Endeared (The Accidental Billionaires #5) - J. S. Scott Page 0,5

on his desk. “That’s just it. I don’t understand. You just stopped talking to me sometime near the end of our senior year. No explanation. Nothing. I never understood it. And then I was off to Boston for college, and we never resolved it.”

I gritted my teeth. I didn’t allow myself to think about my past relationship with Owen. It was the only way I could work with him without punching him in the face. “We both grew up,” I informed him. “So let’s just drop it. It was high-school stuff, for God’s sake. We’ve both come a long way since then.”

I was never sure exactly when I’d stopped seeing Owen as just a really good friend in high school. At some point during senior year, that friendship had turned into a major crush that had left me swooning over the boy I’d once called a friend. The only good thing about that infatuation was that I’d never told Owen about it.

Thank God!

My silence had probably saved me from an even-greater humiliation back then, which had reinforced my belief that it was always better not to share any secrets at all.

“I want to know what upset you, Layla. I want to understand, because you were never the type to hold a grudge, even if I did do or say something I regretted,” Owen said in the same solemn voice he’d had since high school.

I waited, almost expecting him to try to bring a little levity to the conversation with some kind of outrageous or humorous statement, just like he had when we were teenagers.

But he didn’t.

He was deadly serious.

And I almost found myself mourning that lack of humor.

“I’m not holding a grudge,” I said defensively, even though I knew I was still hurting over a stupid event from high school. “It was a decade ago, Owen. It just doesn’t matter to me anymore. I see no reason to rehash the past.”

My life had turned out well, and I felt like everything was exactly as it should be.

I liked my job.

I cared about my patients.

And if I spent time volunteering at the animal shelter giving a lot more love to four-legged creatures than I ever had to a human male, it was nobody’s business.

I was happy exactly where I was, and I didn’t wish my life was different.

The realization that I actually liked my life had helped me get over most of my resentment toward Owen.

Well, almost . . .

Maybe I didn’t regret what had happened, but the whole resentment thing was hard to conquer.

It was some of Owen’s old stubbornness as he insisted, “I’d still like to take you out for something to eat to try to change your mind about telling me what happened. We’re going to see each other tomorrow outside of work at my place, anyway, so why not start tonight?”

“I’ll be there tomorrow,” I informed him. “I promised Andie I’d help set up for her reception.”

His eyes lit up. “You’re coming early for the setup?”

I nodded. “Why wouldn’t I? She’s my friend, too.”

Andie had rounded out our close friendship trio in high school, and I’d stayed in touch with her even after she’d left Citrus Beach for college.

When Andie had returned to California a decade later, she’d fallen madly in love with Owen’s older brother Noah.

I’d asked myself a million times why the man of Andie’s dreams had needed to be so closely related to Owen, but she was so happy that it really didn’t matter anymore. I could tolerate almost anything to see her as happy as she was with her husband.

Noah and Andie had eloped to wine country to get married, and now they were having a huge reception to placate the entire family, who hadn’t been able to attend their wedding.

Unfortunately, I’d recently discovered that the large party was taking place at Owen’s new waterfront home, a fact I hadn’t been aware of before I’d offered to help Andie set up for the reception. I hadn’t let that information sway me into backing out of the setup, though. The reception was all about Andie and Noah, and I refused to allow my personal feelings about Owen to spoil my happiness for them.

“I definitely don’t mind that you’re coming to my place early, Layla,” Owen said gruffly. “You, me, and Andie were pretty close at one time. I’ve missed that.”

I snorted. “Andie and I always stayed close friends.”

He shrugged. “Andie and I have always been close, too, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t miss