Wright with Benefits (Wright Series #8) - K.A. Linde Page 0,28

at all.

Which was fine.

We weren’t dating. No matter how Julian or Hollin joked when it was brought up. And if I was honest, this was much easier than any relationship I’d been in. Those relationships had always been as brittle as glass. Glossy and seemingly perfect on the outside, but one good hit to the surface, and the entire thing shattered.

“Okay,” Morgan said, clicking her pen against the notebook in front of her. “I think that’s a wrap. We all need lunch. We can come back in, say, an hour and a half to get back at this.”

Morgan was the CEO of Wright Construction. She’d been promoted before she was thirty, and a lot of people had been skeptical she could handle the job. Especially my asshole father, who had all but staged a coup to take the position from her. But Morgan had proven them all wrong. She was more than capable, if our stock numbers were any indication.

She was seated next to David, Sutton’s husband and CFO, and her brother, Austin Wright, a senior vice president. The other vice presidents and the executive directors were present, discussing the new soccer complex.

When I’d moved here from Vancouver, there hadn’t been a position for me available, but they’d added an executive director position, and I’d stepped right in. There had been a few grumbles about it until I’d proven myself with The Buddy Holly Hall, a new performing arts center that was going to bring Broadway to Lubbock.

“Excellent,” Austin said. He scraped his chair back and stretched. “I could use some Hank’s. Anyone else?”

“I’m in for Hank’s,” David agreed. It was everyone’s favorite local fried chicken place.

“Jordan?” Austin asked.

I shook my head. “Count me out.”

“You’re not just going to sit at your desk and forget to eat again, are you?” Austin joked.

“I’m heading to Thai Pepper.” I’d promised Annie that I’d bring her lunch since her rotation this week was intense and she had kept forgetting to break for lunch.

Morgan eyed me astutely. “Haven’t y’all noticed Jordan leaving all the time for lunch now? He used to only get up from his desk once a month, and now, it’s two or three times a week.”

“Huh,” Austin said. “Who’s the girl?”

“No one,” I said with a laugh as I stood and buttoned my suit jacket.

“No one,” Austin mimicked with an eye roll. “David, do you believe him?”

He grimaced. “I mean, I might have heard who the girl is from Sutton already. It’s not entirely fair.”

Austin’s eyes glimmered. “Spill.”

“It’s Annie,” I said as I pushed my chair in. “We’re just friends.”

“Just friends,” Morgan said with air quotes to punctuate the words.

“Is this like just friends, but you’re really dating?” Austin asked, slinging an arm around my shoulders. “Or like just friends, but you’re fucking?”

I shook my head, pushing him off of me.

“Leave him be,” David said, jostling Austin. “Imagine if everyone had treated you like this about Julia.”

“They did!” he insisted.

Morgan scoffed behind them. “They did not. I was the one who got shit about Patrick, you ass.”

“Well, yeah, you were dating my best friend. What did you expect?”

Morgan swatted him on the back of the head. “Why are you the worst?”

I laughed. It had been three years since I moved, and still, I wasn’t used to having this much family around. I had friends back in Vancouver who I’d always been close with but nothing like this. Nothing unconditional. It still baffled me.

We took the elevator to the bottom floor and spread out as we headed to our cars.

“Have fun,” Austin said with a wink.

Morgan laughed and squeezed my arm. “Don’t let him bother you. If you want to keep you and Annie a secret for longer, I don’t blame you one bit. Our family is pretty intense.”

She didn’t let me respond before hiking across the parking lot in her four-inch heels to her new black Tesla Model S. After driving mine, she’d immediately gone and purchased one. We were still in negotiations with Tesla to get a Supercharger in Lubbock now that it was becoming a hot commodity.

I tried to let everyone’s comments fall off of me. Maybe Morgan understood what was happening with Annie. But still, not quite. She and Patrick had been a secret. Annie and I weren’t a secret. We just weren’t…together either.

Thai Pepper was packed by the time I arrived. I was glad that I’d put in an order earlier this morning, so I just walked up to the counter and picked up our two pad