samantha, but most everyone calls me Sam. I’ll be taking care of you today. Glad to see you’re awake.”

  “Nice to meet you. Please call me Alex.”

  She checked my vitals, took out my catheter, and helped me to the bathroom. She went over a detailed list of dos and don’ts and gave me some expectations about my prognosis. She explained that the neurologist, Dr. Kirk, and his team would make rounds after the next CT scan and discuss the results of the brain swelling with me.

  “Sam, would it be okay if I could request not to have any visitors except for Drew Crandall and Cooper Roberts? I just want to be alone for a while,” I asked her, quietly trying to hold back my tears.

  “Yes, ma’am, if you’re sure about that. I’ll inform them on my way out that they need to leave. Alex, you know Dr. Brooks is going to have a fit when I tell him. How long do you plan to keep him away?”

  “Until I’m discharged. I don’t want to see anyone else, and that includes Dr. Brooks.” Grayson Brooks was about to get a good dish of my stubborn side. If he was going to keep secrets from me, then fine. I just wouldn’t see him! What did his family have to do with my organization? Suddenly, I felt used, and I couldn’t imagine why or how this had happened.

  As Sam left, I could hear her explaining visitors were no longer allowed, and they needed to leave. After a few moments, she returned with Drew and Cooper in tow. I could not see or hear Grayson, which was just fine with me.

  “Alex, I filled Cooper in on what happened. Can I get you anything? Do you hurt anywhere, or need something for pain?”

  I could tell he was all tied up in knots, but all I wanted to do was beg for mercy. I had let him down. What a way to start my career, blowing my first big project planning meeting for a beta site.

  “Drew, I’m really okay, but I am mortified at what happened this evening. I am so, so sorry. How can I make this up to you? It sounds like I was lucky because my injury is no big deal, so it’ll be hard to keep me down. I’ll be back at it just as soon as I break out of this jail tomorrow.”

  I raised a hand to stop him when Drew started to protest. “Seriously, I me
an it. Here, pull up those chairs for you both and start filling me in on the particulars. What did I miss after I had to make my dramatic exit?”

  “We are not talking about this right now, Alex. You didn’t drop the ball. It’s not like you planned to pass out and fracture your own head!” Drew said with a reassuring laugh.

  “Well, could you at least tell me what’s going on with the twins? I can’t seem to get a straight answer out of Grayson. What is the man’s name, and what the hell does he have to do with PMC?” By now, I was on the verge of sobbing, gasping for breath and wiping futilely at the tears that overran my cheeks. I felt like to brunt of a bad joke only no one would tell me what was so funny. I had been played.

  Cooper reached for my hand. “Al, you have to calm down. The nurse said we could only stay if your blood pressure stayed down. Your injury means you’re at a high risk for a stroke. Anxiety will just make your risks worse. So please, please take some deep breaths and calm down. Otherwise, they’re gonna sedate you and kick us out of here.” He got up in the bed with me and held me tight, comforting me with soft shushing noises to help me control my crying.

  Drew took the opportunity to fill in the blanks for me. “Alex, his name is Harrison, Harrison Brooks. I don’t know all of the information, so forgive me if this gets patchy. But this guy walked in unannounced, and he had a tie to a doctor willing to set up a site for us, so I made a few phone calls to check him out. I found out a few of the details, and I’ll know more by tomorrow. Phillip is keeping quiet about the guy, so he either doesn’t know everything or he’s afraid to piss off the venture capital guys in with Harrison. Their group is currently providing funding for us to continue our daily operations until we’re self-sufficient on our own again. Harrison’s some kind of attorney who made some great dotcom choices years ago and is now really wealthy. He’s from Chicago, went to Northwestern. After they raced you out of there, he actually said he knew you.”