LITMIR.BIZ

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few minutes, using the excuse of checking out his brother’s business to abuse the facilities. The odds were good she’d never see him again.

      Launching her email program, she started reading the latest batch of orders and enquiries, absently running her fingers through her short dark hair. She was about to respond to a complicated request from one of their corporate customers when Tyler appeared at her door, a mug of coffee in hand.

      “You got a minute?” He propped a shoulder against the frame. As usual, he was dressed in faded jeans and a black T-shirt, the color a perfect foil for his silver eyes.

      It was impossible to look at him and not think about his brother. The resemblance was that strong.

      “As in a genuine sixty seconds? Absolutely. Anything more than that and you’ll be paying me overtime tonight.”

      “Dream on,” Tyler said with a snort of amusement.

      He sat in her visitor’s chair, his big body loose and relaxed. Gabby studied him for a beat, fascinated despite herself by the change in him over the past year.

      The easy laughter, the softness in his eyes, even the way he moved—Tyler was a new man since he’d met and married Ally.

      Happier. More content. Less single-minded and closed off.

      It was good to see. No, it was better than good—it was great. Tyler deserved some peace and comfort in his life.

      She frowned at the wistful note to her own thoughts.

      That’ll be enough of that, young lady.

      “Don’t get too comfortable,” she said. “I wasn’t joking about being snowed.”

      “You can work through lunch.”

      “Your turn to dream on. You know nothing gets between me and my food. Come on, spill. Quit chewing up my valuable time.”

      “It’s no biggy. I need you to add my brother to our insurance policy.”

      Gabby sat a little straighter. “What?”

      “Jon. My brother. He’s going to be helping out here at the workshop for a while.”

      “But—” There were so many objections crowding her throat she couldn’t decide which one to voice first. “But he’s not a cabinet-maker or a French polisher, is he?”

      “He’s a builder, and he’s good. He’ll pull his weight.”

      “So, is this a temporary thing? A couple of weeks? A month?” Gabby asked.

      “It’s for as long as it needs to be.”

      “What are you? Yoda? As long as it needs to be? What the hell does that mean?”

      Tyler sighed. “Sometimes I forget what a pain in the ass you can be. Can’t you just do what you’re told for a change?”

      It stung. Useless to pretend it didn’t. She was only looking out for him. Worrying about his business. And he thought she was a pain in the ass.

      “Fine. I’ll add him on as a permanent employee.” She picked up a pen and poised it over her notepad, ready to take down his instructions verbatim, since that was clearly the kind of employee he wanted her to be. “Anything else I can do for you?”

      “Gabby. Come on. Don’t go all cat’s-bum-mouthed on me. You know I was only joking.”

      Nice to know he found her hurt feelings amusing.

      “Way to smooth talk me, silver tongue.”

      “I’m sorry I called you a pain in the ass.” He said it like a dutiful schoolboy reciting his times tables.

      She raised her eyebrows.

      “And the cat’s bum comment was completely uncalled for,” he added.

      “No kidding. And good work with the sincerity there, too. It’s really convincing.”

      Tyler grinned. “Are we friends again?”

      Friends.

      For three years, they had been a lot more than friends. He’d been her lover, had practically lived at her place. She’d built all kinds of white-picket dreams around him. Then she’d realized that he was never going to share himself with her in the way she needed, and she’d pulled the pin on their relationship. He’d been angry at first. Convinced that she was asking for something he didn’t have to give. But after a while they’d settled into a friendship and she’d come to work for him.

      Then he’d fallen in love with Ally and given all of himself to her freely and openly without a second’s thought.

      “Your minute’s up,” she said.

      Tyler laughed. Despite the fact that she was still annoyed with him, she couldn’t stop her mouth from twitching in response to the rich sound.

      He pointed a finger at her. “I saw that.”

      “Stop pretending you’re charming, because you’re not. You can’t ask for my opinion and advice one minute and then tell me to pull my head in the next.”

      Tyler must have picked up on the seriousness of her tone because his smile faded.

      “I was only joking, Gab, okay?” He was sincere this time, his eyes very sober.

      She nodded, feeling ridiculous for being so prickly. She blamed the stranger she’d found at her desk this morning—Tyler’s brother had thrown her off her pace and she was still trying to regain her equilibrium.

      “I’ll get the paperwork sorted today. What do you want me to set up as far as payroll goes?”

      The million-dollar question—exactly what was Tyler paying his underqualified, transient brother?

      “I’ll take care of that.”

      She frowned, but this time she didn’t say anything. Before she’d joined the business, Tyler had handled the administration himself, so he was more than capable of adding an employee to the payroll. Why he suddenly chose to do so now when she’d been taking care of it for years was a whole other issue.

      “Right. Then I guess we’re sorted,” she said.

      “Good stuff.” Tyler stood, lifting his coffee mug in a casual salute before heading out the door.

      She focused on her work, pushing all the nagging voices in her head to one side. At the end of the day, the name on the sign was T.A. Furniture Design. He was the one taking the risk, therefore he got to make the decisions.

      Meaning she was going to have to get used to having his brother around.

      It was an unsettling thought. Which was stupid. She got along with all the guys; she’d always been the kind of woman who got on well with men. They ragged on each other, told jokes, had the occasional beer together after work. They were her mates. And despite their not-so-great start, there was no reason why she wouldn’t rub along fine with Jon, too.

      No reason at all.

      JON TURNED OFF THE ORBITAL sander and ran his hand over the tabletop. In the very early days of his apprenticeship he’d dabbled in furniture making, but he hadn’t had the patience for it then. Now, he felt the smoothness of the wood beneath his fingers and felt a definite sense of achievement and satisfaction.

      He was about to switch the sander on again when someone touched his arm. He looked up to see his brother standing there.

      Jon slid off his ear protectors. “What’s up?”

      “It’s quitting time. In case you hadn’t noticed.”

      He glanced around in surprise. He’d been so lost in his work that he hadn’t registered that the rest of the guys had gone home for the day.

      “Right. Well, I’ve still got a way to go with this.” Jon indicated the tabletop.

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