Dare to Forgive (The Dare 3)

She needed the painkillers quick. With her head hurting this much she was bound to miss something one of them said in the meeting and then Hank would bite her head off. No thank you. She reached into her bag and grabbed the water bottle and the large bottle of ibuprofen. Staring at it a moment she realized it was getting low. This was a definite indication of how much the past and her mom’s weekly phone calls were weighing their toll. Maybe if I just forgive them and forget them, they’ll leave me the hell alone?

Now all she needed was a call from Bentley.

* * * *

“Is she getting the ibuprofen?” Hank barked at Leo over the phone.

“Yes, but she’s staring at the bottle. She looks so upset. Something is going on with her,” Leo added, feeling very concerned. He wondered if she got a call from her mother. It seemed to him whenever Adel’s mother called she hit that bottle for the painkillers, instantly getting a wicked headache. What would her mother say to her to get her so upset?

“It’s none of our business. We have more important things to prepare for, like this potential project. Don’t you realize how much money could be made from this construction project?” Hank asked, sounding very serious. Leo wondered when his brother would admit to his feelings for Adel. After all, he and Will were growing impatient and if they held out any longer they could potentially lose the chance they wanted.

She was perfect for them.

“I know exactly how much money we can make. I also know how many more workers will need to be hired and how much aggravation will go into a construction project this big. It’s a three-year project with three phases of building,” Leo said to Hank.

“That’s not all. Don’t forget about the community center that will need building, the schools from elementary up to high school, and even the shopping center. This is what we’ve been waiting for and our opportunity to snag it isn’t going to be easy,” Hank added.

“It isn’t going to be easy and especially up against some of these bigger corporate construction companies, but we have an advantage. The Morrisons have known our family for ages,” Leo told Hank.

“But with the town board involved, the local officials and the workers unions, you know as damn well as I do that the board has to follow the rules and get bids from at least three companies,” Hank replied.

“You don’t sound too hopeful, Hank,” Leo said.

“It’s not that, it’s just I don’t want to lose this opportunity,” Hank admitted.

“Well I don’t want you becoming obsessed with this. Our company has been doing fantastic. I know you want to expand and get out even further, but there are things to consider,” Leo replied being honest with Hank about how he felt. He waited for the negative response, the controlling older brother reaction to him giving advice and direction for Hank and for their company. Instead, he heard silence then a long exhale over the phone.

Why was it easier to get things off his chest over the phone than face-to-face with his brother Hank sometimes? It wasn’t like Hank intimidated him. Hell, they were brothers. They loved one another, Will included, who was thirty minutes late to work, as usual.

“Listen, the three of us have talked about this. We want to submit a proposal. We’re going to submit a proposal and see what happens. If we don’t get the job then so be it, but for the next several weeks, we need to get down every detail and think of everything we can to foresee expenses and potential problems so we can correspond with the director. Now, call Will and find out where the hell he is. Then get Adel in here and see if Marcy can cover the front desk for her. We’re going to need her assistance through this process,” Hank told him.

“Done. I’ll be in your office in a few minutes.”

Leo ended the call and leaned back in his chair. He could see Adel from here. Her long brown hair was pulled back into some fancy style that ended with a braid over her right shoulder then over her breast. God, she had an amazing body, but she didn’t flaunt it. She dressed professionally, conservatively, and there was this aura of maturity, experience, classiness about her that truly made her stand out. Will noticed it. Hell, Hank did, too, but he was fighting his attraction. When would Hank wake up and admit that he wanted to learn more about Adel and make her their woman?

He exhaled as he picked up the phone and called Marcy from inventory. She would have to get coverage for her position while she covered Adel’s. It wasn’t going to be easy to replace Adel even temporarily. The clients loved her. The suppliers loved her, and anyone who talked to her over the phone felt respected and like they were being cared for as customers. He made the call, exchanged a few pleasantries with Marcy, and ended the conversation just as she started asking about her friend Candice and whether or not he was going to ask her out. Not happening.

He stared out the door that was ajar enough for him to see Adel. She looked beautiful as always, and serious, but there was sadness in her eyes this morning. He felt it in his chest. That uneasy feeling, almost like he felt her sadness and hurt. That was just so extreme. He hadn’t even dated her. He’d never kissed her. Hell, he hadn’t fucked her although she filled his dreams every night for the past twelve months minimum. Why did he feel such a strong connection to her? What was it about the young woman who showed up in Chance over a year ago that affected him so? Was it those big brown doe eyes, those thick, sexy eyelashes, or maybe just her smile? He wasn’t sure, but Will felt it, too, and that had never happened before.

Not like this. Not so powerful. It would be perfect if Hank felt it, too.

He heard the buzzer go off on his desk just as Marcy showed up to replace Adel for the time being. He picked up the phone and answered.

“Yes,” he said as he watched the two women exchange pleasantries. Marcy was a redhead, all dolled up, wearing more revealing clothing and less classy than Adel.

“I just pulled into the parking lot. Give me five,” Will said, sounding out of breath.

Of course he was late. He’d left Spencer’s last night with a redhead on his side and his hand on her ass. Will had a different way of dealing with his attraction to Adel. He tried screwing her out of his head, but pretty damn soon he’d realize it didn’t work. Hell, Leo realized that months ago. He hadn

’t had sex in quite some time. No one got him aroused like Adel and he couldn’t even touch her.

Annoyed, he stood up, exhaled, and felt the sick feeling in his gut. Leo consciously made a promise to himself to not sleep with any other women. He would wait for Adel to be ready. Will was on board but dealing with his own ways of ignoring the attraction and trying to find an outlet. Hank? Well, Hank needed to realize there was no fighting the attraction they had with Adel. Hank never dated, rarely screwed around, and was a workaholic. Adel made his eyes light up. She affected him and it would take something major to get him to admit to that attraction and act on it. Leo had to be patient a little longer.

* * * *

Adel showed Marcy some of the paperwork that needed to be filed and calls that were most important to take care of. She felt uneasy about leaving her workstation for many reasons. She didn’t like other people doing her job. She also was a bit intimidated by Hank, Leo, and Will. She wished their fathers Harold and William would be present. They made her feel at ease. Probably because it was Harold that talked Hank into giving her this job. He’d known her uncle, Lenny McKinley, for years. They went to college together at Ole Miss. Harold knew what her family did and he knew about her father and dealings with Ross Bentley and his family. Harold didn’t care for either man and never had. He especially seemed disgusted with what Bentley had done to her and what her own father had. Her Uncle Lenny asked Harold to keep watch over her and he did. Of course she begged for him not to tell anyone about her past. Harold did. He promised her and she trusted him. It was his sons that she didn’t trust or want to get too friendly with. In a lot of ways, Hank reminded her of Bentley and her father. Business came first out of everything, including family.

“Adel, are you ready?” Leo asked, interrupting her thoughts. She had already gathered her laptop and iPad plus her notes and a bottle of water.