Breaking Braydon by MK Harkins Page A

the shot of caffeine start to work its magic through my weary body. Today, I was meeting Colin and Jain for an informal discussion about the charity event at the Paramount Hotel coming up later this month. I wanted to go over the schedule and what they should expect. It was obvious they hadn’t attended an event of this magnitude. I didn’t want them to feel overwhelmed. Or at least, that’s what I told myself.
    It couldn’t be that I wanted to see Jain again outside of the boardroom. No, this meeting was necessary.
    The door jingled as Colin and Jain entered Starbucks. They purchased their drinks and scanned the room, skipping right over me. I wasn’t wearing a suit, so I blended in with everyone else. Finally, Jain’s eyes darted in my direction, widening once she recognized me. She nudged Colin, and they made their way over to my table.
    “Nice shirt, Braydon. Purple. I like it.” Colin remarked.
    What the hell? What was he insinuating with the remark about my shirt? I noticed Jain’s hands were clenched as her gaze stayed fixed on the floor. Her lips pinched together, as if she was trying to stop herself from speaking.
    “What?” Colin turned and smiled at me. “Jain and I were talking about the color purple earlier today. Isn’t that right, Jain? It appears you both like the color purple.”
    Jain crossed her arms and cleared her throat. “Colin, we aren’t here to talk about colors.” She turned to me. “I’m sorry, Mr. Decker. Shall we discuss the event?” Her large glasses and bangs covered most of her eyes, but from what I could see, she appeared angry at Colin, shooting him daggers, but he continued to smile, oblivious, or pretending to be unaware of her anger.
    “Please, call me Braydon.”
    “Okay.” At least now she was smiling.
    I felt something, like a twitch around the area of my chest. I rubbed it, hoping to ease my discomfort.
    “Are you feeling okay?” Colin asked. “I just remembered you’re getting over the flu.”
    “The flu?” The same symptoms I experienced at our first meeting were making an unwelcome return. Not again. “Oh, that. No, I’m fine. That was just something I ate.”
    “That’s good. Okay, let’s get started.” Jain took out a pen and pad from her purse, poised and ready to take notes.
    “Okay, the first thing you’ll need to—” I began to speak, but Colin interrupted.
    “Uh, Braydon? I think you’re bleeding.” He motioned toward my ankles.
    Damn. I should’ve worn socks.
    “My dog.” I shrugged then grabbed a few napkins off the table and dabbed off the blood.
    Colin leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, studying me. “Tell me more.”
    “I own a Border Collie. They like to herd.” I air-quoted herd.
    “So let me get this straight. You own a dog that bites you?” For some reason, he didn’t look at me when he asked the question. He looked at Jain instead.
    “Well, he isn’t biting me, per se. It’s more of a nip.” Why were we having this conversation?
    “No, you two don’t have anything in common.” He laughed. Hard. In a matter of moments, he was wiping tears from his eyes. Jain had her eyes closed, shaking her head.
    “Did I miss something here?” My head swung back and forth, studying them for clues.
    “I’m sorry, Mr. Decker…I mean, Braydon. Neither of us has had much sleep, and I think Colin’s feeling the effects. We should probably reschedule. I apologize.”
    Colin, still laughing, picked up his cup and said, “No! Don’t reschedule. I’m fine. I’ll be good.”
    Jain glared at Colin and replied, “If you’re sure.”
    Colin reached into his pocket, pulled out a vibrating phone, read the incoming number and said, “Got to take this. Be right back.” He got up from the table and headed toward the back of the coffee shop.
    “I’m so sorry about Colin. He’s a genius when it comes to research, but sometimes…”
    “Sometimes?” Just as the question left my lips Colin returned.
    “I’m sorry.