What Might Have Been: Daniels Brother #4 (Daniels Brothers) Read Online Free PDF Page A

she’d ever met. Surely he’d found someone he wanted to share his life with by now.
    Then there was Chris. She’d tried not to think about him at all, but seeing Trent had brought everything rushing back. As much as she hated to admit it, she was curious. What had happened to him? Had his life turned out how he wanted it to?
    What about Marilyn and Mike? They’d been surrogate parents to her, taking care of her when her father couldn’t be there.
    Thinking of her dad left a deep ache in her chest. It had been ten years and she still missed him as though it were yesterday. He’d been a good dad. He’d done his best as a single parent after her mom died. She still remembered how they’d go to the range and shoot for hours on his days off. It was their time together and she’d cherished it.
    A shadow fell across her desk and she glanced up, blinking the moisture from her eyes. Her pulse raced as Trent stared down at her, looking more handsome than she’d ever seen him. Gone were the casual work clothes he’d worn the last time she’d seen him. Today he wore a dark gray suit and tie. His hair was slicked back, tamed into submission, all except one strand that seemed to want to rebel. It brushed against his forehead, begging to be tucked back into place.
    Where had that thought come from?
    “Are you okay?” he asked when she continued to stare at him.
    She swallowed. “Yeah. Fine. You just—you startled me, that’s all.”
    He smiled and her stomach fluttered against her will.
    “Looks as if Max is keeping you busy.” Trent nodded to the stack of papers she’d been going through.
    She had to get her head on straight and fast. “You could say that. It’s another parting gift from Mr. Collins’ former assistant. I don’t think she had an ounce of organizational skill.”
    He peered over her shoulder. “Confetti?”
    Abby followed his gaze to the receipt directly on top of the pile. Sure enough, it was for confetti, streamers, and several other party items. Given the date, Abby was guessing the supplies were for Mr. Collins’ birthday. That was only a guess since there was no notation whatsoever saying what the stuff was used for. “Confetti. And just about anything she ordered for the last two years.”
    Trent opened his mouth to say something, but they were interrupted when Max came out of his office. “Abby, can you call—”
    He stopped in his tracks when he saw Trent.
    “Mr. Daniels. I didn’t realize you’d be stopping by today.” To her horror, Max moved to stand a few feet in front of Trent and folded his arms across his chest. There was an air of protectiveness about his stance that Abby didn’t miss.
    Apparently, Trent didn’t miss it either. His eyes narrowed a bit as if he was analyzing the new information. That was different. The Trent she remembered would have been too laid back to care. He would have brushed off the posturing and either walked away or continued on, pretending not to notice.
    “I told Abby I’d have the proposal ready for you today. I came by to drop it off.” Trent handed the envelope to Max, neither of them adjusting their posture. “You can look it over and let me know if you want to move forward.”
    Max opened the envelope. He scanned the information, flipping through the pages.
    Trent stood there waiting, seeming completely unaffected by whatever it was Max was playing at. Then again, not even she knew what her boss and friend was doing. He’d always been somewhat protective of her, but this was a little much, even for him.
    A few minutes later, Max placed the packet of papers on the corner of her desk, reached for a pen, and swiftly signed his name. He handed the packet back to Trent. “How soon can you get started?”
    Trent tucked the papers back inside the envelope. “We can begin on Monday.”
    Max held Trent’s gaze and nodded. Then, out of the blue, Max turned his attention to her. “When you’re finished here, I need you to call Phil in