Page 142 of Bridesmaid Undercover
Hang out.
Just breathe.
I stopped by on the way home from Almond Bay and walked through the almond trees, thinking about Everly and how much I’d like to show her the farm. How fun it would be to walk her through the ins and outs of how we took a few acres and made it into so much more. Something that’s so much bigger now. I want her to be proud of me, as odd as that sounds.
“From the disgruntled look on your face, I can see that you don’t agree.”
“It’s not that I don’t agree, it’s that I just like it better there.”
“I understand,” he says. “Truly, I get it. You were never made for the office, but I need you here now. I’m not saying you’re going to be here forever, but I need you in the city while we still have things processing and we’re still growing. I need you talking in person to the people we’re hiring. Once we find theproper flow, then you can start working remotely, but for now, I’d prefer you only go to the farm once every two weeks, maybe even three.”
“Christ,” I mutter as I pinch my brow.
“Hardy—”
“I know,” I say as I look my brother in the eye. “I get it. And I don’t want you irritated with me. I’ll be here.”
“I don’t want you irritated with me either,” he says. “I know what your passion is, Hardy. I know it was hard for you to find, but once you found it, you created something that has provided a huge income stream to our company. The almonds are the reason why we’re able to invest in other things. I want to get you back to them, but it’s just going to take time.”
“I know,” I say softly, wishing he wasn’t making so much sense.
Chapter Twenty
EVERLY
I stare at my phone, wondering why there hasn’t been a response from Hardy. Not yesterday and not today. The party is tomorrow, and now I’m starting to worry that I truly did something wrong, something to upset him. If this is what it feels like with no contact for two days, then how am I going to deal with him being so immersed in Maple that he doesn’t speak to me again?I thought we might be able to maintain some semblance of friendship, no matter how much it hurt me. Foolish, Everly. Foolish.I don’t like these weird vibes.
Such weird vibes that I find myself standing outside Hardy’s office building, wondering if I’ve lost my mind.
And maybe I have.
But I’ve also felt sick.
So freaking sick over all of this that I need to just…as he put it, check in.
Before I can lose my nerve, I push through the front doors of the office building, only to run straight into the man I came to see.
“Everly,” he says, startled. “What are you doing here?”
It takes me a second, but when my eyes focus on him, I immediately notice his dark blue suit, which is perfectly tailored to his broad shoulders and tapered waist. And despite how good he looks, I know just how uncomfortable he is.
But the suit is not what’s pulling my attention—it’s the confusion in his expression and the hard set in his shoulders. He seems angry.
Angry at me?
I have no idea. But that’s all it takes for me to lose all the confidence I gained to come here.
So, I do the only thing I know to do. I lie.
“Uh, something is wrong,” I stammer.
“What?” he asks as he pulls me to the side.
You, you’re what’s wrong.
You’re acting weird.
You’re not talking to me like you normally do.
