What Might Have Been: Daniels Brother #4 (Daniels Brothers) Read online

  “You must be talking about another Mrs. Baxter. She’s always been quite pleasant to me.” He was teasing her and it brought back a lot of memories . . . memories she really wanted to keep buried.

  “Lucky you.” Abby smiled and picked up the paperwork on all the properties she’d brought with her, trying to ignore the churning in the pit of her stomach. “We have a lot of ground to cover today. Are you ready to get started?”

  He motioned toward the parking lot. “Ready when you are.”

  They made their way down the walkway to where he’d parked his vehicle—a silver pickup truck. It looked new, but when Abby climbed inside she noticed a few signs of wear on the interior. There were also several notebooks and a stack of papers on the seat between them.

  Trent put the key into the ignition, started the engine, and put the vehicle in gear. “Where to first?”

  Abby flipped open the folder in her lap. The first property on the list was another office building. It was as good a place to start as any. “Gavin’s Ridge. We’ll start there.”

  “Gavin’s Ridge it is.”

  He backed out and maneuvered his way through the parking lot and onto the main road. Abby told herself to stay calm. It would be okay. This was Trent. Her childhood friend.

  While that was true, a lot had changed since they’d sat on the steps outside his home and played I spy.

  She chanced a glance at him before looking away.

  Pressing her lips together, she ordered herself to breathe. It would be okay. She’d do her job, he’d do his, and then they’d go their separate ways.

  Yeah. Who was she trying to kid? There was no way Trent would leave it at that. Not with their history.

  Chapter 2

  Abby.

  Trent was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that she was standing only a few feet away from him. Seeing her again had been a shock to his system. It had been more than ten years, but she hadn’t changed all that much. Her hair was shorter and she had a few more curves than he remembered, but other than that, she looked the same. That is if you discounted the designer suit she was wearing. The Abby he knew preferred jeans and T-shirts.

  “What do you think?” she asked.

  He cleared his throat and put thoughts of the past out of his mind. There would be time for that later. “It needs a lot of work. I don’t know who was in charge of the landscaping before, but this is in worse shape than I expected. Some of this over here has seeded already. It’ll need to be removed and new sod put down. The mulch needs to be replaced. And I’m concerned about those trees over there. I’ll have my arborist look at them to be sure, but I think they’re going to have to come down.”

  In his head, he was going over the numbers. How long would it take to do what needed to be done based on the number of guys he could spare? As much as he wanted to make this work, he couldn’t sacrifice the needs of his other clients.

  Abby walked over to one of the bushes. It was out of control and would need to be cut back considerably. She plucked a leaf off and ran it between her thumb and forefinger. It made him recall sitting in the backyard with her years ago. She used to pick a blade of grass from the lawn and wind it around her finger over and over again.

  “Max was devastated when he saw it.” She looked around the property with sadness in her eyes. “His dad never would have let this happen if he’d been well.”

  Hearing her talk so casually of her boss made him wonder what kind of relationship they had. Was it purely professional? He knew he shouldn’t care either way, but this was Abby. Even after all the years they’d been apart, he still felt that pull to her. “How long have you worked for Max?”

  She glanced over at him then quickly averted her eyes. “About five years.”

  He nodded and went back to inspecting the plants. There were so many things he wanted to ask her, like why hadn’t she come back after college, or at least stayed in contact? Trent thought he understood on some level, but it still hurt. They’d been friends. Whatever had happened between her and his brother shouldn’t have affected the friendship she and Trent had.

  They were both quiet while Trent made his way around the lawn. He made some notes and sketched a rough layout of the property. It would help him later when he was putting together his proposal.

  When he was finished, he and Abby headed back to his truck. They drove to the next property on her list. This one was an apartment complex.

  He grabbed his notebook and stepped out of the truck. The first thing he noticed was an overgrown garden trellis. It framed the door leading to the office. He imagined it had once been a thing of beauty. At the moment, it was out of control. Trent couldn’t imagine anyone would be eager to pass under something that looked as if it wanted to swallow a person whole. He was beginning to understand what Maxwell Collins had meant when he said it was costing them business.

  After introducing themselves to the office manager, Trent and Abby strolled through the complex of roughly twenty townhouses. It was more of the same—plants that hadn’t been trimmed in months, if not years, and mulch that needed to be replaced. The grass looked as if it had been mowed regularly, at least, but there were quite a few bald spots that would need to be addressed.

  Abby followed beside him. If he asked a question, she would answer. Otherwise, she remained silent.

  It gave him a lot of time to think of more questions. What had led her to working for Maxwell Collins. When she’d left for college, she’d had plans to become an interior designer. What happened there?

  When he was satisfied he had everything documented, they went back to his truck and moved on to the next property. Abby had kept a respectful distance from him all morning. If she’d been a stranger he wouldn’t have thought much of it, but she wasn’t. They’d been best friends, damn it. She could barely look him in the eye.

  They finished up at their fourth property around noon. He pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main highway without asking Abby for the address of their next destination. She didn’t say anything. Trent wasn’t sure if that was because she trusted him or because she’d already guessed he was headed for food.

  He drove for about five miles until he saw one of his favorite food trucks. There was already a line.

  After finding a place to park on a side street not far away, he turned off the engine, and unbuckled his seat belt.

  Abby glanced over at him then at the clock on the dashboard. “I guess we should probably get something to eat.”

  “Yep. I’m starving.” He palmed his keys, opened his door, and winked at her. “Wouldn’t want you to wither away, now would we?”

  It took a few moments for her to exit the truck and join him on the sidewalk. She held her hand against her forehead like she was trying to shield her eyes from the sun. It created a shadow over her face, but he still noticed the red on her cheeks. He’d made her blush.

  Once they had their food, Trent guided her over to one of the picnic tables beneath a pair of trees. It was a decent day even if it was a little on the humid side, but in the shade there was a nice breeze.

  Abby sat across from him and started eating her tacos. She scanned their surroundings, looking everywhere but at him.

  Trent devoured three of his tacos before he decided he had to say something. “Last time I saw you, you were headed off to college to become an interior designer.”

  He let that hang in the air to see if she took the bait.

  She sipped her lemonade and shrugged. “Things change. People change.”

  “True. But I thought you were pretty perfect before.” He took another bite of his taco and waited.

  Abby grinned. “You haven’t changed.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “Definitely a compliment.” She was quiet for a long moment. “It’s good to see you again, Trent.”

  He was tempted to put all his questions on the table, but something told him if he did that she would shut down on him. “Do you know how
long you’re going to be in town?”

  Abby released a deep breath and met his gaze. “I don’t know. Max has to get his dad’s company back to where it should be before anything can be decided. Plus, there’s his father’s health to consider.”

  “And you’ll be here as long as Max is.” It still felt odd calling him Max, but that’s what Abby called him so Trent was going with it.

  It wasn’t really a question, but she nodded anyway.

  Trent finished his lunch and gathered his trash into a pile. “So for a while, then.”

  “Most likely. Max needs someone here with him that he knows will get things done.”

  “Which is where you come in.” Trent wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

  “Max is handling as much as he can from here and his partners back in New York are taking care of anything that has to be done in person.”

  “What does Max do exactly? Back in New York, I mean.” Trent knew he was a lawyer, but that was about it. Did the guy defend lowlife criminals, or something more mundane?

  “He’s a lawyer. Corporate stuff, mostly. Contracts. Mergers. That sort of thing.”

  “And you’re his personal assistant.” He tried not to put too much emphasis on personal, but when she raised her eyebrow at him, he knew he hadn’t succeeded. “Sorry. It’s just that you two seem to have a rather . . . casual relationship.”

  She straightened her shoulders and the little vein in her forehead pulsed—a sure sign she was annoyed. “We’re friends.”

  “Okay.” He figured it wouldn’t be a good idea to push her.

  Abby wiped her hands and got up to throw her trash away. He followed her lead. The walk back to the truck was a quiet one. It was obvious that he’d overstepped.

  Trent waited until they arrived at the next property before broaching the subject. He pulled into one of the visitor spots, turned off the engine, and twisted in his seat to face her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  “You didn’t.” Her abrupt response told a different story.

  “Well, either way, I am sorry if I put my foot in my mouth. Whatever your relationship is with Maxwell Collins, it’s none of my business.”

  She didn’t respond.

  Trent sighed, picked up his notes, and climbed out of his truck. Whether he liked it or not, he had work to do.

  ***

  Abby sat in the cab of the truck and watched as Trent strolled around the property. It was an office building and she knew it wouldn’t take him long. When she told him she’d wait in the truck he hadn’t argued.

  It wasn’t as if this was the first time someone had assumed her relationship with Max was of the intimate variety. They were friends—good friends—but that was all. In a lot of ways, he was like her big brother. There wasn’t anything romantic about it and there never would be.

  So why did it bother her so much that Trent insinuated the same thing so many others had? That was simple. Abby actually cared about his opinion of her. She shouldn’t, but it was there all the same.

  Forcing herself to get out of the truck, Abby joined Trent along the side of the building. He looked up when he heard her approach.

  She stopped several feet away and cleared her throat. “I may have overreacted.”

  Trent gave her his full attention. “No. You were right. I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s none of my business.”

  “You’re not the first person to think there’s something going on between me and Max.”

  He glanced at his notebook then back at the bush he’d been examining before she’d interrupted him. “That doesn’t make it right.”

  Abby was frustrated. She shouldn’t care this much. The Daniels family was part of her past, not her future. When Max got things turned around, he’d appoint a new CEO and the two of them would be on their way back to New York. Rebuilding a friendship with Trent wasn’t smart and her soon-to-be-changing zip code was only one of the many reasons it wasn’t a good idea.

  “Can we start over?” she asked. Whether she liked it or not, they were going to have to work together for the foreseeable future.

  He’d knelt down beside the bush, but he glanced up at her question.

  “Please?”

  Trent stood and walked over to her. He extended his hand. “Trent Daniels. Nice to meet you.”

  She laughed. “That’s not what I meant.”

  He smirked. “I know. But it was too good to resist.”

  As they stood there smiling at each other, Abby felt that old connection returning—the one that made her want to spill all her secrets. The thought brought her up short. She pushed past him and focused on the plant he’d been inspecting. “Do you like being your own boss?”

  It took him a second to answer. “I do. Gives me freedom to come and go when I need to.”

  Abby nodded. Things never used to be this uncomfortable with Trent. He was her rock. The friend she could always count on. Now things were awkward and she knew it was her fault. “I guess I never saw you as the type that would want that kind of responsibility. You were always . . .”

  “So laid back?”

  “Yeah.”

  Trent resumed his inspection of the area, making notes as he went. “I still am. Usually. Most of the hardcore stuff I leave for my office manager, Trinity. She’s a hardass when she wants to be.”

  The smile on his face when he talked about his office manager left her feeling irritated. Her reaction didn’t make any sense. She didn’t even know the woman. “I guess that makes you two a good match.”

  His cell rang, interrupting their conversation. He dug it out of his pocket and answered the call with a genuine smile on his face. “Hey, Trinity. Not at all. What do you need?”

  He walked back toward his truck leaving Abby to stare at his retreating back. She couldn’t hear what they were saying and it bothered her that she wanted to know. They weren’t even friends anymore. Why did she care?

  Needing a distraction, she pulled her own phone out and checked her e-mail. There were twenty unopened messages, half of them from Max. It looked as if she’d be working this evening.

  “Everything all right?” Abby snapped her head up to see Trent coming toward her.

  “Yeah. Everything’s fine. Just checking my e-mail.” She waved her phone at him before shoving it back in her pocket. Then she tilted her head in the direction of the cell he still held in his hand. “You?”

  Trent glanced down at it as if he’d completely forgotten it was there. He tucked it in his pocket. “One of my crew went home sick. Nothing out of the ordinary, but Trinity wanted me to know she’d had to move a few things around.”

  “The fun of being a boss.” She wanted to ask him more, but knew she shouldn’t.

  “Exactly.” He looked around before returning his attention to her. “We have four more places to hit before we can call it a day. You ready to go?”

  “Ready when you are.”

  It took them another two hours to finish. Trent had pages upon pages of notes. She had no idea what he had in there, but by the sheer volume Abby was guessing things were in worse shape than Max had thought. It wouldn’t matter, of course. Max would do whatever it took to get things fixed for his family.

  At five thirty, they returned to where their day had begun. Trent pulled into the same spot and put the truck in park. “Thanks for going with me today. Let Max know I’ll go over my notes and have a proposal to him by Friday.”

  “No problem. It was . . . educational.”

  He grinned. “Just what a man wants to hear after spending the day with a woman.”

  Abby chuckled and reached for the door. The longer she stayed the more she longed for things to be the way they were before. “Have a good night, Trent.”

  “Same to you, Abby.”

  She walked over to her car and unlocked the door. It didn’t escape her notice that he was still sitting in his truck, probably watching her. His mom used to stand on the front porch and watch her walk home. Ev
en though Abby’s house was only three doors down, Marilyn Daniels would wait until she saw Abby walk through the door to her house before going back inside. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, not with any of the Daniels boys.

  Once she was behind the wheel of her vehicle, Abby checked her phone. She had a text from Max.

  Call me when you get home. - Max

  Abby shook her head. What would she do with all these overprotective men in her life?

  That thought made her pause. Trent wasn’t in her life. Not anymore. Today didn’t count. Chances were she wouldn’t see him again after he worked out the contract with Max.

  Tears pricked her eyes as she started the vehicle and maneuvered out of the parking lot. She blinked them away. This wasn’t something to cry over. It was for the best. They couldn’t be friends anymore. Too much time had passed. Too much had happened.

  It took Abby almost twenty minutes to reach her apartment. Max had offered to let her stay with him at his parents’, but she hadn’t felt right about it, so he’d arranged an apartment for her. His father was dying and she didn’t want to intrude on their family time.

  Abby let herself in, turned on the light, and kicked off her shoes. She crossed the living room to her small kitchen. Lunch had been hours ago and she was starving.

  She pulled out of the refrigerator some chicken that she’d made the night before, and popped it in the microwave. While she was waiting for her dinner to heat up, she dialed Max.

  “Well, how was it?” he asked. It wasn’t unusual for him to forgo a greeting when she called. Max liked to get to the point.

  She leaned against the counter and watched as the numbers on the microwave counted down. “Hot. I should have worn something other than a suit.”

  He chuckled. “I’ve spoiled you with the air conditioning.”

  “Is that what you’re calling it now? Spoiled? Last time I checked, you enjoyed the same benefits of the air conditioning as I do.”