She stared for a while before she lifted her gaze and looked at me. “You have a really nice smile.”
I held her gaze.
She turned back to the picture before she set the phone down. “That’s a very cute photo. Thank you for sharing.”
“Sure.” I pulled the phone back to me.
“You guys fish?”
I nodded. “I’m not a big fan, but he likes it.”
“That’s cute.”
“But I do love being in the wilderness, in a cabin by the lake…away from people.”
She gave me a sad smile. “Then you must really hate Manhattan.”
I shrugged in response.
“You know, I have a few clients who have cabins in Connecticut, right on the lake. It’s beautiful.”
“Not worth the commute.” I worked all the time, even on the weekends. If there was a way for me to have it both ways, to work full time and be away from the city, I would do it in a heartbeat. But it just wasn’t possible.
“Well, you could take weekend trips out there.”
“I don’t have a lot of free time.”
“Well, when Derek comes out for a visit, that would be a nice place for him to visit.”
There was nothing I wanted more than to spend time with my son in the forest, just the two of us.
She must have spotted the sadness in my eyes because she said, “It’ll work out, Deacon. I know it will.”
I wasn’t convinced, but I didn’t have the luxury of being emotional at work. I had a job to do. I couldn’t be weighed down by things I couldn’t change. “I should get back to work.” I turned back to my computer.
“Alright.” She hugged the envelope to her chest. “I’ll have these taken care of. Anything else you need me to do?”
“No.”
She gave me a slight smile before she turned away. “See you later.”
My eyes flicked back to her, watching her elegant figure move to the door. She had a narrow waist, long legs, and an ass that looked nice in anything she wore. I hadn’t even noticed I was staring, admiring her perky ass in the same way my brother did, so I forced myself to look away.
Thirteen
Cleo
I entered the apartment with Matt in tow. “Sad to be leaving this place?”
Matt stepped into the bedroom to collect the bags and bring them downstairs to the car.
Tucker was in jeans and blue shirt, the fabric tight on his arms just the way it was with Deacon’s. He crossed his arms over his chest as he looked down at me, having the same height as his brother. “Am I going to miss living in a beautiful condo? Absolutely. Am I going to miss living with my brother? Absolutely not.”
I chuckled, finding him much easier to talk to than Deacon. Tucker could make me laugh, make interactions easy because he actually spoke his mind. Deacon was like a Rubik’s cube that needed to be solved every single time we were together. “You will have roommates?”
“No,” he said with a chuckle. “But living with anyone else would be easier than living with Deacon.”
“He seems pretty quiet to me.”
“But I have to watch what I say. He takes everything literally, so a simple conversation quickly turns into an interrogation where he insults my choice of words. He’s a great guy, but small doses of him are ideal for me. I’m not sure how you handle him all the time, especially since he likes you.”
“He said that?” I asked in surprise.
“Not in those exact words, but you can’t be considered a friend unless he does.”
Deacon was still quiet with me, saying very little. I wasn’t sure if he was just comfortable around me to where he felt he could be himself. There were times when he had full conversations with me, and those were fascinating because everything that came out of his mouth was riveting. “How do you handle him?”
“He’s really not that hard. Yes, I would like it if he were a little more verbal with me sometimes, but I know he’s just misunderstood…so I stay patient. He’s a good man, and I have no problem taking extra time to help a good person.”
“Yeah, you aren’t wrong about that. His brain is humongous, but so is his heart.”
I melted at the compliment, loving that description. “I only represent clients in the building, but if you ever need help with anything, you can always call. You’re new to the city, and I can give you a lot of tips on how to survive here.”
“That’s really nice. Thank you.”
Matt walked past us and carried all the bags into the hallway and to the elevator.
“Well, good luck.” I extended my hand to shake his.
He took it, but instead of giving me a proper handshake, he just gave me a slight squeeze, a gentle touch that lasted longer than it should. His smile faded, and he slowly pulled his hand away.