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

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