The Billionaire Op - Lori Ryan Page 0,10

said Andrew, earning a scowl.

“Shut it.” Jack lowered himself onto the bleachers beside the court. All three men pulled sweatshirts over damp T-shirts and began exchanging sweaty socks and gym sneakers for dry socks and clean shoes.

Despite the fact they could afford fancy club memberships, all three preferred the pickup games at the local community center gym. They were a lot more fun than the games at the fancy fitness center they’d tried years ago.

“Grab lunch?” Chad asked.

Jack and Andrew both shook their heads.

“I can’t. I’m meeting Jill for lunch in an hour. I need to run home and shower,” Andrew said.

“I promised Kelly I’d bring her chicken noodle soup from the Daily Grill. She’s been craving nothing but chicken noodle soup for a month now.” Kelly’s pregnancy had been uneventful, with the exception of the cravings that had plagued her—and consequently Jack—since early on.

Jack laughed at Chad’s frown. “Hey, get yourself a wife and you won’t miss us so much.”

“Funny.” Chad scowled as the men picked up their bags and started toward the exit.

Jack and Andrew got quiet and Chad groaned inside. He knew what was coming.

Can’t everyone drop the whole Jennie and Chad thing?

After picking Jennie up at the park, he had barely managed to get the image of her in a T-shirt with no bra out of his head, and now they had put it front and center again without even mentioning her name.

“Maybe it’s time you saw where this thing with Jennie might go. Have you even been on a date with anyone else since you met her?” Jack asked.

They crossed the parking lot toward their cars, but it was clear Jack and Andrew were going to stay until he gave them an answer. Chad didn’t want to tell Jack the answer to that question and he didn’t want to have this conversation again. As far as they knew, he didn’t want to date Jennie because he was her boss at Sutton Capital. And, that was part of it, but Chad hadn't actually told anyone the whole truth.

He opened the door to his truck and threw his gym bag on the passenger seat before turning to face his two best friends. The parking lot was almost empty now and no one was within hearing distance of them. He ran a hand over his jaw and tried to loosen the clenched muscles that had him grinding his teeth together. He didn’t succeed.

“Listen guys, I know you mean well, but it’s not gonna happen with me and Jennie. It’s not just the work thing.”

“What do you mean? What other reason could you have for staying away from a woman you’re so clearly attracted to? Everyone knows the feeling’s mutual,” Andrew said, with a glance at Jack, who nodded.

“Listen, I’ll tell you this once and then you guys need to drop it. Got it? Drop it for good. I don’t want to keep having this conversation.”

Jack and Andrew exchanged looks but then nodded at Chad.

“I did try to see where it would go once. I kissed her. And, it was...” He huffed out a harsh breath at the memory and plowed through his explanation. “It was amazing, just like I knew it would be. But, then I looked in her eyes and all I saw was sorrow. The kind of sorrow that rips you up inside. It killed me to see that look on her face, especially knowing I put it there. I walked away and we haven’t talked about it. And we won’t. Ever.”

He didn’t look at his friends. Just kept his eyes on the ground as he leaned on his truck and waited for Jack and Andrew to say something.

“That’s ridiculous. Jennie’s one of the happiest people I know,” Jack said.

Chad understood what Jack meant. They all saw Jennie the way she wanted them to see her. She was brash and saucy and didn’t take crap from anyone. She was also always there with a smile or a joke when you needed one.

He looked up to meet his cousin’s eyes. “I know how she acts, but I know what I saw. I don’t ever want to put that look on her face again and I’m not going to. So drop it, guys. It won’t ever happen with me and Jennie.”

The day he kissed Jennie, he had known. She wasn’t over her husband. She didn’t know he knew about the husband. Nobody knew at Sutton. But, he did. He ran the background checks for all of Sutton Capital