Bargaining with the Boss (Honeybrook Love, Inc. 2)

"Franco has been my close friend for years. He helped me through the worst chapter of my life. Without Brooks there, I turned to him for comfort."

"Without Brooks there?" Kim raised her eyebrows.

Shit.

She hadn't meant to say it like that. She'd just been talking and then...well, it had just come out.

"I mean—"

"You know, that does bring up an interesting question. You were on Brooks' arm when the two of you entered the gala, weren't you?"

By way of answer, an image of herself and Brooks flashed on the monitor. He was staring down at her, smiling without any mocking or taunting behind his grin.

Instead, he looked happy. Almost adoring.

She'd seen that look before, reserved only for her in the privacy of her bedroom.

"We did," she managed.

"So, how did Debbie come into the picture?" Kim asked.

"It's funny you should ask." A familiar deep voice sounded from behind a camera and all three women turned to find Brooks standing there, his hands in his pockets as usual.

"Oh my goodness, ladies and gentlemen, we have Brooks Adams in our studio. Talk about drama. Two love triangles intertwining in one place. I wish I'd paid more attention in geometry class, or I'd know what to call it." Catherine fanned herself.

"I think they'd call it a square, Cath."

"Right, right."

In the time the two women had gone back and forth, a crew member had found Brooks a chair and set him up with a microphone. To her chagrin—and, admittedly—to her delight, his seat was settled directly beside Natalie.

"So, Mr. Adams, are you here to clarify the confusion and mayhem of the last week or are you here to confess your undying love to one of us?" Kim grinned.

"I hope it's me." Catherine added.

"Well, ladies, first of all, I came here on business and to clear the air. A lot of you have seen this picture of myself and Debbie Bowhart." He nodded toward the screen and they showed the picture again.

How did he know to just do that? Was it some kind of secret code or something?

"Anyway, I wanted to reveal a little secret that Debbie and I have had in the works for a while now. Bowhart Event and Organic Chemistry matchmaking are teaming up for the party of the century. We're inviting all the singles in the area to come out and join us for the mixer. As a thank you, we'll give you a free month membership to our matchmaking services and, should you meet the one you love, you'll receive an additional 20% off of wedding planning when you book with Bowhart events."

"What a fabulous idea," Catherine was nearly drooling, but Kim apparently wasn't fooled so easily.

"You mean to tell me that was a business meeting between you and Debbie?"

He nodded.

"Interesting." Kim tilted her mouth to the side, but Brooks didn't seem the slightest bit bothered. Instead, he swiveled his chair nearer to Natalie, looking her in the eyes for the first time since the awful events of the week before.

"Look, I know you don't believe me, Kim, but from where I stand, there's only one person's opinion that counts. I've let down a lot of people, but I couldn't bare to let Natalie down and I need her to know that there's only one woman for me, and she's sitting right here."

He held out his hand and she stared at it for a long moment before taking it in her own.

"Natalie, I love you, and I promise if you're with me, I'll do my damndest to make sure there's as few glitzy events as possible in our future." He looked from the camera, to Kim, to Catherine, and then to Natalie again, then continued; "I came here today to set the record straight on that. And now that I've made myself clear, I'm retiring from the media. You won't be seeing me falling out of clubs or strolling into sports bars. I'll be too busy ordering take out and watching Jeopardy."

He grinned at Natalie, and dammit if she didn't grin back.

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