Breaking Bro Code (The Line Up #4) - Misti Murphy Page 0,79

take it.”

“Your brother would hate it,” she says as we line up to order our burgers.

My stomach growls at the thick aroma of juicy beef patties and caramelized onion rings, but I’m no longer hungry. I’ve never lived that far away from the big oaf. The furthest away I’ve lived is New York, and we both knew that was temporary. It would probably drive him insane, not being able to check up on me all the time. Although sometimes he checks in at the bar in L.A. so it’s not like I wouldn’t see him at all.

“That might actually be a pro,” I joke. “I’d miss watching my nephews grow though. I won’t be able to spoil them as often or teach them how to sass their dad.”

“What about Vale?” she asks as we take our food to a table.

“He hates L.A.” I pick the poppy seeds off my bun.

“He did spend almost a month and a half in a place he supposedly hates, for you.” She squirts ketchup and mayonnaise on her fries.

“But that was different. He was worried about my brother finding out what was happening between us.”

“Is that really the case?” she asks.

“Okay, he also wanted to get in my pants.”

“So maybe he’d consider moving,” she suggests. “For what’s in your pants.”

“No. He was adamant that he would never contemplate moving to L.A. for anyone.” I shrug, but I’m feeling anything but nonchalant. Who would have thought we were talking about our future at the time? “It has something to do with his family, but he hasn’t really opened up to me about it.”

“So if you move to L.A., what happens between you two?” She bites the end of a fry before dropping the rest of it back in the basket. She seems to have as much appetite as I do.

I didn’t expect when I finally got to my goal that it would feel like being run over by a Mack Truck. I don’t want to think about what following my dream means for my personal life. “I don’t know. Maybe moving to L.A. right now isn’t the best idea. I thought I was getting promoted here. Maybe I should hold out and see if Carlan is willing to offer me something else. In Chicago.”

“Because of Vale,” she says. “Because if you take this job and put your career first, you’ll break up?” She picks up one of her fries and studies it like it’s a clue from a murder scene. Drops it back in the basket. “If Lewis were here this would be so much easier.”

“Why?” The minute I say it my belly flip-flops. “Because he’d be Team L.A.?”

She folds her arms on the table and leans nearer. “Because he’d ask the hard questions so I don’t have to. Like, do you really believe an opportunity like L.A. is going to come up again? Are you and Vale even exclusive? Is he your boyfriend? Have you talked about what this relationship is?”

“We’ve been having fun,” I argue. The best days and nights of my life. Except for the fact there’s always this niggle in the back of my mind that fun is all it is because he’s still unable to move past whatever happened with his ex all those years ago. While I’m falling more in love with him every day, I still have no idea how he feels about me. I’ve tried so hard not to outstep him. Tried to keep my patience and not overwhelm him with my emotions.

“You can’t turn down this promotion for fun.” She reaches across the table and squeezes my hand. “You’ve worked too hard to get to this point in your career. You need to talk to him. Tell him about the promotion. Put your cards on the table, Lily. You deserve a guy who understands that you need him to choose you for more than fun. If he can’t be that guy after all these years…”

Then there’s no hope for us no matter what I decide to do about L.A. I stand up and clean off the table. Dump my uneaten food in the trash. “We better get back to the office.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Vale

“I’ve been waiting for you all day, pretty girl.” I lean across the bar to tuck her hair behind her ear. She’s so damn beautiful, it makes my chest ache. “Totally worth it.”

It’s late Friday afternoon. Too early for the cubicle loving masses to knock-off yet. Happy hour is still a couple of hours away, and