Won't Miss You: A Brother's Best Friend Romance (We Shouldn't Book 4) Page 5

  “Damn,” I breathe.

  Sawyer nods. “Yeah. Anyway. It’s all right. I landed on my feet. I just need to stay gone until she leaves. I’m sure she’s here to try to pull me back into the family. I don’t know why she bought the garage, but I’m sure it has something to do with dragging me back there.”

  “I’ll push her out. Make sure she leaves.”

  Sawyer’s eyes lift to mine, hope blooming in them. “You’ll try?”

  I nod. “I can’t stand people who don’t stand up for what they believe in. My mother left Sarah and me when we were kids. My dad wouldn’t even admit that we were his, because he was afraid for his reputation. I know what it’s like to be abandoned by the people who are supposed to care about you.”

  I think of Harold, the one man I thought was different. He’s leaving, too. He isn’t any different—it’s me who was naive.

  My best friend’s eyes widen. He lets out a long breath. “You never told me about your parents.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t like to talk about it. My father thinks he can buy me off, but I won’t touch his money.”

  Sawyer laughs then, surprising me. “You know, my parents tried that too. Every single month for three years, they’ve been putting money in my account. I won’t touch a penny of it.”

  I sit up straighter, holding Sawyer’s gaze. This is why we’re friends. This is why we clicked. We know what it means to stand up for what you believe in, even if it’s the harder path to take. We know what it means to turn down money you desperately need, just because you can’t bear to accept it.

  My eyes prickle. I know what it’s like to be abandoned by your family. To be left out in the cold. To have everyone you love turn their backs on you.

  Sawyer knows, too. He’s lived through it, just like me.

  As my best friend reaches over to give me a hug, I know Rae Montgomery won’t come between us.

  6

  Rae

  I’m pretty sure Sawyer won’t be at the garage when I arrive in the morning, but I still hold out a sliver of hope. I haven’t seen my brother in three and a half years, and I’ve never been able to tell him about what happened when he left.

  I still don’t have a phone number, an email, or a physical address. It’s as if he fell off the face of the earth.

  Seeing him terrifies me. What if he doesn’t understand? What if he doesn’t care about Lucy and Roman?

  Taking a deep breath, I park my new rental car outside the Woodvale Garage. The big shed-like building looms up in front of me, sitting comfortably on its huge lot. There are massive roller doors yawning open, and I can hear the sounds of machinery inside.

  Benji’s already here.

  My heart clenches. I hate the thought of him having this effect on me.

  Yes, he’s handsome. One might even say he’s attractive. He smells like everything manly wrapped into one, and his eyes spit a delicious kind of fire.

  So what?

  I’m supposed to fall to my knees in front of him?

  His insolence annoys me. I bought this business with my own money. Any handshake promise Harold Gilles had with him doesn’t compare to cold, hard cash. So, he can hate me all he wants, but I’m here—and I’m staying until I see my brother.

  Grinding my teeth, I start marching toward the garage. The familiar hard mask slides over my face, and I’m ready to take whatever animosity he might have for me.

  When I get inside, I note my Aston Martin is still parked in the corner of the garage, untouched. I guess it’s not a priority to Benji.

  Jerk.

  In front of me, a pair of feet are sticking out from under a car, while another mechanic kneels beside it. The kneeling man has a mop of dark brown hair, and my breath catches.

  Maybe Sawyer is here. Maybe he stayed. Maybe the years that have separated us have softened his hatred for me, and we’ll finally have a chance to talk.

  But the dark-haired man turns to look at me, and a stranger stares back. He taps the boots sticking out from under the car, and Benji rolls out. He sits up, his mouth immediately turning down.

  “Well, if it isn’t our new resident magpie.”

  “Magpie?”

  “You saw something shiny, and you just couldn’t help yourself but swoop down and steal it.”

  I scoff. “Look around, Benji. There’s nothing shiny about this place.” I jerk my head to the office. “I need to talk to you.”

  “Yeah? I need to finish working on this car.” He drops back down and rolls under the vehicle.

  I ball my hands into fists. Anger smacks me across the face, leaving a big red welt on my cheek. The other mechanic drags his eyes back up to mine, tipping his head down ever so slightly.

  “I’m Oliver.”

  “Rae,” I say, turning on my heels and heading to the office. The sound of a power tool screeches in the cavernous space, and I let myself slam the flimsy door to the office. The wall shakes.

  The sound is hardly changed. I listen to Benji’s power tool whining, and I feel like he’s doing it on purpose.

  I didn’t steal anything. I bought this place with my own money. I paid for it, every single dollar—with a hefty down payment and a business loan. Having the last name Montgomery helped with the bank’s approval.

  Did Benji have the money to pay for Harold’s retirement? Could he fund the old man’s RV trip across the country?

  No.

  I did.

  Me.

  Sucking in a breath, I try to calm myself down. I’m here for one reason, and I need to stay focused on it. I’m trying to stitch my broken family back together again. Getting fired up about some grease-covered mechanic isn’t going to help that.

  Dropping my laptop bag on the desk, I move to a filing cabinet in the corner. Harold gave me his set of keys, so I pull them out and unlock the cabinet. In the second drawer is a slim folder marked ‘Staff Details.’

  It only takes a minute to find Sawyer’s phone number. My hands tremble as I reach for my phone, knowing I could be speaking to my brother in mere minutes.

  I could explain everything to him. I could tell him why things happened the way they did, and why I had to take care of Lucy instead of taking care of him. Lucy got pregnant. She needed me. I had to stay behind.

  But when I put the phone to my ear, it beeps, and a metallic female voice tells me the number has been disconnected. I sigh, dropping my head.

  “You’re not going to find him at his address either,” Benji says behind me. I whip my head around, schooling my features. He nods to the paper in my hand. “He left town last night.”

  “Wonderful. How completely out of character for him.”

  Benji frowns. “Why do you want to talk to him anyway? Why not just respect his space? He doesn’t want you here, and he sure as hell doesn’t want you as his boss.”

  “Are we still talking about my brother, or are we talking about you?”

  “You think you can just walk in here, with your money and your quarter-of-a-million-dollar car, and we’re all just going to bow down and kiss your feet?” He scoffs, shaking his head. “This isn’t fucking Houston, Princess. This is Woodvale, and your money doesn’t mean shit.”

  “Don’t be so naive.”

  “That money doesn’t mean anything to me.” He shrugs.

  “Why do you keep talking about it then?”

  “Do you even know why your brother left?” Benji leans his shoulder against the doorjamb, his eyes raking down my body and back up again.

  The hatred emanating from him leaves a bitter coating on the back of my throat, but the heat of his gaze makes my thighs squeeze together. Lust brushes across the base of my spine, igniting something deep within me.

  Stop it, Rae. Get yourself together.

  “Don’t talk to me about my brother,” I say, turning my back to Benji and stuffing the folder back in the filing cabinet. “You don’t know anything about me.”

  “I know enough.”

  I slam the drawer clo
sed, planting my hands on my hips as I face him. Who does this guy think he is? He thinks he can waltz in here and talk to me like I’m some kind of evil incarnate? He doesn’t know the first thing about me—or my family. He doesn’t know what I’ve sacrificed to take care of my siblings. What I’ve given up. What I still give up every single day.

  My eyes blaze. My teeth grind. I clench my fists, staring Benji down with all the heat of my rage.

  He just stands there, smirking.

  I feel like I’m going to combust.

  He crosses his arms, and my eyes drop down to the ropes of thick muscle that wrap around his forearms. Benji watches me, arching an eyebrow.

  I wish his gaze didn’t make flames lick my stomach. I wish I were impervious to his power. Unaffected by his presence.

  But I’m not.

  When he’s so close to me, I feel him pulling me toward him. I’m almost helpless, except for the fact that his tongue is razor-sharp and his eyes spit venom.

  Benji pushes himself off the doorframe, and I stop him.

  “Benji, wait,” I say. He keeps his eyes steady on me. I gulp. “Look, I…” I take a deep breath. “I’ll stay out of your way. Let’s not make this harder than it already is.”

  He grunts in response, turning around and walking away. Why does that hurt so much?

  I don’t care about some mechanic that happens to work at the garage I bought. I’m here for Lucy, Roman, and I hope Sawyer, too. I’m here to bring us back together—not to soothe an employee’s ego.

  For the next three days, Benji and I avoid each other.

  On my fifth day in Woodvale, I walk down Main Street and spot a familiar redhead arranging flowers outside a shop. Nadia’s wearing a pastel blue apron, treating her flowers with care that borders on reverence.

  I call out her name, and my heart warms when she smiles wide at me.

  “Rae! How have you been?”

  “Great,” I lie. My days have been tense, torturous affairs. Benji and I mostly just give each other the silent treatment while I try to make sense of the garage’s books. Sawyer still hasn’t resurfaced, and Lucy is in the middle of moving her life and her two-year-old kid across the country.

  It’s…not ideal.

  Nadia hooks her arm into mine and leads me inside her shop. I take a deep breath when I step inside, letting out a low groan.

  “I miss gardening. Smells amazing in here.”

  “Remember Willow from the Blue Cat?” Nadia says, smiling.

  “The wedding planner?”

  She nods. “The one and only. She and her husband have an event space up at the Black Estate. She’s been wanting to redo the gardens. I told her you’d done some landscape design, and she wanted to meet up and talk to you about it.”

  My heart squeezes. My eyes prickle.

  If Nadia notices, she doesn’t show it.

  After dealing with Benji’s hostility and Sawyer’s silence, having someone be simply friendly to me feels like a breath of fresh air. A lump forms in my throat, and I manage to nod.

  “That would be incredible.”

  “When does your sister arrive, again? I know you told me when we were at the bar, but I was so stressed after that wedding that I could barely even remember my own name.”

  “A week from Sunday.” I smile.

  “She’s going to love it here,” Nadia says, then asks me to help her move a few heavy potted plants. We spend a few hours in the shop together, laughing and talking and making plans to meet up over the weekend.

  For the first time in a long time, I just relax and enjoy myself. It’s nice to have a friend. It’s nice to be around plants. It’s nice to not be worrying about my family falling apart and the weight of the world crushing my narrow shoulders.

  The next day, I meet Nadia and her friend Willow for coffee. I know Nadia is introducing me to Willow as a potential client for landscape design, but it feels much more friendly than that. We sit in a café next door to a small storefront that has the words Woodvale Skydive emblazoned above it.

  I nod to the sign. “Is that popular around here?”

  Willow laughs, flicking her long, blond hair over her shoulder. “Oh, yeah. I have to stop Sacha from jumping out of a plane every single weekend. Doesn’t help that Finn and Kit are so charismatic they could be cult leaders. Ever since Esme—Kit’s sister—came to town last year, the whole business exploded.” She takes a sip of her caramel latte, putting it down and reaching for the bowl of sugar across the table. I arch my brows when I see her putting three heaping spoonfuls into her already sweet drink, but say nothing. My black coffee somehow tastes even more bitter when I take a sip.

  “Have you ever done it?” I ask, staring at the sign.

  Willow shakes her head. “No way. I have enough thrills organizing people’s weddings.”

  “Tell me about it,” Nadia groans. “I want to erase the last one from my memory. Having a midweek wedding was hard enough—but having to fly flowers in from South America, too? Nightmare.”

  I smile, settling into the plastic chair and enjoying the sun’s rays on my skin. I’ve only been in Woodvale for a little less than a week, but my heart is starting to open up. Whether it’s the pleasant shops, the friendly people I’ve met, or just the faint feeling that things might work out, I feel dangerously hopeful.

  Hopeful enough to be disappointed if things go south.

  The girls ask me a thousand and one questions, and Willow and I make plans to visit the Black Estate. I tell her I can draw up plans for the gardens. I haven’t designed a garden since doing my parents’ grounds, and the thought of having another project makes excitement bloom inside me.

  Then, the thrill dies. The skydiving center’s door opens and Benji walks out.

  It’s the first time I’ve seen him in anything other than mechanic’s overalls, and my goodness, he’s breathtaking. The sun glints off his hair as he slides sunglasses over his fine, long nose, his jaw tensing as he sweeps his eyes over the street…

  ….and straight to me.

  His features harden. Even though I can’t see his eyes, I know they’ve turned to stone. Nadia waves beside me, calling him over, and I want the earth to open up and swallow me whole.

  I just wanted one day away from the garage. One day away from his gaze. From his hostility. His hatred.

  But he’s here, ambling toward us with an arch in his brow.

  “Benji!” Nadia exclaims. “Are you going to the airfield?”

  He grunts, nodding. “Got to take a couple of people up.” His eyes swing to me. “Glad to see you’re making yourself at home, Montgomery.” He nods. “Ladies.”

  “Benji, are you free to talk over some of the arrangements for your sister’s surprise party?” Willow smiles at him. “I want to make sure we have everything figured out well ahead of time.”

  Benji tears his eyes away from me and turns to Willow. “Sure. I can swing by your office on Monday.”

  “Sounds good.” She smiles.

  Benji throws me one last venomous glance, then stalks away.

  When he gets in his car and drives away, Willow lets out a low whistle, swinging her gaze to me. “What did you do to upset him?” She grins. “I’ve never seen Benji like that.”

  “That’s funny, because that’s the only way I’ve ever seen him.” I laugh to hide the sadness in my voice. “I’m pretty sure he hates me.”

  “Why?” Nadia tilts her head, a bright orange curl falling across her cheek.

  I bite my lip. “He wasn’t exactly happy I bought the garage.”

  “He’ll get over it,” Willow says, sounding surer than I feel. “Benji has a big heart. He’s organizing a surprise birthday party for his sister next month. He told me she’s never had a proper birthday party, and he wanted to do something nice for her.”

  My eyebrows jump. “Yeah?”

  Willow nods. “Uh-huh. Benji’s a big teddy bear. Remember a couple of years ago, Nadia, before Sacha came back? Even when I turned Benji down, he w
as totally fine afterward. He’s not the type to hold a grudge.”

  I choke on my hot coffee. “Turned him down, as in…”

  “As in, he was ready to fix her engine, if you know what I mean.” Nadia laughs. “Had the hots for Willow for about a year.”

  They both giggle. I force a dry chuckle while I die inside. Green envy grips my chest, squeezing me so hard it’s difficult to breathe.

  Willow and Benji…?

  I shake my head. Why would I be jealous? She just said she turned him down. She’s married to another man.

  Plus, Benji hates me. Despises me. Loathes the very ground I stand on.

  Why would I care if he was interested in Willow a few years ago?

  But as I struggle to regain my composure, I realize I do care. I care a lot. I don’t want to think about Benji with another woman. I don’t want to think about his hot gaze sweeping over anyone else’s body. I don’t want to imagine what it would feel like to see him walk hand in hand with someone who isn’t me.

  In that moment, as jealousy lashes across my body, I realize that no matter how hostile I pretend to be, my attraction to Benji is growing.

  My brother’s best friend. My sworn enemy. The one man who wants me gone from Woodvale for good.

  I want him more than I’ve ever wanted a man before.

  Yeah. I’m screwed.

  A tense week later, I get the keys to move into my new house—the one I hope Lucy and Roman will love—and I lug one of my suitcases over. The big rip down the front strains against the suitcase’s contents, and I think it might finally burst.

  Add that to my ever-growing list of expenses.

  My rental car is full of new things for the house, and even though I knew it would be expensive, I underestimated the cost of moving.

  I’ve only just opened the front door when a taxi pulls up outside and the driver honks the horn.

  “Need a hand?” My sister leans out of the back window with a big grin on her face.

  I squeal, rushing down the porch steps as Lucy pays the driver and gets out of the car. She turns to me, throwing her arms around me. My heart sighs contentedly.