Crazy Thing (The Brighton Family #5)

Chapter 54

54

DARIUS

“ D o you smell that?” Cannon Kingston asks, his nose wrinkled as he subtly glances around the executive board room.

I shoot my business partner a dirty look, considering the asshole just interrupted the slideshow presentation I’m in the middle of delivering.

I haven’t been all that productive at work since my fallout with Ziggy. But today’s a big day. I travelled back to Chicago to meet with my hockey team co-owners and discuss important business matters.

We’re supposed to be making some big decisions about the team’s finances right now, but I don’t feel like any of these men are paying much attention to what I’m saying.

Liam is sniffing the air obnoxiously, nodding in response to Cannon’s question. “Smells like a chimney.”

Cash shakes his head. “More like burnt firewood. And unwashed ass.”

Shit. It’s me. They’re talking about me.

I bring my shirt up to my nose to confirm. Yup, they nailed it. Fire and ass .

Reuben and Xavier exchange worried glances.

I think I’m ready to give up.

On a sigh, I drop down in my seat and I feel like I’m on the verge of breaking down. This presentation is a lost cause anyway. When my love life caught fire, my work life went up in flames as well. Not only did I lose my girlfriend, I also lost my assistant.

Between the unresolved circumstances with Ziggy and the lack of sleep, I’m not doing so great right now.

“Fuck, I don’t know what to do,” I mumble into my hands.

“Uh, Darius?”

“What’s going on, man?”

“Yeah, you’re too rich to be homeless. Is it drugs?”

“I know a good rehab facility.”

Wow. Great to know what they think of me.

I shake my head. “It’s not drugs,” I groan. “It’s Ziggy. Ziggy Beaumont.”

“Ziggy? What did she do to you?” Cash asks, an eyebrow jerked upward in concern.

“She and I were seeing each other.” Understatement of the year . “And then I screwed up. I’ve been trying to win her back, but it’s not working. She doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

All hockey business is quickly forgotten as the guys press me for details.And for some reason, I tell them everything.

“I’ve been living in the woods for days now. I’m living like goddamned Bigfoot, building bonfires every night and cooking canned soups over the makeshift grill I’ve constructed. Yet she won’t hear me out.”

“Have you tried buying her jewelry,” Xavier suggests. “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend and all… ”

“Diamonds? You haven’t met Ziggy. Trust me—diamonds would never work on her,” Cash laughs.

“I’ve been gathering berries for her every day. I’ve been bringing her bouquets of wildflowers. I’ve even been buying ripened vegetables and handcrafted hats and bangles and trinkets from the farmer’s market in town for her. Every day, I leave everything in a nice little pile outside her camper bus door.”

“And has she said anything?” Liam asks.

I wag my head pitifully from side to side. “I’ve noticed that she takes the food inside, but she won’t touch the flowers. They’re just sitting there in a pile, rotting away slowly.Sort of like my heart. And she still doesn’t want me. Nothing’s working,” I lament. “I’m tired. I really need to shave and sleep in a king-sized bed.”

Who am I kidding? It’s not like I’ll be getting sleep anytime soon. Every night as I lie in my cramped caravan, thoughts of Ziggy stroll through the long, twisty hallways of my mind until the sun comes up.

“Sorry for unloading all this here at our business meeting.” My shoulders sag. “Usually, I know better than to spill my personal life to business associates but that’s how hopeless I’m feeling at this point.I’m out of ideas,” I tell them.

“Would you stop referring to us as your business associates?” Cannon huffs in annoyance.

“That’s what you are,” I say stubbornly.

Raphael gives me a shove that nearly knocks me out of my conference chair. “We’re your friends , asshole.”

I feel my expression collapse in horror. “We’re not friends,” I shout.

Liam laughs jovially, clamping a hand on Reuben’s shoulder. “Oh, boy. He can’t take it. He looks like he’s about to spontaneously combust. ”

“We’re your friends, Darius,” Cannon insists. “And we love you, man.”

I grab my papers and start haphazardly shoving them into my leather briefcase. “Okay, I’m out of here. Bye.”

Across the table, Xavier rises from his seat, casting a grin around the room. “Come here, everybody. Group hug.”

Raphael smacks Xavier in the knee, causing him to fall back into his chair. “Get the fuck out of here. Have you gotten a whiff of that guy? I’m not getting that smell all over my business suit.”

Chuckling, Liam clasps a hand on my shoulder right before I can run away. “You’re absolutely right about needing a shave. But I think you should keep fighting for her.”

“He’s right.” Reuben nods along. “You shouldn’t just give up. Because true love is worth it, and I don’t care how corny that sounds. It’s the truth.” He chuckles. “Trust me—Isla didn’t make it easy for me when I started trying to pursue her. Now, she can’t get enough of me.”

Cannon stares off into the distance. “God. When I think back to how stubborn Lexi was at the beginning of our marriage, it makes my head hurt. But really, she was just scared. Now, every day, I’m so fucking glad I didn’t give up on her.”

“Maybe Ziggy just needs some space to miss you,” Cash says, throwing out a different strategy. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder. It wasn’t until Meghan and I spent some time apart that I realized that I couldn’t live the rest of my life without her.”

Liam cringes. “But whatever you decide to do, I should advise you to at least take a shower.”

Raphael leans back in his seat, adjusting his necktie and turning his nose up at me. “Yeah. Or maybe go find a river to take a dip in. It might help you win her back if you smell a little less rancid.”