Wright with Benefits

“I made it,” I told him. “I thought this was a business meeting.”

Julian looked down at his own fitted khakis, teal polo, and sharp dove-gray jacket. I was pure business, but Julian had style. And he prided himself on it.

“This is business attire for me.”

Hollin just laughed and stuck his hand out. “I don’t want to even know what you think about what I’m wearing.”

I just shook my head.

Hollin Abbey had been born and bred a Lubbock cowboy, complete with boots and belt buckle. I’d bet real money on his hat being in his truck. He wore Wranglers, a plaid button-up, and a jean jacket layered under a leather jacket. Cowboy who rode Harleys on the weekends. A conundrum of clichés. I’d thought that the first time my mother introduced us to her brother Greg and our three cousins: Hollin, Campbell, and Nora.

It was still strange to have all this family around now. For so long, it had just been me and Julian against the world. Now we had three cousins on our mom’s side and five Wright cousins on our dad’s side. I worked with Jensen, Austin, and Morgan through Wright Construction and Jensen Wright Architecture. Landon was my neighbor when he was in town and not out, golfing professionally. Sutton was the youngest and Annie’s best friend. So I didn’t see much of her…more of her husband, David, the CFO of Wright Construction. Either way, it was a lot of family, and I was still getting used to it.

“Have you heard from the agent?” I asked them.

Hollin nodded. “Yeah, Larissa should be here in five. She got caught with her five kids after her husband’s meeting ran over.”

“Perfect.”

“How’d it go with Sophia?” Julian asked.

“Well,” I said with a pause. It wasn’t like I could tell them about Annie. Not after she’d disappeared this morning. “It didn’t really happen.”

“What? You’ve been trying to get this meeting for weeks,” Julian said. “How can one woman give you this much runaround?”

“Yeah. Aren’t you some heartthrob?” Hollin joked.

“That’s Julian.”

Julian rolled his eyes. “Not anymore. Ashleigh and I have been together for almost two years.” He gestured back to me. “It’d be you if you didn’t fuck up all your relationships.”

“Solid point,” I said with a shrug. “Anyway, I saw her, and she gave me a case of wine to try before our next meeting. I know in one of our messages, she had a sommelier recommendation who lives in Houston but studied in France. So, we have options for hiring if we go through with this.”

“Oh, wine to try,” Hollin said eagerly. “We’ll all have to taste-test what she sent over.”

I frowned. “I might have already tasted all the red bottles.”

“Alone?” Julian asked in confusion. “You never drink alone.”

He was right. I avoided that habit after seeing how it had turned my father into more of a monster than he already was. Apparently, alcoholism ran thick like a river through our family.

“No, I wasn’t alone,” I said, turning back to stare up at the barn.

I didn’t miss the look that passed between Julian and Hollin. They’d gotten close over the last three years. They played on the same rec soccer team, and their friendship had only strengthened.

“Was it that blonde?” Julian asked with a cringe. “What was her name?”

“Leslie?” Hollin offered.

“No. It doesn’t matter who it was.”

“Why doesn’t it matter?”

“Because it doesn’t matter,” I insisted, wanting to be done with this conversation. “Anyway, she’d kill me if I told you.”

“So, we know her then?” Hollin asked.

I frowned. Well, shit.

“Forget I said anything.”

Julian laughed. “No chance in hell.” He glanced at Hollin. “Who do we know who would hate him for telling us?”

Then at the same time, they said, “Annie.”

I closed my eyes in resignation. Jesus Christ, was I that transparent?

“Fine. Yes, it was Annie. Just don’t tell her I told you.”

“How did that even happen?” Hollin asked. He tilted his head and ran a hand through his blond beard, his light-blue eyes revealing his shock. “I thought she, like…hated you?”

“She doesn’t hate me.”

“Well, obviously not anymore,” Julian said with another barely concealed laughter. His dark eyes, the mirror of mine, were full of mirth. “But you brought Missy to Jensen’s wedding. No one was oblivious to the argument that ensued.”

I cringed. “Yeah, that was a mistake.”

“Oh, Jordan Wright makes mistakes?” Hollin said with a laugh.

Julian grinned. “Only in relationships.”

“I didn’t mean for all of that to happen. It was a misunderstanding.”

“Meaning…you weren’t really as broken up as you thought you were.”

“Yeah.”

“I told you that space didn’t mean a break up.”

I shrugged. “It felt concrete to me. So when I came back to Vancouver, Missy thought we were still together. I didn’t know how to back out of bringing her to the wedding.”

“Hi, I fucked someone else in Lubbock, it’s over?” Hollin suggested with a laugh.