Page 8 of Without a Hitch
I march past Blake but pause just before he’s out of sight. “Thank you,” I mutter sincerely. He might be the only one keeping my soul from burning to ash while I fight the devil.
CHAPTER3
TILLY
Present Day
“You’ve got this, Tilly. You’ve been through all the training, even more than most, and I know you can handle it.” Colton’s praise has me fidgeting with the cocktail napkin on the bar just as a glass of wine is slid my way by an attractive bartender.
I want to roll my eyes at my boss. But I don’t, because he’s right. I’m just scared out of my mind. Plus, Colton Westbrook is an amazing boss. He’s also Preston Westbrook’s brother, which makes him sort of my brother-in-law?
“I know,” I say instead, staring into the FaceTime screen of my MacBook Pro. It was a graduation present from my sister Emory and Preston a few years ago. It’s probably still the most expensive thing I own.
“What are your biggest concerns, Till?”
After I finished an internship with The Westbrook Group, Colton became my boss and I fell in love with marketing and PR. I’m getting to experience everything firsthand, but sometimes I wonder if he’s placing too much trust in me.
“Ah, that I’m going to blow it? How much money will you lose if you don’t win this bid?”
He laughs. It’s light and fun, much like the man himself. I know everyone in the office considers him a practical joker, but I see the work he does. I did a short stint with each Westbrook brother during my internship, and I can confidently say Colton puts in more hours on a regular basis than any of his brothers.
“Tilly, this is just recon. You’re collecting information. You’ve done this a thousand times by my side. I have full confidence in you.” He speaks to me like I’m a little sister about to head off to summer camp for the first time.
“Thanks,” I grumble.
“Hey.” He waits until I peer up at the screen again. “I wouldn’t send you out alone if I didn’t know you could do it, so believe in yourself. Until we get this mess sorted out, you’re the only one I trust to get things done. I’m heading to my brother’s place in Vermont, but I’ll be available 24/7 via phone.”
“I know. I still can’t believe this is happening.”
“When you’re successful, Tilly, people will always try to hit you where it hurts. I got caught with my pants down. Literally.” He rolls his eyes, but I see pain there too. “And now we have to sift through this PR nightmare. Maybe I should be more of an asshole like Lochlan. At least no one bothers him.”
Ah, yes. His mysterious friend, Lochlan. Hotelier and rumored curmudgeon. I don’t understand how they’re friends if the rumors are true.
“What’s that look for?” Colton asks with a smirk that could rival any of my teenage obsession’s posters that lined my childhood bedroom.
“I just don’t get it. Assistants talk, you know? Your friend has a reputation for being a miserable jerk.” I clamp my lips shut. Colton and I may have a different kind of relationship, but he’s still my boss.
His hearty laughter revives my heartbeat to a steady rhythm again.
“He does. And he is, but he’s a good friend. It might be different if I had a vagina, but he’s a good guy at heart.”
“Why would it be different if you had a vagina?” I can’t help it. I laugh.
“Lochlan lives his life like Cupid is the boogeyman. Women are drawn to him. He’s a wealthy, pretty face, but he views love and marriage as a prison sentence. If you have a vagina, he’s either going to screw you or shut you down.” I scrunch my nose up, and he laughs again. “I didn’t say his thinking was right, but Loch doesn’t believe in fairytales. Not anymore anyway. As long as I’ve known him, he’s been a skeptical, broody bastard. But he's become nearly unbearable in the last couple of years.”
“That’s really sad.”
He nods at the screen. “It is, but maybe if I were more like him, there wouldn’t be photographs of my naked ass all over the tabloids right now.”
Poor Colton. I do feel bad for him. He doesn’t have a malicious bone in his body, but someone has been selling stories to every gossip column in the world, and he’s had to go on administrative leave to protect their company.
“What are you doing tonight?”
I frown because I know he’s digging for information. Ever since I let it slip that I was making my dream of running my own business a reality, he’s been relentless. I haven’t given him or Preston any details because it’s just a dream right now. My blog is taking off, but it’s not a business per se. Plus, the second I tell either of them, they’ll step in to make my dreams a reality I didn’t work for. I need to work for it. Emory gave up so much to make sure my other two sisters and I had everything we needed. It’s my turn to prove to her and myself that I can stand on my own.
Dropping my chin into my palms, I stare at him. “I’m in the bar right now. I’ll have dinner, work on my business plan, then go to bed.”
“And where are you on your business plan? What steps have you taken?”
