Without realizing what I was doing, I walked over to the credenza and reached out to pick up the photo, but stopped short of touching it. “How . . . how did you get this?”

“You left it behind the last time you left.” There was a constricted pause, and then he said, “Considering what you said to me the last time we were standing this close, I figured you wouldn’t care if I took it.”

A knot of emotion formed in my throat and I had to look away from the photo. He’d been in my old bedroom? Obviously. I had no idea why he had that photo here, but I couldn’t focus on it. My gaze focused on a large flat-screen TV hanging on the wall opposite the desk. Why in the world did he need a TV in his office?

Wait.

A more important observation kicked in, and my head flew back toward the credenza. There wasn’t a single picture of his fiancée or them together. I glanced at his desk. Nothing there.

Interesting.

Wait again.

Not interesting. Not at all. Not even remotely.

I cleared my throat as I walked back to the chair and sat down. “When . . . when did you start here?”

“Three weeks ago.” Instead of walking behind his desk, he leaned against the front of it, lazily crossing one ankle over the other as his hands clasped the edge of the desk. “But all of this isn’t officially mine until Andre leaves at the end of the week.”

My jaw was probably on the floor. “And when were you hired to become the GM?”

He eyed me curiously. “About a year ago, when Andre first announced his plans to return home.”

I would’ve fallen out of my seat if I weren’t sitting down. “And no one thought to tell me this?”

Brock inclined his head to the side. “Well, before you took the position, why would anyone tell you? Now, let me finish.” He held up his hand when I opened my mouth. “You and I might not have spoken in years, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been around. You know that. So you know I’ve been aware that up until Andrew convinced you to take this job, you’ve completely distanced yourself from the Academy.”

Okay. He had a point there. “But he could’ve mentioned the fact that you were the new GM for months now. Or you could’ve said something Friday night.”

“I could’ve.” Brock gave me that grin, the one that used to make me blush and act like a fool. My eyes narrowed now. That grin increased. “Actually, I asked Andrew not to tell you.”

That was an unexpected answer. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I knew you’d never agree to coming on board if you knew,” he answered with some hesitation.