Ask Me Something (The Something Series Book 2) (34 page)

My dad knocked
lightly and came in the already-open door. He took a seat on my bed. “What’s
the plan?”

I shrugged.
“Back to work. As far as Brian and the personal stuff—I’m petrified and don’t
know what to do.” I’d had a lot of self-reflection upon coming home and was
beginning to get past the humiliation of what had happened, but how could I be
certain Brian loved the real me?

“Darlin’, you’re
the quarterback in the red zone on fourth down with inches to go. Do you want
the ball, or will you settle for the field goal?”

I grinned. “I
want the ball.”

“You always
have. But what you need to remember is that you’ve got an entire team behind
you, blocking, cheering, what have you. There’s nothing wrong with relying on
those who love you to support you, Sasha Jayne. No one can do everything
alone.”

“You’re right.”
I already felt lighter having confided in my family.

“Good. And
remember, nothing says if you don’t like the play, that you can’t revise and
call an audible. You’re in control, baby girl, and don’t let anyone ever tell
you differently.”

How could I
possibly argue with a man who could spin a football metaphor into a life
lesson?

***

Waiting in the
airport for the last flight, I winced when Josh’s number came up on my cell
phone. I wondered immediately if Brian had confided the personal details of our
relationship to him, but then realized, it didn’t bother me if he had.

“Sasha Brooks
here.”

“Sasha, it’s
Josh. I hope I’m not calling too late.” Was it my imagination or did he sound
off?

“No, I’m at the
airport waiting on my flight back up to New York. Everything okay?”

“Actually, no.
I’m in a predicament. Brian had a conflict come up for tomorrow morning’s
NASCAR pitch, and I need someone to step in.”

“That pitch is
huge. What could possibly conflict with it?”

He exhaled.
“NASCAR is big, but this is bigger. Will you do it?”

Clearly, he
wasn’t going to tell me the reason.

“Yes, of course.
I, uh, need the pitch deck and any notes. I’m at the airport now. Raleigh is a
three-hour drive, but I’d prefer to fly, so I can use the time to prepare.”

“I can have my plane
there within the hour. I’m forwarding all of the information as we speak. The
two other members presenting with you have been advised of the change. I’ll
send you their details and you can plan to meet with them in the morning. I owe
you.”

It might be
inappropriate on a professional level to ask, but I had to. “Tell me the
conflict isn’t a meeting with Tryon Pharmaceuticals on my behalf.”

“Not directly,
no. Good luck tomorrow, Sasha.”

After hanging up
the phone, I texted Brian.

“What’s going on
tomorrow that you’re not able to do the NASCAR pitch?”

By the time the
company’s private plane flew me to Raleigh, North Carolina, and I arrived at my
hotel, it was around midnight. In that time I’d studied everything I could
about the NASCAR pitch. The good news is that, having grown up in the South,
I’d had the damn sport—or in my opinion, non-sport because unless I could see
an ass in tight pants and there was a ball, it didn’t qualify—shoved down my
throat. My father was a fan, with racing a close second to football. It didn’t
take long for me to brush up on the key drivers, standings, and races. It was
going to be an all-nighter, but I would absolutely be ready. I wouldn’t have
been able to sleep tonight anyhow, knowing Brian still hadn’t responded to my
text message.

I met my team of
two others before the pitch at the local diner first thing in the morning, and we
went over our cues. At least I knew both of them, and they were grateful I was
stepping in last minute.

Ninety minutes
later, we were in the corporate offices, and I was tossing up my pancake
breakfast right on cue in the ladies’ room. I put my lack of sleep, Brian’s
non-response, and all anxiety out of my head. It was game time, or was it start-your-engine
time? Maybe it was a good omen I was thinking in NASCAR terms.

***

I left for New
York directly after the presentation and arrived in the early afternoon. I was
tempted to call Josh but knew if he’d wanted to answer the question as to why
Brian had missed the pitch, he would’ve told me already. Or Brian himself would
have. Unfortunately, he still hadn’t responded.

My eyes were
heavy, but I managed to go into the office and work a couple of hours before
Nancy buzzed in. “Ms. Brooks, I have Mr. Singer here to see you.”

“Uh, of course,
send him in.” Josh had never once come to my office unannounced.

Nancy gave me a
look that reflected her surprise as well while she showed him in.

I stood up to
greet him. “I could’ve saved you the trouble and come to your office.”

“You’re
operating on no sleep after giving a killer pitch. The least I could do was to
come over here.”

“How do you know
it was killer?”

“The client
called. They were very pleased and we got the account. Plus Brian received an
email today from one of the managers you presented with, saying how you slayed
it. Do you know that there isn’t one other vice president who could’ve pulled
that off this morning like you did? Especially operating on no sleep with only ten
hours of lead time.”

“Thank you.” It
was high praise indeed coming from Josh.

“No, it’s you I
should be thanking.”

“You’re welcome.
Are you going to tell me why Brian missed it?”

He sighed. “I
promised him I wouldn’t speak to you about it.” He handed me a paper over my
desk. “But I didn’t say anything about showing you.”

I scanned it
briefly, and my heart sank. It was Brian’s resignation. “Because of me?”

Josh looked like
he wanted to say something. “The only thing I can tell you is there was a
meeting with Michael Dobson, the Chairman for Tryon, this morning. He was
appalled that Vanessa had removed you. As of now, you’re back on the account,
and all decisions going forward need to be approved by him. Vanessa is no
longer an employee of Tryon Pharmaceuticals.”

“Holy crap. She
was fired?”

“Yes, she was.”

“But how did
Brian’s resignation come into play?”

“Michael said to
convey his apology to you because, unfortunately, he’s leaving on a two-week
vacation to Australia this afternoon and can’t do so in person. We were lucky
enough to get the meeting with him this morning.”

Why was he
speaking so cryptically? Then I finally saw it. “Oh shit. Brian took the meeting
with Dobson this morning instead of doing the NASCAR pitch?”

Josh nodded.

I stood up and
paced. “I’m going to kill him. He could’ve waited, or I would’ve dealt with
being off the account. Why did he need to be there? Wait, you didn’t demand his
resignation, did you?”

He looked
insulted. “Of course not.”

“I know you made
a promise, but you’re going to have to spell it out for me Josh.”

He hesitated,
and then decided to spill it. “Brian was upset that Vanessa took you off the
account on Friday. I told him to wait until Monday for me to address it with
Michael and not to say anything to anyone until then. But he called her
Saturday demanding that you be reinstated. He told her he was going to take it
up to the chairman and unfortunately Vanessa escalated things.”

“Escalated how?”
Something told me things got ugly fast.

“Brian will have
to explain those details. Unfortunately this morning was the only time we could
meet with Michael and with what transpired, Brian’s presence became required, which
is why you had to do the pitch down in Raleigh.”

“But why the
resignation if everything was taken care of?”

Josh sighed.
“Because he feels like his personal decision to contact Vanessa Saturday night
instead of following my direction is what made it go to hell in a hand basket.
I don’t disagree, however I never would’ve fired him for it.”

There was only
one reason he would’ve called her Saturday night. Because he’d wanted to fix
things for me after I’d left that hotel room. “Shit.”

“I told him I
wouldn’t accept it, but I’m not quite sure how I go about enforcing that.”

I swallowed hard
at the fact that he would go against his best friend and boss in an attempt to
fix things for me. “Where’s he now?”

“Stuck on a
tarmac, waiting to fly back down to Charlotte. I guess there’s a delay with my
private plane.” His smirk made it obvious what the real interruption was.

I didn’t even
think. I dialed his number on speaker.

“Brian
Carpenter,” he answered.

I froze the
moment I heard his voice. Sasha-B-Fierce had dialed that phone without
hesitation and was ready to give him hell. But if I wasn’t really her, what
would I have to say to him?

“Hello?” his voice
came again.

Swallowing hard,
I stopped over-thinking and went with my gut. “It’s me. What the hell’s going
on?”

“Sasha, I heard
you did an amazing job with the NASCAR pitch. I’m hoping you had a chance to
speak with Josh to find out you’re back on the Tryon account.” His voice
sounded flat.

“I did. Matter
of fact, he’s here with me. And your presence is required.”

He sighed.
“That’s not happening.”

The panic from
his response started to fuel my temper. “We can either do it the easy or the
hard way, Brian Carpenter. Either you get your ass in here right now, or I hand
in my resignation this very minute.” I met Josh’s shocked expression.

“You don’t mean
that.”

“The hell I
don’t. If you think you’re the only one who would sacrifice your job for
someone you love, think again.”

He inhaled
audibly. “What did you say?”

“If you want me
to repeat it, then I suggest you figure out a way to get here quickly.” I hung
up before he had the chance to respond.

I turned toward
Josh. “I guess now might be a good time to tell you I probably need a new
supervisor. Hopefully, you’re not too shocked to learn that I happen to be in
love with the one I have now.”

He chuckled,
amusement showing in his expression. “Sasha, in the interest of full disclosure,
you should know that eight years ago Brian told me that someday he hoped to
have a conversation by which he informed me that his relationship with you had
changed. He’s been my best friend since we were five years old. Whether he
wanted to hide it or not, I’ve always known that you’ve been
the one
for
him from the moment he met you. Regardless of that, though, your career here
has always been separate from his feelings for you. I value your talent and I
hope you know me well enough to know you’ve always earned your position.”

I bit my lip at
the fact that I’d needed that confirmation. “I appreciate you telling me that.”

“By the way,
I’ve been entertaining the idea of creating a new VP position for someone who
does nothing but client presentations. It would take the pressure off the VP’s
who are better suited towards the client care aspect and allow our very best
people to win the business. This person would have to travel a lot, but could
relocate to any office of their choosing. Do you know of anyone who might be
interested?”

I smiled. “I can
definitely think of someone who would consider it a dream job. That is if I
don’t have to resign to prove a point to Brian first.”

He chuckled. “Let’s
hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Nancy’s voice
interrupted via the intercom. “Josh, I have Haylee on the line. She said she
only wants me to interrupt if you’re done speaking with Sasha. But considering
she admitted her water just broke, I told her that you were finished.”

We both looked
at each other wide-eyed until Josh finally recovered. “Okay, uh, yes, put her
through. Shit.”

He picked up my desk
phone and swallowed hard, his eyes going wide. “Yes, I’ll be right there. Okay.
Are you having contractions? Okay, I’m on my way. I love you.”

He hung up with
a panicked look. “She’s early.” His hands were white-knuckling the desk.

How ironic that
I was the one attempting to calm someone else down. “Each of my nieces and
nephews was early. The first one was four weeks. A week or two is nothing, Josh.
Get it out of your head and go get your wife. You’re about to become a dad.”

His face split
into a grin. “Come on, you’re getting in the car with me. You can help keep
Haylee focused while I freak out. I’ll text Brian and tell him to meet us
there.”

Haylee was an
absolute champ, getting into the town car all prepped and ready. She looked
beautiful and relaxed, but when she gripped my hand, I instantly knew it was a
show to keep her husband calm.

I offered her a reassuring
smile.

While Josh was
on the phone with his mother, she leaned over. “I’m kinda flipping out.”

Huh. Clearly I
wasn’t the only one who’d ever faked my emotions to give a different impression
from what I was actually feeling. “My go-to solution for that problem is off the
table considering it would involve an alcoholic beverage.”

She giggled and
then was in a fit of them, finally tensing when a contraction came.

It apparently
passed, and Josh squeezed her hand. “Nigel is making the remainder of the
calls. I did text Brian. He’ll meet us at the hospital.”

Haylee sighed.
“Does that mean he’s retracting his resignation?”

Josh winked at
me. “Oh, I think Sasha will make sure of it.”

***

I knew the
moment that Brian arrived in the waiting room, my body sensing his presence.

Our eyes met,
and then he glanced at the clock. “What’s the latest?”

“They think
within the next hour,” I responded quietly. “Do you have a minute?”

“Can we talk?”

Our simultaneous
requests bounced off one another.

Nodding, I led
him down the hall into the chapel. One look around the small room confirmed we
were the only two people there.

I didn’t give
him a chance to speak first. “Why did you resign, Brian?”

He sighed. “I
screwed up with Vanessa and instead of doing as Josh had asked, I made it a lot
worse.”

Blood pounded in
my ears. “How did you screw up with her?”

He shifted
uncomfortably which only heightened my growing anxiety about what he was going
to tell me.

“Last week she
kept calling, saying she was in Charlotte and wanted to get together for drinks
or dinner. I blew her off, going so far as to claim I was traveling. Then she
showed up at the office on Thursday night, waiting by my car. She came on to
me, and I told her that I was involved with someone. She guessed it was you; I
don’t know how. I wouldn’t confirm it, but it didn’t matter. I think she saw it
on my face. The next morning, she took you off the account.”

I put my hands
over my face. She’d known because of the way I’d reacted to her personal shots
toward me.

“You have to
believe nothing happened with her. The cameras proved that.”

“I do believe
you, unequivocally.” I knew in my heart Brian would never lie about something
like this. “But why would you need cameras to prove it?”

He raked a hand
through his hair. “Josh and I spoke on Friday and we both agreed that once
Michael Dobson knew about you being taken off, he’d fix things. He told me to
have no contact with her and leave it alone until he could meet with him.”

“But you called
her Saturday?”

His jaw clenched
obviously unhappy that Josh revealed that much. “Unfortunately I did. I told
her that she could make it right and if she didn’t we’d go to Dobson. I made it
personal wanting so badly to be able to call you that night and tell you I’d made
things right. Instead I tipped our hand and on Sunday all hell broke loose. She
told the chairman that I’d come on to her. That we’d slept together the night
we met for drinks in New York and that once you’d found out, you had a personal
issue with her which is why she couldn’t work with you any longer.”

“Jesus.” I was
shaking with rage.

“Josh was able
to do some serious damage control before Monday to get both the hotel footage
and the recording from outside the office building to show Michael that Vanessa
had been lying.”

“But why did you
resign?”

“Because I
screwed up everything. I not only went against Josh’s advice, but I put the
company in jeopardy. And let’s not forget the NASCAR pitch that got punted to
you last minute because I had to be in New York first thing instead. Lucky for
me, Josh resolved the first problem and you stepped in and fixed the second
one.”

“He doesn’t want
you to quit.”

“I know, but
that’s because he’s my best friend, not because he’s thinking as a boss.”

I was absolutely
shocked that Brian would believe this. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am. Take our
friendship out of the picture, and I would’ve been fired. Hell, I might not
have been given this job to begin with.”

“You’re crazy if
you think the only reason Josh hired you or wants to keep you on is because
you’re his best friend. You’ve helped him build this company. There isn’t one
person who knows you or works for you who believes you have the job because
you’re the friend of the owner. You earned it.”

“That’s not what
my mother thinks.”

How could I
never have picked up on his vulnerability when it came to his career? Had I
been so selfish in my own insecurities that I’d never supported him through
his? It would appear so. “Your mother would also like nothing more than for you
to drop me. Are you going to listen?”

“I don’t have
to. You dumped me, remember?”

I exhaled
heavily. “I was kind of a sucky girlfriend for the couple hours I wore that
title in public, wasn’t I?”

His lips curved into
a small smile. “I wasn’t going to win any awards, either, keeping the truth
about Tryon and Vanessa from you. You should know, I really did want the break
from work. I didn’t think that Vanessa would actually say anything over the
weekend to let you know. That’s part of what set me off too. I still can’t
believe she made it so personal towards you.”

“Yeah, well in
the spirit of that, I should tell you that the last time we met one-on-one, she
asked me if I was fucking you either now or in the past. I denied it, but I’m
pretty sure, like you, she could see it on my face.”

“And you’re only
now telling me this?” His frustration was evident.

“It was a
personal attack, and you had a lot going on with Juliette at the time, but I’m
sorry. I shouldn’t have kept it from you. And obviously you should’ve told me
about her coming to see you.”

He regarded me
for the longest time. “Apology accepted and given right back to you.”

How could I stay
mad when we had both been picking and choosing what to tell one another at some
point? “You’re going to have to withdraw your resignation, you know.”

He arched a
brow. “Are you really going to quit a job you’ve worked your ass off for if I
don’t? Your career makes you happy.”

“You make me
happier, Bri. And if that means we’re both in the unemployment line because you
don’t realize how great you are at your job, then so be it. I’m pretty stubborn
when I want to be.”

His eyes widened
with my admission. “You realize that for someone who professed not to be
Sasha-B-Fierce, you’re doing a damn good impression of her at the moment.”

“Turns out she
may have rubbed off on the real me over the years.” I hadn’t given myself
enough credit that she was part of my personality all along.

He stepped
closer. “Tell me what you said on the phone earlier.”

“Before I do,
you should know what you’re in for. I’m serious when I say there’s a lot you
don’t know—”

He cut me off
with a kiss. “I need to hear that you love me.”

“I love you,
Brian.” I watched a shudder run through him. “But—”

He put his thumb
to my bottom lip. “No buts. Do you really think I don’t know you, Sasha Jayne
Brooks?”

My breath caught
with the seriousness of his voice.

“I may not have
known that you had anxiety attacks or what initially triggered them, but I do
know that it makes you even fiercer. The fact that you’ve battled an anxiety
disorder your whole life is remarkable. You think that I don’t know what that
must’ve cost you, how many times you must’ve fought it, and how lonely that
must have been. But now that I do know, it only makes me more in awe of you.”

His hands held
my face so that our gazes were locked. “Bri—”

“I know
you
.
How you listen to Titanium or other chick empowerment music before your
pitches. That you go home on Friday nights after the gym and become a hermit
until Saturday with some sort of chocolate indulgence. How you like to hear the
bad news before the good because it’s easier for you to trust the bad. I know
that you love the beach when it’s winter or early in the morning because it’s
where you can clear your head. And I know you told me you don’t believe in
fairy tales or happily ever after, but fuck if I’ll accept that.”

A tear slipped
down my face. “You don’t see anxiety disorders or panic attacks in fairy
tales.”

His mouth
twitched in amusement. “You could dissect Cinderella or any of those other
princess chicks. They all have flaws.”

My brow arched.
“Did you just call Cinderella a chick?”

He chuckled. “Yes.
And I’d argue, in my completely unqualified opinion, that her being a grown-ass
woman and letting her stepmother and stepsisters abuse her speaks of a deep
issue with self-worth. Think about it. Why didn’t she move out and get a job
that paid?”

“Are you really
psychoanalyzing Cinderella?” I smiled through the tears.

“If it makes you
feel better, I’ll go through all of them. Sleeping Beauty couldn’t stay away
from a simple needle on a spinning wheel? Seriously?”

I burst out
laughing.

He kissed my
nose playfully. “I love hearing that sound. My point isn’t that I’m trying to
bash princesses but that we all have flaws, and finding out that you have some
is frankly a relief.”

“That’s the
second time I’ve heard that in the last twenty-four hours. My sister said the
same thing. It dawned on me that may be the reason Juliette hasn’t reached out
to me.”

He shrugged. “You’d
have to ask her, but I do know it’s hard to admit faults to someone who doesn’t
appear to have any.”

“That’s my line
for you. By the way I’ve had a therapist since I was sixteen. I only see her
about twice a year, but I do have someone.” Suddenly I didn’t mind telling him
all of it.

He winced. “I
shouldn’t have suggested that you needed to see someone. It wasn’t my place.”

“I blindsided
you with a lot of information on Saturday, and you were only trying to help. I
felt like, with all of my issues, I didn’t deserve you.” Admitting this out
loud was the hardest thing I’d ever done.

“Honey, I almost
hate to burst this misconception that I don’t have my own issues, but in
addition to never admitting my insecurity about working for my best friend,
it’s pretty damn clear that I’m the one who’s screwed up the most in this
relationship. If there is anyone who doesn’t deserve someone, it’s me not
deserving you or a second chance for the fourth time.”

It was a
tremendous relief that he didn’t see me as less for having an anxiety disorder.
“It bothers me that I made you feel like you had to call Vanessa on Saturday.”

“That’s not your
fault. My calling her on Saturday is more attributable to the fact that I can’t
stand it when issues are left unresolved. Another flaw in case you’re counting.
And it’s the reason I couldn’t be reminded about work over the weekend. I was
already on edge, wanting to repair it.”

“I’d resent you
if you tried to fix me.” My voice was barely a whisper. There was so much
hanging on his response.

“I’ve never seen
you as broken, honey. I may not know everything about your history, but
anything you could tell me is something I’d accept because I already love you.
All of you, unconditionally. What you may consider an imperfection only makes
you more perfect for me.”

His hands
skimmed down my back, and he captured my lips in a consuming kiss.

Suddenly, a
thought occurred to me. “That girl who moved away that you said you may have
loved.”

He grinned
sheepishly. “It was you. It’s always been you.” He buried his face in my neck
and inhaled my scent deeply.

“We’re in the
chapel,” I reluctantly protested, feeling his lips run behind my ear, halfway
tempted to continue this despite that fact.

He groaned in
objection but leaned back. “Come on, our friends are having a baby. We’ll
continue this later, though.”

I nodded, taking
his hand and going with him back into the waiting room.

***

Abigail Marie
Singer made her way into the world approximately one hour later. Friends and
family were on their way from all over the country, but for now only Brian and
I were going into the room to see the happy couple and their new baby.

“We won’t stay
long,” Brian said softly, peeking at the tiny little face cradled currently in
Josh’s arms.

I walked over to
the hospital bed and hugged Haylee. She looked absolutely beautiful despite
only just giving birth. Considering that most women ended up with hours upon
hours of labor, I couldn’t believe it had happened so quickly. “She didn’t
waste any time coming into the world, did she?”