She was nothing special to him. He was still a “free agent.”

All this time she’d thought they’d been headed toward something. She didn’t know what, and frankly hadn’t cared, because they’d had a connection. She knew what it was—or she thought she knew. He had made her feel special, like she was the only one in his life, that this time it was different, that his playboy days were over.

God, she was so stupid. He’d played her, and she’d fallen for it.

Maybe all this time he’d been seeing other women, and she’d been so myopic about seeing only him, falling for only him, she hadn’t even noticed.

She turned around and headed inside, her face flaming. She headed straight for the master bedroom, one of the rooms off limits to the guests tonight. She went into the bathroom and locked the door, staring at her flushed face in the mirror.

“Idiot,” she said to her reflection, forcing the anger instead of the heartbreak.

She’d known who he was all along, yet she fell for it—for him—anyway.

His conversation with Lee and Tim outside still hurt, the raw pain tearing through her almost unbearable. She wanted to grab her keys, get into her car and go back to her apartment so she could crawl into her bed and cry until there were no tears left.

But she couldn’t—wouldn’t do that. Because she refused to lose her job over that asshole. She took pride in the work she did, and she’d fight him to the death over keeping her job.

She paced back and forth, taking deep breaths until she’d calmed herself enough to walk out of the bathroom. Then she grabbed a bag and packed up all her things, sliding the bag into the closet before heading back out to the party.

Thankfully things had started to wind down, because if she had four hours of this to put up with she didn’t think she could take it.

Avoiding Brody would be easy. She’d wanted to be with him tonight, but she’d been so busy—and so had he. Now she was grateful for it.

“Hey, honey. Roger is tiring, so we’re heading out.”

At the tap on her shoulder from Stacy, she squeezed her eyes shut, mentally preparing herself. She put on a smile and turned around. “I hope you had a good time, Stacy.”

“We had a great time, and everyone I spoke to tonight loved the fact the party was held here. It was so much fun, and the dance floor you had put over the floor in the dining room was perfect.”

“I’m so glad.”

“It was a good idea, kiddo,” Roger said, pulling her in for a hug. “I always knew you had smarts.”

She hugged him and Stacy and saw them to the door, then said goodbye to several other guests who were making their way out. She saw Brody try to ease his way to her, but she ducked out through the kitchen and went out back to pick up a few discarded bottles, then headed around the side toward the garage, adeptly avoiding him.

By the time the party closed down, it was just Brody and her and Wyatt and Calliope. Ethan had left early to be with Riley, Zoey and the baby. The crew came in to remove the tables and all the equipment, and they helped the caterers remove the rest of the food.

Calliope turned to her at the door when she and Wyatt walked out. “Call me tomorrow?”

She nodded. “You bet. You all be careful going home.”

“I’ll walk them out and I’ll be right back,” Brody said.

She nodded, but as soon as he headed out the front door, she hurried into the bedroom, grabbed her bag and her keys and threw her bag in the car. She was standing in the kitchen, keys in hand, when he came back.

He frowned. “Going somewhere?”

“Home.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m nothing to you.”

“What? That’s not true.”

“It is. I heard you say it tonight.”

“Wait. Tonight? What are you talking about?”

“I walked outside when you were talking to Lee and Tim, assuring them that manwhore Brody Kent was still alive and well, that I was nothing special to you and they had nothing to worry about. You were still a free agent.”

He had the decency to look away. “Oh. That. Let me explain, Tori.”

“No, thanks, Brody. I fell for your lines once. I won’t fall again.” She turned and went into the garage, the gust of cold wind making her shiver. She needed it, needed that reality to slap her across the face.

Because she’d been living in a fantasy for far too long.

Brody followed her to her car. “Tori, if you’ll just let me explain...”

She slid into the car and started it up, closed the door and locked it, not even bothering to look at him as she backed the car out of the garage, down the driveway and headed out onto the street.

He could explain all he wanted, but there would never be anything he could say again that she’d ever believe.

Her phone vibrated in the seat next to her. She didn’t bother to look or to answer. It was Brody, no doubt ready with a pack of lies that she’d never believe again.

As she headed toward home, the first snowflakes started to fall.

And so did the tears sliding down her cheeks.

Hopefully she’d make it all the way home before she completely fell apart.

* * *

Brody listened as the tenth call he’d made to Tori went to voice mail.

He got in his truck and, despite the snow coming down harder, drove to her apartment.

He breathed out a sigh of relief to see her car parked in the lot. He went up and knocked on her door, not surprised when she didn’t answer. He knocked again, harder this time. And again, when she didn’t answer.

“Tori. Open the door. I know you’re in there.”

She didn’t. He leaned against the wall, still in his suit, and watched the snow come down. It was getting colder and he hadn’t grabbed a coat, hadn’t thought about anything other than getting to Tori so he could explain what he’d said.

Not that there was a reasonable explanation.

He’d been a total dick, so tired of people pushing him toward something he wanted anyway.

What the hell was wrong with him?

He turned and banged on the door. “Tori. Please let me explain.”

But he already knew she wasn’t ready to listen. If it were him, he wouldn’t listen either.

He pulled his suit coat around him and walked down the stairs, the snow coming down so heavy he was soaked by the time he got into the truck.

He climbed in, shut the door and turned on the ignition, firing up the heater. He looked up at her apartment window, waiting for her to turn on the light.

No light came on.

He finally put the truck into gear and pulled out.

Chapter Thirteen

“What the hell did you do to Tori?”

Brody ignored Wyatt’s question as they drove together to inspect a jobsite.

“I’m asking you a question.”

“And I’m not answering it.”

“It’s been two weeks since the Christmas party, and it’s like someone died, Brody. She won’t talk to us.”

“Maybe it’s you who pissed her off.”

Wyatt gave him a look. “I don’t f**king think so. It’s like she’s broken, man. You can see it on her face. It’s not even anger. It’s...sadness. Christ, what happened between the two of you?”

Brody pulled into the parking lot of the site and turned off the ignition. “You want to know what happened? Everybody happened. You. Ethan. Mom and Dad. Hell, even other contractors. Everybody got into my business about Tori. When are you going to get engaged? When are you going to marry her? What’s going on with your relationship? What’s the next step? Fuck. How was I supposed to react to that?”

Wyatt arched a brow. “What did you do?”

He shrugged. “I told Lee and Tim that Tori didn’t mean anything to me, that I was still the carefree bachelor that I always was, notching my bedpost with the latest conquest. Tori overheard me say that.”

Wyatt slouched in the seat. “Shit. You really f**ked that one up. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking I wanted people to leave me alone about Tori so I could make my own decisions on my own time.”

“So you were afraid to pull the trigger.”

Now it was Brody’s turn to frown. “What?”

“You got cold feet. You couldn’t admit to anyone you were in love with her, which you obviously are because you’re just as miserable and unpleasant to be around as she is. So instead of coming clean and telling the world how you felt about her, you pretended not to care.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“It’s not bullshit. It’s exactly what you did when you told Lee and Tim you were still c**k of the block.”

“Well I didn’t goddamn know how to handle it.” He punched the steering wheel with the palm of his hand.

Wyatt laughed. “No shit. The big question now is, what are you going to do to fix things?”

Brody stared out the windshield of the truck. “I don’t know. She won’t talk to me at work and she won’t answer my calls. I go to her apartment and she won’t answer the door.”

“You already know she’s one stubborn woman. I guess you’ll have to keep trying. If you think she’s worth it. Do you think she’s worth it?”

“Hell yes I do. I’m in love with her.”

“Now, was that so hard to admit?”

Brody glared at his brother. “You’re an asshole, Wyatt.”

“Yeah, I know,” Wyatt said with a grin. “Now let’s go to work.”

* * *

No amount of cajoling from Calliope or Riley or even Brody’s parents was going to force Tori to talk to Brody.

It was over, and as soon as everyone adjusted to that, things could go back to the way they used to be. Eventually—maybe—she and Brody could get back to that place where they could work together.

Or she’d just find another job. She’d hate it, but she’d do it if she had to.

The past two weeks had been awful. Seeing him at work every day had been the most painful. She thought it would be better after work and on the weekends, but it wasn’t. She missed him, missed being with him, missed being able to talk to him about anything and everything. She missed touching him and kissing him and sleeping with him.

She was so tired of crying, and so tired of hating that he hadn’t been the man she thought he’d been.

He’d tried to talk to her. He’d pulled up his chair next to her desk several times and had tried to launch into an explanation. Each time, she’d gotten up and left the office. She’d told Wyatt and Ethan to have Brody leave her alone or she’d keep leaving. And if that kept happening, the work they needed her to accomplish wouldn’t get done.

Eventually, he stopped trying to talk to her at work. But he called her, texted her and came by her apartment. She told him to stop coming by or she’d call the police and tell them he was harassing her.

It hurt her to tell him that when all she really wanted was to let him in, to throw her arms around him and have him be the man she wanted him to be.

But no amount of explanation would change a person who couldn’t be changed.

Brody was who he always had been, and she’d been stupid to think otherwise.

She’d never be stupid again.

Shuddering out a sigh, she blinked and tried to concentrate on the spreadsheet in front of her. It was two days before Christmas and she had to finish this report before the holiday break. It was quiet in the office—for a change. The guys were all out on jobs, so at least today she’d have some peace and quiet to get caught up.

She heard the sirens outside and her head shot up. A lot of sirens. First from a distance, then growing closer. She hoped nothing was on fire. There was nothing worse than a fire right before Christmas.

The sirens were getting closer. And closer. But it wasn’t fast-moving like they were rushing to a location. It was slow. And growing ever louder, heading in the direction of the office. And she heard a voice, like on a loudspeaker.

What the hell was going on out there?

Grabbing her coat, she put it on and headed out the front door, her eyes widening as she saw the sheriff’s car, the two town fire engines and a parade of people marching behind them.

And Brody’s voice on the sheriff’s loudspeaker.

“Tori Lewis. Please come outside and hear me out.”

Oh. My. God. What was he doing?

She shook her head and started to back away.

“Can’t run this time, honey. Might as well hear him out and get this over with.”

It was Wyatt. He’d come around from the back.

“I don’t want to hear him.”

Wyatt laughed. “I don’t think you have much choice, considering the commotion he’s causing.”

She watched as the parade of sheriff’s cars and fire engines, horns blowing and sirens blaring, stopped in front of the gate to the construction offices. Brody got out and climbed on the roof of the sheriff’s car.

“Is he insane?” she asked.

“Probably,” Ethan said, coming around the other side of her. He laid his hand on the small of her back and propelled her forward. “Go on and hear him out, Tori.”

She took a tentative step forward.

Brody wasn’t smiling. He stood there looking as gorgeous as ever, the biting wind blowing his dark hair, his boots firmly planted on the sheriff’s roof as he held the mic in his hand.

“Tori. I hurt you because I was afraid to tell you—hell, to admit to anyone and everyone how I felt about you. So instead, I downplayed it. I told people that you meant nothing to me, when in fact, you mean everything to me and you always have.