The Pint-Sized Secret by Sherryl Woods

would go no further than the three of them. His father would never learn from them that he was still asking questions.
    “Do you think there’s any connection between Brianna and the deals that went bad?”
    “Are you crazy?” Tyler blurted. “If there were, Dad would have fired her.”
    “You’re the one who said it earlier,” Jeb reminded him. “Dad is very protective of her.”
    “You’re not just engaging in idle speculation, are you?” Michael asked, his expression thoughtful. “Is there anything, anything at all, to back up your suspicions?”
    “Not much,” Jeb admitted. “Certainly not much concrete. Just timing and coincidence.”
    “Then forget it. If Dad’s not worried, there’s no reason for you to be,” Michael reassured him. “Dad can be blind to a good many things, but not when it comes to business. He would have been all over this like white on rice if there were anything remotely suspicious going on.”
    “And you don’t think those deals that fell through were anything more than coincidence?” Jeb asked, trusting Michael’s instincts as much as his father’s.
    “Absolutely not,” Michael insisted. “You’ve been spending too much time with Dylan. He’s made you suspicious of everything. I was involved in those negotiations myself. It made me mad as hell to lose out at the last minute, but it happens. There’s no point in crying over it. Competition these days is tough. There’s certainly no point in trying to lay the blame on an insider.”
    “You’re absolutely certain?” Jeb asked.
    “As certain as I can be.”
    Jeb sighed. “You have no idea how badly I was hoping you’d say that.”
    His brother had just cleared the way for him to date Brianna O’Ryan with a clear conscience.

    Friday morning when Jeb walked into Brianna’s office with coffee and yet another chocolate croissant, she greeted him with a groan.
    “Not another one,” she pleaded, staring at the bag in his hand.
    His smile faltered. “I thought you loved these.”
    “I do, but I’m going to be as big as a house if you keep feeding them to me. And Carly has flatly refused to eat them when I’ve tried to foist them off on her.”
    He pointedly surveyed as much of her as was visible. “Maybe a small toolshed,” he countered with a grin. “Never a house. As I recall, Carly doesn’t have anything to worry about either. She could probably work off the calories just running that smart mouth of hers.”
    “Don’t knock my assistant. She may be chatty, but she’s pure gold when it comes to details. In fact, she’s the one who recited the precise number of calories in one of those things. I think my arteries clogged just hearing her.”
    “Which is why you need to start running with me,” he said. “Then you could eat all you want and not worry about it.”
    She shook her head at his logic. “We’ve been over this. I couldn’t run far enough or fast enough to work these off.”
    “Every run starts with just one step. I’ll come over at nine tomorrow instead of ten and show you.”
    “Sorry. No can do. I have an early meeting.”
    He perched on the corner of her desk, which put him way too close. Then he leaned down and whispered conspiratorially, “Tell the truth, Brianna. Are you sure you’re not just making excuses to get out of starting a new fitness regimen?”
    “Of course not,” she insisted, crossing her heart with an exaggerated gesture. Impulsively she touched his cheek. “Thanks for tempting me, anyway.”
    “We’re not talking about the invitation to exercise, are we?”
    “No way. This is all about the chocolate croissants. You can pass this one along to Mrs. Hanover when you leave. You will make her a very happy woman. Carly hasn’t given her the calorie lecture yet.”
    “And if your secretary is happy, I will never have a problem getting a call put through, will I?” he mused. “I can see the benefit in that.”
    “As if anyone in this company would refuse to