“He really does. The two of you being apart would be hard on everyone. That’s why Colin and I are trying to find an alternative.”
He supposed, for now, that would have to do. Moving three states away wasn’t something he wanted. However, if he had to, he’d move to Egypt for his son. Tyler was a part of him, and there was no way Brody would survive being that physically distant from him.
Only recently had a small snag developed. Her name was Elisa.
His feelings for her was the closest thing to being in love that he’d ever felt. Could he bring himself to let her leave? Would he be able to find another woman like her again?
EIGHTEEN
ELISA SET UP HER CAMERA equipment at the Golden Glove with her heart pattering a thousand miles an hour and a pit in the bottom of her stomach. The odd sensation of trepidation and love-sickness made her dizzy. So much so that the breakfast she’d hastily consumed that morning was now dancing at the bottom of her unsettled stomach. While unloading some lights, she’d almost had to drop the things and toss her food in the nearest trashcan. Wouldn’t that have been attractive?
Uh, hi, Brody. Please don’t mind my vomit breath.
Bad enough that she could no longer stand being around him without being smacked with her love for him.
She’d had more than enough time to prepare for the shoot that would finally take place, but nothing ever prepared her for being around Brody. Especially since they’d been intimate multiple times, and he’d have to be an idiot not to know how she felt about him. Hell, she might as well make a neon sign and strap it to her chest.
Hello everyone. I’m in love with a man who doesn’t love me back.
Whatever. She still had a job to do, and, despite her unwanted feelings for him, she still enjoyed his company and was willing to spend what time with him she had. She just hoped how she felt wasn’t so obvious that it made their work time together awkward.
The setup took about an hour, during which time the dining room was empty except for Charlene and a tall, sandy-haired man behind the bar. He went back and forth between talking on his phone and flirting with Charlene, who’d grin and blush like some teenager who’d been asked to the prom by the high school football star.
“Who is that?” Elisa asked Charlene.
The other woman used one of her hands to fan herself. “That’s Brody’s brother RJ. He used to work the bar here but now he’s only filling in until we can find a replacement for Anthony.”
Elisa gestured between Charlene and Brody’s handsome and flirtatious brother. “Are you two like…”
Charlene’s eyes grew wide. “Oh no.” She shook her head. “No, no, no. I mean, he’s hot but he’s just too… RJ.”
Okay, whatever that meant.
“RJ’s just a lot to take in,” Charlene said as though reading Elisa’s thoughts. “Especially if you don’t know him.”
“Why, is he obnoxious?”
The other woman lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “No, not obnoxious. Just… consuming.” She grinned. “It’s hard to explain. But he’s a great guy and was a lot of fun to work with. But he’s actually not working right now. He just stopped by to talk to Brody.”
Elisa nodded, not really sure what else to say. Except to ask where Brody was because she was obsessed and everything. To mask her thoughts, she fiddled with her camera equipment, making sure everything was in place. Even though it was. Because she’d checked it half a dozen times already this morning.
“Brody’s in the kitchen with Anthony if you need him,” Charlene announced.
Oh Lord, she sees right through you.
Then Elisa remembered why she was there and that she was supposed to be working with Brody.
“Thanks,” she replied in her most carefree voice, which she wasn’t sure was convincing.
This time she’d brought her laptop with her so she could upload the digital images of the dishes and take a gander at them. Before wasting a whole bunch of time snapping photos of the finished dishes, she’d brought her smaller digital camera along with her to make extra sure they could move forward. That way Brody could see them and give his final approval of which plates to use.
Gathering the necessary items, Elisa walked toward the kitchen, while her heart thumped harder with each step.
You’re a professional woman who’s done hundreds of shoots. No reason why this one is any different.
Okay, so she’d told smaller lies than that. But maybe if she repeated the words often enough, she wouldn’t come across like a lovesick zombie.
In the kitchen, Anthony was hard at work cooking… whatever Brody had asked him to cook. Elisa actually had no idea which dishes to expect, but she had no doubt they would be spectacular. She may have always preferred to do her shooting outdoors, in nature, but today’s assignment still had that familiar excitement coursing through her blood. That was always a nice reminder of why she loved holding a camera.
Brody was nowhere to be seen, and Elisa tried not to let that little fact dampen her mood. Tried, and was unsuccessful.
Anthony glanced up when she approached and graced her with an ear-to-ear grin.
“Good morning, Elisa,” he greeted in that deep rumbling voice of his.
“Looks like you’ve had a busy morning,” she replied with a glance at the food that had already been prepared and plated. Three meals, which consisted of a soup, sliders, and some kind of flatbread, were lined up on a roll-away cart. Elisa studied them, thinking how Anthony had a magic touch with food, a talent he most likely didn’t know he possessed. At least from what Brody had told her.
Speaking of Brody, where was he?
“Do you mind if I make some adjustments to these?” she asked the cook in an attempt to take her mind off the man who constantly plagued her thoughts.
Anthony waved his hand toward the food. “Be my guest.”
She set her camera down and rearranged the triangular-shaped cut flatbread, then moved a tiny bowl of dipping sauce just a fraction. Most people wouldn’t notice the difference, but that small adjustment could be the difference of catching the light perfectly or missing it completely. After that she stacked the two slices of toasted baguette bread, which accompanied the soup, on top of each other instead of leaving them side by side. That would enable her to catch the crisp edges of the bread a lot easier.
When she was satisfied, Elisa picked up her digital camera and captured each dish one by one. While working, she made sure to shoot each piece from different angles, so as to get a better idea of how the food would look most appealing. Of course, the end result was always a different story, but practice shots never hurt anything.
By the time she had finished, Anthony had two more plates done. But Brody still wasn’t around. Maybe he didn’t know she was there? Then again, he’d asked her to come at this specific time, so he had to know she’d be here by now.
Now you just sound like a high schooler.
She and Anthony worked side by side for a little while longer before there wasn’t much left for her to do except upload her shots to her laptop. She pushed through the kitchen doors but didn’t make it to her equipment because her body instantly picked up on Brody’s presence. Dang it, she hadn’t even seen him, and her Brody radar had gone haywire.
There, behind the bar, stood the man of her fantasies, talking to his “consuming” brother RJ. The two men seemed to be deep in conversation, but Elisa’s eyes barely touched on Brody’s blonder brother. No, her eyes were all for the black-haired man with the piercing gray eyes and too-wide shoulders. His arms were crossed over his chest, which only reminded Elisa of how powerfully masculine he was. And yet gentle at the same time. Brody McDermott was a multifaceted man who never failed to surprise her.