Beautifully Shattered (The Beautifully Series Book 1) by Courtney Kristel

won’t feel the same, everything will be
different, and I will lose what my dad gave me that day. I don’t
want to taint that memory with my demons.
    Another fifteen minutes
pass before I’m finally able to talk myself into capturing one
simple picture. I can take one picture without ruining everything. I
stand up and examine the area. I spot a butterfly landing on a flower
a few yards away. Bringing the camera up to my face I focus on the
scene before me. With a shaky breath, I press the button to forever
imprison the image before me. As I view the digital photo, I feel a
weight has lifted off my shoulders. I feel like I’ve just found a
piece to my soul again.
    Without realizing it, I
start snapping away. I capture the scenery, a couple holding hands,
and an older woman reading a book underneath a tree. I click until
the memory card is full. As I put away the camera, my phone rings.
Startled, I notice that two hours have flown by and I have several
missed calls from Logan and Connor.
    Crap,
I’m so late. I jog towards the exit to catch a cab.
    After sitting in
traffic, I’m at the boys’ office in Manhattan with our burgers. I
promise the security guards that I’ll bring them cupcakes from the
bakery tomorrow before I swipe my ID to access the elevators.
    Gloria, Connor’s
assistant, stops me from entering my brother’s office. “Hi Addie,
Mr. Evans informed me that you will be having lunch in his office
today. Your brother will join you two shortly.”
    “Thanks Gloria. Have
a great day!” I say before opening Connor’s door.
    Ignoring the fact that
Connor is on the phone, I whisper, “Mr. Evans, your lunch has
arrived.”
    Connor holds up his
index finger, the universal sign for one minute. “Are you the boss
or am I?”
    I cringe, I know that
tone. I feel bad for whoever is on the other line. Giving him a
knowing look, I steal two waters for Connor and I, and a Gatorade for
Logan from his fridge. Setting them down on his glass coffee table, I
open up the bags. I place Connors burger and fries in front of him
before drawing mine out of the bag.
    “Exactly. So either
do what I pay you for or I will find someone else to do your job.”
He eats a fry. “Last time I checked, it’s not my problem. It’s
yours.”
    I shake my head and
mouth “be nice” to him which he ignores.
    “I expect a copy on
my desk by the time I walk in tomorrow morning.” He hangs up
without waiting for a response.
    “I’m so glad that
you’re basically my brother,” I state as he joins me on the
couch.
    “Me too, if I wasn’t,
you wouldn’t have a cool brother,” Connor says with a mouth full
of fries. “You know you would love to work for me.”
    I ignore his last
comment. This isn’t the first time he’s suggested it.
    “If you have to say
you’re ‘cool,’ you really aren’t.” Connor waves me off and
digs into his burger. By dig in, I mean devour. He’s done with his
burger before I’m able to take more than three bites.
    “Someone was hungry.”
    “I may have worked
through breakfast,” Connor says with a shrug.
    I don’t say anything
back. There’s no point reminding him that he has an assistant that
can order him breakfast. We’ve had that talk so many times I’m
tempted to record myself reminding him how important it is too eat
just so I don’t have to repeat the speech. Connor takes being a
workaholic to a whole new level. He practically lives out of his
office. He has a suite discreetly tucked away to the right of his
desk that he uses regularly.
    For some reason I think
about the note from Kohen that is burning a hole through my purse. I
want to get Connor’s opinion on the Kohen thing before Logan comes
in because I know my brother will make a big deal out of nothing. I
open my mouth to bring it up, but quickly close it. I don’t even
know where to start, until now, I haven’t been interested in anyone
but Jax.
    I thought I didn’t
want to see where things could go with Kohen, hence me