Page 170 of Bridesmaid for Hire
“Do you need help maneuvering him around?” Hardy asks.Yeah. Maybe tip him out the door and into the water?
“Uh, yeah.” I swallow down my pain. “Can you just put him over on that side?”
“Of course.” Hardy and Hudson both shift him around so he’s properlyon the bed, still completely lifeless. A part of me wants to feel bad for him, but most of me wants to scream and yell.
“He had a pretty rough night,” Hardy says as he moves toward the door. “Dad uninvited him to the wedding. Jude invited him back. Not sure what he’s going to want to do. I don’t want there to be drama, so I’m almost thinking it’s better if he doesn’t go, you know?”
Hudson grips the back of his neck. “Yeah, I think that might be the right move.”
I nod. “I understand. Would you like me to not attend as well?”
“No,” they both say together.
“Please don’t punish Haisley for my dad’s inability to be a normal fucking human.” Hardy drags his hand over his face. “This is…this is our dad’s fault, and we’ll be having a conversation with him. There’s a lot of complexity in this whole situation, but just to avoid any problems tomorrow, I think it’s best that he stays away.”
“That’s fine. I understand. And I’m sorry for any problems he created.”
Hudson steps up and places his hand gently on my shoulder. “Brody did nothing, Maggie.”
I shake my head. “No, he was here for a reason, and your dad called him out on that.”
“But in all fairness, he never once talked business, never. I think the moment he got here, he realized it probably wasn’t the right time.” Hardy shrugs “I don’t know, it’s been fun having you guys around. I guess I just see it differently. I know Haisley is very grateful for you, so we’re grateful, too. We’d do anything for Haisley.”
“Haisley and Jude,” Hudson adds.
“Well, you guys are good brothers. Thanks for bringing Brody back. I’ll be sure to keep him here. Do I need to tell him anything?”
“Just tell him that we’ll talk to him when we’re back at work. We’ll have our assistant set up a time to meet,” Hudson answers.
“Okay, will do. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
With a final nod, they exit the bungalow. The moment the door clicks shut, I turn around to look at Brody and my eyes fill up with tears. He just lies there, lifeless, completely passed out, unaware that he just broke my heart.
With just two careless words, he took all the trust I had in him and shattered it to a million pieces.
“How…how could you?” I whisper.
My lip wobbles.
My lungs work harder.
And my hands start to shake.
He promised he wouldn’t hurt me. He swore he’d treat me with care, and yet he went behind my back and stole my idea, offering it up to the competitor as if it was an easy in for him, a way to impress.
And yet, here I am, struggling to secure clients, battling against corporate competitors to have my name seen, to grow my business, and he pulls the rug right from under my feet, knocking me back down from my mediocre ascent.
What am I supposed to say?
That was my idea, and Brody stole it, but if I just took it back, I’d proceed with my idea, only for people to say I’m copying the larger corporation for my own gain.
This isn’t just stealing my idea, this is stealing a piece of my business that I’ve been meticulously planning, that I’ve been dreaming about. And he knows how important this business is to me, how hard I’ve worked, the time and energy I’ve put into it. Hell, the only reason we’re in this position is because I was desperate enough to make a power move on my own vacation.
And I made that move.
I was getting an in.
I was helping.
