Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Jack

I poured myself a cup of coffee, wishing I could have slept in a little later. It was a Saturday, but I’d barely slept more than a few hours. I couldn’t shake this restless, nagging feeling that something was off with Liam. He was still in his room, which was unusual enough on its own. I kept telling myself he was fine, but I’d been getting these vibes from him lately, like he was hiding something.

I’d tried brushing it off. After all, we’d been friends for years now, and he’d always been a little closed off. Even so, I could usually tell when something was up, and this time, it felt different—like he was slipping through my fingers somehow. It wasn’t helping that I’d been struggling to keep my thoughts on our friendship in the PG-13 category whenever he was around. It was easy to call him a brother, but way harder to ignore the fact that lately, he’d been starring in every…well, less-than-brotherly daydream. Which was insane. Liam and I were golden. I wasn’t about to ruin that by doing anything stupid.

Nope. What I’d do was ask him, straight up, what was going on. I’d talk to him like any good friend would. That was safe. I set my coffee down and headed to his bedroom door, ready to knock, when I heard the front door creak open and close.

I turned and saw Liam strolling into the apartment, looking freshly sweaty, a towel slung around his neck. His tank top was clinging to his skin, revealing toned arms and shoulders I’d been trying not to notice lately, and those skimpy gym shorts left about as much to the imagination as…well, nothing.

“Hey,” he said, grinning like he’d just won the lottery. “I got up early to hit the gym on the second floor. It was my first time using it, and it’s not bad. You should check it out.”

I blinked, trying to adjust to seeing him like this. “Oh. Right. I thought you were still in bed.”

He chuckled, wiping his face with the towel. “Nah, I wanted to get my workout done before all the other tenants pile in. Perks of being an early bird on a Saturday.”

I opened my mouth, ready to ask him what was going on with him lately, but the way he smiled at me, so bright and easy, stopped me cold. He didn’t look like someone with a problem in the world, much less anything to worry about. Maybe I’d been paranoid and imagining things. He was probably fine.

I followed him back into the kitchen, grabbing my coffee as he leaned against the counter. I poured him a cup and handed it over, which he accepted with a grateful nod.

“So, what’s on your agenda today?” he asked, taking a sip.

I frowned, thinking about the mountain of work waiting for me. “Well, I have this new client, Evelyn Van Alen. A total perfectionist. She’s already piled on more work than she originally agreed to, and I have a feeling she’s going to keep piling it on. If it were up to me, I’d tell her to go screw herself, but…if I can impress her, I’ll move up in the company.”

Liam nodded, understanding. “So you’re working on a Saturday?”

I sighed. “Yeah. I’ll be at the office most of the day. I probably won’t be back until after three.”

Liam’s face lit up in a way I couldn’t quite place, and I felt a strange pang in my chest. “What’s up with you?” I asked, half-laughing.

He shrugged, looking almost shy for a second before regaining his usual nonchalance. “Oh, nothing. Just uh…have fun at work!”

The AVA Luxury account was driving me insane. Evelyn Van Alen’s dream of a Med-Spa in St. Kitts sounded straightforward when my boss handed the account to me. But trying to bring her over-the-top ideas to life? That was a whole different beast. I’d gone through five contractors down there already, and the lowest bidder was still quoting enough to cover three Med-Spas—and that was without Evelyn’s precious custom decor, which was practically dragging the budget to hell by itself. I knew moving up in the company meant dealing with high-maintenance clients, but this was pushing my patience.

I leaned back, rolling a kink out of my neck. Just as I did, a shadow loomed over my desk. I glanced up to find David from accounting, grinning like he’d caught me daydreaming. “Hey, man. How’s it going?”

I shrugged. “Surviving. This snooty client’s got me on the ropes with this Med-Spa project, though. I swear, if she adds one more luxury detail, I’ll be selling my organs to stay on budget.”

David laughed, folding his arms as he leaned against my desk. “Better you than me, bro. If I had to deal with that, I’d lose it. Crunching numbers is bad enough.”

“Hey, I’m not gonna argue with that.” I half-smiled, and we shared a look that said we’d both chosen our professions...and sometimes regretted it.

Then, leaning in closer, David got to the real reason he was here. “Speaking of organs, if you’re still looking for a roommate, I might be able to save you a kidney or two on rent.”

I blinked, remembering I’d mentioned needing a roommate. “Oh, yeah—Bradley... uh, he moved out pretty suddenly. Got arrested, actually.”

David’s eyebrows shot up. “No shit! That’s crazy, man.” He shook his head with a smirk. “Anyway, if you’re still interested, I’d love to check the place out. Anything to escape the beige walls of my own sad little box.”

I looked at the mess on my desk—the budget proposals, spreadsheets, and Evelyn’s list of demands on my screen—and shrugged. It was only noon, but I’d had enough. “Yeah, sure, why not? Just let me finish up here, and we can head over to my place.”