Braxton shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. “Zach has Sophie. I know he’s not interested in Macy.”
“Neither am I,” Liam ground out through gritted teeth.
Oh, yeah. He was. A man wouldn’t get that fired up over it if there were no feelings whatsoever. Braxton only hoped if Liam did make a move that Macy reciprocated the feelings because Liam couldn’t handle any more hurt in his life. He’d been treading on careful ground for so long that Braxton truly feared one more heartbreak and Liam would snap.
Braxton wiped his hands down his jeans. “Ladies, I’m sorry, but I have to run. I have plans later and they don’t involve you two losers.”
“When are you going to take one of those puppies off my hands?” Zach asked.
Braxton really didn’t want a do
g, but he felt sorry for Zach being stuck with the mommy and seven rowdy, chewing, pissing puppies. Braxton was gone so much when school was in session, he didn’t feel it fair to take an animal into his house just to ignore it for hours upon hours.
“I never said I was,” Braxton retorted as he headed toward the side of the house. “Ask around town. All you have to do is find a kid and a parent who can’t say no. They’ll take a puppy in a heartbeat.”
Zach nodded. “I know they will, but I don’t want just anyone to have them. Whoever gets them needs to know how to care for a puppy properly. It’s a commitment.”
Liam snorted. “Don’t tell me you actually care about puppies. Grumpy, snarky, grouchy Zach has gone soft over fur balls.”
Zach shrugged, apparently his only defense. “You could use one to make you a more chipper person, too. I can’t keep them all. Thor already chewed Brock’s new tennis shoes and Hulk keeps pissing in my work boots.”
Braxton shook his head. “Names are cool, but I still can’t take one. Sorry, man.”
As he rounded the house, he heard Zach calling out to him, but Braxton kept walking. He loved the dogs when he visited his brother, but Braxton really didn’t need one and there was no way Zach would just turn them loose. The pups were in good hands, as was Brock.
Braxton laughed as he climbed into his SUV. His disgruntled brother who had been a loner for a decade now managed to have a fiancée, a teenage boy, and a houseful of animals. Their mama always said God had a sense of humor.
Before he could start his engine, his cell vibrated once again in his pocket. When he pulled it out, he stared at the screen, sure he was seeing things wrong.
He’d taken Anna’s contact information out of his phone, but he still recognized the number. Whatever she had to say, he didn’t care. That may be cold, but whatever. Why the hell would she be calling him at this point? They’d been broken up for nearly a year and she’d moved on. He wasn’t wasting another minute of his time on her.
He had another date tonight and didn’t want his day ruined with a call from his ex.
As he headed down the long, curved drive, a niggle of doubt settled into his chest. He’d never doubted going on a date before, never questioned them at all, actually. So why now did going out seem so wrong? Why did he want to call and cancel, coming up with some lame excuse?
Braxton knew the answers, he just didn’t want to admit it. He was hung up on their new employee and he had no idea what the hell to do about it. Liam and Zach would kick his ass, or give it their best shot, if Braxton opted to see Cora on a personal level. But she’d made it clear she needed a friend. He had female friends, Sophie and Macy. He could add Cora. Sure, no problem.
Except that he’d never kissed Sophie or Macy and he sure as hell had never wanted to explore anything further with them. Cora, on the other hand, he wanted way too much. He’d just met her and he was already finding himself thinking of her, wondering what she was doing, replaying that kiss in his head, her hands on his bare body when she’d massaged him.
Damn it. Braxton headed home with a new purpose in mind. If she wanted to be friends, so be it. This may be an all-new test to his self-control.
Chapter Six
“No, Eric. I’m staying. I love this town and my new house.” How many times did she have to tell the man? “I highly doubt this will put a damper on your plans to head up the company.”
Silence filled the line. Yeah, she’d called him out on the reason for his misplaced concern. He sure as hell didn’t care about her needs so much as what it would look like if they didn’t marry and grow into the next generation of CEOs. No thank you.
“Corinne, please.”
Cora rubbed her head and leaned back on her sofa cushions. The only people who insisted on calling her by her full name were her parents and Eric, and he most likely did it to appease them. At one time she’d truly thought he had to be the man for her because he gave her attention, she knew they were compatible in the business world, but then she’d slept with him. That’s when she knew there was no way they could spend their life together. The sex wasn’t terrible, but it was . . . lackluster. She’d felt nothing and Eric didn’t seem to mind the fact the encounter was short, lifeless, and no fireworks went off.
Okay. The sex was bad. Surely it had to be better . . . right? Maybe not so far as to have the fireworks, but at least a little toe-curl would’ve been nice.
“I do care,” he went on in that soft tone that was borderline demeaning. “I also think we’d make a great team here at Buchanan. I know you have a rift with your parents, but don’t let that interfere with us.”
“A rift?” She laughed, unable to hold it in. “What I have with them is more than a rift. Eric, I moved to get away from the business, to find a piece of myself that’s been missing. I have no idea what I’m going to do regarding my place in the company but my parents love you and I highly doubt you and I not tying the knot will hinder your position.”
Silence once again greeted her. She’d just let him process all of that . . . apparently he needed yet another explanation. Besides, even if she knew what she would end up doing with her part of the company, she didn’t need to run it by him. Regardless if he were to become the CFO like her parents intended, this was between her parents and her.