Chance(16)

He throws his head back in laughter. "Caleb's let his success go to his head. I don't dispute that but he's still the same guy you've always known."

"He's not." I hesitate before I continue, "I'm not even sure I want him as a friend anymore. He had you arrested, Asher. You're his brother. You've already been through so much."

"I'm an addict." He leans forward to pull both of my hands into his. "My addictions terrify him. He panicked. He did the only thing he thought would help."

"He was wrong." I look down at my lap. "He knows he was wrong. That's why he made me promise to still be his friend before he told me what happened."

"You're the only constant in my brother's life." His voice is gruff. "You've always been there for him. He needs that. He needs you now more than ever."

***

"You're not working from home today?" I tap my hand lightly on his shoulder.

"Please be wearing that hot little red dress you had on earlier," he says smugly. "Red is my new favorite color."

I try not to grin as he pivots on his heel to look at me. His eyes settle on the neckline of the dress. It's not low cut but it definitely accentuates the limited cleavage that I do have. "I didn't have time to go home to change, Caleb."

"I want you to wear that dress every time you come here to see me." He gestures around the empty boardroom we're standing in. "I have a meeting in ten. What's up?"

I stare at his handsome face. There isn't a remnant of the pain that flashed over his expression earlier when he was in my office and I was berating him over how much he's changed. It's always like that with the two of us. We forgive and forget. We always have. "I want to talk about Asher."

His rubs his index finger over his lips. "What about him?"

"You fired him." I sigh heavily. "Why did you fire him?"

He swallows hard before he answers. "He can't work here if he's in jail or in rehab."

"He's not using anything." I glare at him. "He was upset about something. He feels badly about what he did."

This is the point in the conversation when Caleb should admit that he feels badly about what he did too, namely having his brother arrested. That would involve him swallowing his pride and declaring he was wrong too. Unless hell has frozen over since I walked into this office tower, it's never going to happen.

"You trust him too much, Rowan." His eyes drop to my legs. "You put too much faith in Asher."

"I'm not going to apologize for being his friend." I struggle to not point out that he doesn't put enough faith in his younger brother. "I believe in him."

"You shouldn't." He brushes past me to rest his tablet on the long, rectangular table. "You can't depend on people like him."

I push out a heavy breath at the underlying inference in his words. "What does that mean?"

His gaze is soft as he studies my face. "God, you're beautiful. You're so beautiful and trusting. I don't want you to get hurt. It kills me when you get hurt."

I stare at his lips as he closes them slowly. "Asher isn't going to hurt me. You don't understand our friendship. You don't know what he means to me."

"Tell me then." His hand jumps to my waist. "Tell me exactly what my younger brother means to you."





Chapter 12


I work to level my breathing as look into Caleb's eyes. His fingers are sliding softly over the fabric of my dress. I want to explain in pointed detail why he needs to get over what happened yesterday so he can see the potential that Asher has but I can't find those words. "We're friends."

"Yes, Rowan." His breath floats over my cheek as he leans down. "We've established that you and Asher are friends. You and I are friends too but it's different with you and him."

"Different?" I ask before I lick my bottom lip. I feel as though I haven't had anything to drink in days.

"Different," he repeats. "As in not the same."

I nod. "It is different."

I see something flash across his expression but it's too fleeting to place. "How is it different?"

"He's trying," I begin before I smooth my hand over my hair. It's falling from the bun I pushed it into this morning. I didn't take a minute to look at myself in the mirror before I left Corteck. I'd made Asher promise me that he'd let me know before he jetted off to see his mother. Once I said goodbye to him, I'd grabbed my purse and had walked the three blocks to Caleb's office to confront him.

His assistant had pointed me towards the boardroom when I arrived and before I had time to form a plan of action in my head, I was standing behind him, tapping him on the shoulder.

"What's he trying to do?" His lips hover close to mine. "Tell me what he's trying to do."

I close my eyes briefly hoping it will offer me enough of an escape that I can find my composure again. It doesn't work. My heart is racing just as fast once I open them to see Caleb's face. "He's trying to be a good person."

"A good person?" he parrots back. "Asher doesn't know the first thing about being a good person."