The Rivals - Vi Keeland Page 0,47

correctly, things had gone bad after his sister died. Those two had been thick as thieves. I considered myself an only child, since I didn’t count my half-brother, Spencer, so I didn’t have any experience with a relationship like those two had. I would imagine growing up in either of our big, yet lonely families caused siblings to grow even closer—us against them. Then add Caroline’s illness, and I could see how Weston would’ve taken the protective, big-brother role, even though he was younger. Losing it after she died didn’t seem like a negative thing. There was something beautiful about him caring for someone so deeply that after she was gone, he became self-destructive. In a weird way, I was kind of envious of that kind of love and dedication to another person. I’d been close to my mother, but she’d died before I was even really an adult.

Thinking about that side of Weston gave me a warm feeling. And also made me feel a little unsettled. So maybe it was for the best that he’d seemed to lose interest. Because the last thing I needed was to grow feelings for a member of the Lockwood family.

***

The next day, I’d just hung up my phone when Weston popped his head into my office.

“Meeting with the union is Friday at two o’clock.”

“Oh, okay. That’s great. Thank you. I was actually going to come by your office to see you.”

He grinned. “Miss me already, huh?”

“How could I miss you when I saw you a few hours ago standing behind the column in the lobby watching me get my coffee?”

Rather than deny anything, Weston’s grin widened to a smile. “Some guy was standing in my normal spot.”

“I find it interesting that you don’t even try to hide your stalking. Is this a hobby for you? Stalking, I mean.”

“You’re my first.” He winked. “You lucky girl, you.”

I shook my head. “Anyway, I spoke to the Boltons a little while ago, and they were able to get all the outstanding permit issues cleared up so they can get started. There are a few things they wanted to discuss over lunch today, if you’re available.”

Weston rubbed his bottom lip with his thumb. “They called you, huh?”

“Yes.”

He tilted his head. “Which one called? Sam or Travis?”

I knew what he was getting at, but I wasn’t going to make it easy for him. “Travis.”

“So he called you, but specifically asked you to invite me along as well?”

I rolled my eyes. “Get over yourself, Weston. Your big ego shouldn’t bruise that easily if someone prefers to call me over you. It makes sense since my family has worked with him before.”

“Sure…right…”

I sighed. “Are you going to join us or not? I’m going to call downstairs and reserve a table for one o’clock. Should I make it for two or three?”

“Definitely three. There’s nothing I enjoy more than being a third wheel.” He rapped his knuckles against my door. “See you later, Fifi.”

A few hours later, I’d lost track of the time and arrived at the restaurant at ten after one. Travis and Weston were already seated. They stood as I approached the table.

“I’m sorry I’m late. I’m not sure where the morning went.”

Both men went to pull out the chair between them at the same time. It was awkward, but Travis backed off.

“Thank you,” I said, taking my seat. “I hope I didn’t miss too much.”

“Not at all.” Travis smiled. “It gave Weston and me a chance to get to know each other a little.”

My eyes slanted to Weston’s. He picked up a glass of water and brought it to his lips. “It made my day.”

I scowled. Luckily Travis either didn’t notice Weston’s sarcasm or was professional enough for both of them and ignored it.

“I was just starting to tell Weston we can start as soon as tomorrow, if that’s alright with you both. All of the open issues with the building department have been cleared, and the missing paperwork filed. I had to renew the permits because they’d expired already, but I took the liberty of putting down tomorrow as the start date. So we’re ready to go, if you give us the all clear.”

Weston and I agreed the sooner the better, and we went on to discuss how many shifts we wanted working and the dates Travis thought we might want to leave the rooms directly below the construction open because of higher noise levels. We ordered, and by the time our food came, Weston’s attitude seemed