“You heading out?” He looked up, surprised. “Oh yeah, it is after five thirty, huh?”
“It is. I hope you aren’t leaving my sister-in-law to do all the parenting while you slave away at your desk for twelve hours.”
“Nah, I’m just putting in a couple of extra hours in this week because I’m taking some time off the next few weeks.”
“Oh, that’s right. Vegas and then Greece. Tori has been talking about it for weeks.”
“Yeah, we’re bringing Tori’s mom to help with the kids, so she and I can get some alone time.”
I smiled at the excited look on my brother’s face. “Good. I’m headed to meet Xavier and Gabby for dinner.”
“That’s what’s up. Tell X I’ll give him a call later on tonight.”
“Not too late,” I replied.
“Why, y’all got…? You know what, don’t even bother answering that. I don’t need to know what y’all got going on over there.”
I laughed. “Whatever, Jay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Hey, Chanel?”
“Yeah,” I responded, turning back towards his desk.
Jason stood and walked around his desk to stand in front of me. “I’m really glad you’re working here.”
I crinkled my brows. “Thanks, Jay.”
“Don’t thank me. I know we weren’t all that close growing up, and I really dropped the ball when it came to that shit with Ethan,” he frowned. “I wish I’d been there for you like an older brother should’ve been. I get why you didn’t feel you could open up to dad about what was happening, but it hurt like hell learning I was in the same category as him.”
I could see the hurt written all over my brother’s face. “Jason, I don’t know what to say. I’m sor—“
“Please don’t apologize. It was my fault. I treated you like a pesky kid sister and I was too busy soaking up all of dad’s attention to bother to stop and ask how you were doing. I did try to look out for you though.”
I frowned in confusion at his statement.
“When X would go to D.C. for business, I’d ask him to check in on you from time to time. I also had a few contacts in L.A. let me know how you were doing in between calls and visits.”
“You were the reason Xavier visited me in D.C.?”
“Yeah, sort of,” he shrugged. “I suspected he had a thing for you and hell, we all knew as teenagers you had a crush on him.”
I snickered at my own self. “I had the biggest crush on him as a kid. You thought he had a thing for me too?” I asked intrigued.
“Well, not until you were older, but I could see there was something between you two. Anyway, this conversation has gotten off track. I just wanted to let you know I love you, and I’m grateful to get the opportunity to have you back here. Not just as a partner at the firm, but as a sister.”
I paused, swallowing the lump that’d formed in my throat. Jason was right, we never were really close as kids. Our age difference and the fact that my father had clearly favored him over me, had drove a wedge between us. Still, I was happy to learn that Jay had tried to check in on me. I wondered how differently things would’ve been if we’d been closer. If I had felt close enough to confide in him about my relationship with Ethan. But then I quickly changed my mind.
“I appreciate that, Jason. I too, wish we could’ve been closer but what’s in the past is in the past. The good news is that we can start here, now.”
“I’d like that. A lot.”
I blinked a few times, rubbing my eyes. “I’m so sentimental these days,” I laughed. “Between dad, you, and Xavier, I’m a little overwhelmed with male emotion.” We both laughed this time.
“I’m going to head out, but maybe when you and Tori get back we can do dinner or lunch together? Just you and me?”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
“Good.”
