Based: A Stepbrother Romance (Extreme Sports Alphas) by B. B. Hamel Page A

preoccupied. My conversation with Lincoln kept playing over and over in my head, and although it felt like he had been avoiding me in the days leading up to the event, he had promised he would show. He was already a half hour late, but I didn’t exactly expect him to be prompt. Still, a phone call or even a text would have been great.
    “Everything going okay, Brie?” Jules’s voice chirped in through the earpiece.
    I cringed. “Yep. We’re all good up front. Need me to do anything?”
    “No, dear, not at all. This is going fantastic. Thank you so much.”
    Her walkie clicked out and I smiled to myself. I had to admit, for a last minute rush job, I had managed to find a pretty decent place. It was an old firehouse that had been bought and converted into event space a year or two earlier, and they luckily had a cancelation last minute. Some wedding that was called off or something.
    Oh well. That couple’s tragedy worked out pretty well in my favor. It was probably for the best that they didn’t get married. Better they figured it out before the wedding than after it.
    I spaced out for a few minutes as the sea of guests began to increase. Not too much longer until show time, I realized. As I was about to turn away and check on Jules, a familiar voice cut through the din of the other chatting guests.
    “Hey, sweetheart.”
    I turned and looked. “Hey, Dad. Broke out the tux, I see.”
    He grinned. I had to admit, my dad was in good shape for a guy his age, and he looked pretty dapper in his fancy clothes. Not that he dressed up very often. Actually, I had no clue how often he dressed up. I was beginning to realize that I didn’t know much about my dad, despite having been raised by the man. But things weren’t exactly weird between us, regardless of what Lincoln had told me about him. I was having trouble seeing him as anyone other than the man who was there for me when mom died, all those years ago. Even if he was distant, I knew that he loved me.
    He walked up and gave me a quick peck on the cheek.
    “How’s Jules holding up?” he asked.
    I shrugged. “She seems fine,” I said, pointing at the earpiece.
    He laughed. “Seriously? You’re like the Secret Service.”
    I grinned. “Way more intense than that. Jules is treating this like it’s actually going to save the world.”
    “Who knows with her. It really might.”
    “She can be surprising sometimes.”
    “She sure can. Any clue where she’s off to?”
    “Nope, none. Last I saw, she was hounding the drink staff.”
    “Okay, kiddo. I’ll let you get back to work.”
    I laughed. “I’m mostly just standing here looking important.”
    “That’s the hardest work of all. See you later.”
    He gave me a grin and walked off. I watched him disappear into the crowd, smiling softly to myself, as more and more people filtered into the space, filling up the seats.
    Ten minutes dragged by with only a few questions from lost-looking elderly women. Twenty minutes and the flow of people had slowed down to a trickle. The room was mostly full with rich people in their finery sitting at banquet tables and drinking too much from the open bar.
    I could have used a drink myself. But unfortunately I was on duty.
    No Lincoln. I checked my phone again and typed him a message. Where are you? This thing is starting. I hit send and sighed to myself as Jules chirped into my ear.
    “How is it up there?”
    “Mostly clear. Are we starting soon?”
    “We sure are. Wait another few minutes. Then head on over to your seat.”
    “Okay, thanks.”
    She clicked off and I sighed. Unless Lincoln was about to stroll in through that door, he was officially a no-show. I don’t know why I expected any different, but for some reason, since it was a special favor, I figured he’d come on time. Instead, I was going to go sit at my banquet table next to an empty chair and feel like a loser.
    The lights in the main room dimmed, and the front lobby cleared out except for the staff. I