8
Juliet was still smarting over his hasty retreat the next morning as she got ready for work.
She sighed. She was being ridiculous. There had been several times yesterday when she’d picked up the phone to call Reuben and tell him that his bodyguards weren’t going to work out.
But truth was, they weren’t the problem. She was. And it wasn’t fair for them to be out of a job because of her issues.
Abandonment issues. Check.
Nightmares. Check.
Anxiety. Check.
Panic attacks. Check.
She was just a bundle of fun. Honestly, it was a wonder anyone wanted to be around her. Even Missy and Angelique. Not that they had much choice.
Here were these gorgeous, normal men. In her house. Interrupting her routine. Messing with her mind. It was no wonder she was mixing up signals.
Just because she was attracted to Brick didn’t mean he felt the same.
Standing in front of the mirror, she took in her appearance. A long black skirt. Black, loose shirt. Her brown hair was tied back in a single braid. No make-up. Pale skin. Sharp cheekbones. Shoot, was she losing weight? Reuben would have a fit if he thought she wasn’t eating. Darn it.
She’d worry about that later. She had to get to work. Urgh, she hated work. Pretty much everyone who came to the library was a local, which made it easier. But they weren’t all nice. And her boss was a total dick.
However, if she didn’t have a job to go to, people who relied on her to turn up, she worried she’d never leave the house.
So, she got up four days a week to go to her job, which she didn’t particularly like with a boss who sucked because that’s what people did. Well, most people. It was something that was normal. And it also made Reuben feel better knowing she was getting out of the house. She would do anything to make Reuben stress less.
Including putting up with Darin the dick.
Nobody liked her boss, and she knew he would love to get rid of her. But he was also scared shitless of her brother.
Sometimes having a scarily powerful, autocratic, insanely overprotective brother came in handy.
Other times, like when he sent three strange men to live with her, not so much.
Picking up her phone, she texted Xavier.
Juliet:How r U doing?
Xavier: Remembering why I don’t visit my parents that often. Soon as I got off the plane, they were trying 2 convince me 2 come work at NY-Pres.
Her stomach rolled in protest. He couldn’t do that. She’d be devastated if he left. She didn’t even want to think about it.
Xavier:Mother’s appointment this morning, hope 2 be home by Wed. U okay?
Juliet: Yep. Hope everything goes ok.
Xavier: Me too, Twink.
Juliet: Miss U.
Xavier: Miss U more.
More than he probably realized. She felt bad about not telling him the truth, but what was he going to do? He had enough going on without her problems.
Walking into the kitchen, she grabbed an iced coffee from the fridge. Her whiteboard and a marker were sitting on the kitchen counter. She probably needed to carry those around.