“What do you want to know?” he asked.
“Everything,” Rene said. “Just talk and it will kill the time.”
This time it was him rolling his eyes. For a minute he thought Rene might actually be interested in learning about her daughter until she threw the last part in.
24
WILLING TO DO
“Morning.”
Alana looked up to see Brennan standing in her open doorway. She’d gotten to work at seven and had expected no one else this early. Most were working from home or on vacation this week anyway.
Had she texted him last night to say she was coming in early? Yep. It was a hint to see if he’d do the same and they could chat in person before the rest of the staff who were working this week made an appearance.
“Good morning,” she said. “How was Becca about getting up this early?”
“She’s got Santa on the brain, so you know, every day is an early day with her asking if he’s coming tonight or not.”
“That’s so sweet.”
He moved in closer to her. She stood up and went into his arms. It felt as if it’d been months since he’d touched her when it’d been forty-eight hours.
If a heart could fall fast, hers was gaining speed on a rapid decline down Mount Everest.
His lips touched hers, her arms going around his waist as he held her tight.
“I like this working together thing if I can see you more,” he said.
“I was almost thinking the same thing. Especially since my parents are here all week. They’d like to meet you, but I’m not sure how that is going to work when Becca isn’t aware of my relationship as more than her friend.”
“We’ve got time to figure that out,” he said. “I’m not worried. If your parents don’t mind her being with us, we can try for dinner one day while they are here.”
“I’d like that.” She moved out of his arms and hoped her face didn’t expose her disappointment Becca wouldn’t be told much more than Alana was a friend.
She couldn’t let her opinion matter. It had to come from Brennan. He knew his daughter better than anyone.
“Then we’ll make it work. How is it having your parents in the house with you?”
“I never cared before, but I think now that I’ve got a man in my life, it’s a bit more inconvenient.”
She couldn’t just flop anywhere and talk to him. Not that they did it often because of Becca.
But Saturday her parents had company over and it would be rude of her to go to her room to talk to Brennan and find out how the visit with Rene went.
Then on Sunday, she went with her parents to visit more family and by the time she got home Brennan had Becca in bed and was wrapping gifts and getting things ready for the week ahead.
“It’s only for a week,” he said. “Now you understand what I go through with little ears everywhere.”
“It’s all good. Can I ask how it went with Rene if you want to talk about it?”
“I’d like to tell you,” he said. He sat in front of her desk and she walked over and shut her door in case anyone else came in.
“You look worried,” she said. “I could hear it in your voice when we talked quickly on the phone.”
“I’m not sure worried is the right word. More like confused. I understand she wanted to see Becca. As much as she and I don’t get along.”
“You don’t?” she asked. “I mean, I get it. What she did was unacceptable.”
