Reid pulled Veda from Maeve’s grasp like it was something he did every day, the decibels not even registering to him, then leaned over and kissed Claire.
“I’m surprised you haven’t hit the road already. How long are you here for?” Luke asked, pulling my attention to him.
“I’m, um, not really sure. Just taking some time away for a minute,” I told him.
Scarlett placed a quick kiss to Luke’s cheek, and the three ladies, including Maeve, all sauntered off to the kitchen to join Sheila.
I watched their dynamic play out like an outsider. Everyone moved around like they rehearsed it weekly, a script they were all privy to that I didn’t get.
His brow furrowed in concern. “What about work? You can’t just not show up, Lydia. Do they know you’re still in town?” he asked, ever the practical one.
The room got eerily quiet. My gaze bounced around to seeeveryone looking at me. Embarrassment washed over me like I was a kid again, waiting to get scolded for doing something dumb.
If they only knew.
“Well, seeing as I don’t have a job, it isn’t really a problem,” I snapped at him.
“What? What happened to the art galleries you were working with? How are you surviving? New York City is notoriously expensive, Lyds. How are you going to live?”
His rapid-fire questions burned behind my sternum. I couldn’t tell them what had happened at the gallery opening, the night that cost me my job. Absolutely not. It was bad enough admitting that I was adrift—no money, no plans, no spark.
“Isn’t that the question of the day.” I dropped my head, my shoulders slumped from the heavy weight of pressure weighing me down. “Honestly, I’ve kind of been out of work for a while. Blake’s been helping me with the rent and groceries and stuff, but…” I trailed off.
Luke was a smart guy. He could read a room—read me. “Well, if you don’t have anything to rush back to, maybe stick around here for a while.”
“I don’t have anything here either,” I scoffed, not really answering his unasked question of whether I had anything to rush back to. It wasn’t like I had any roots tying me to Calla Bay, other than the people in this house.
“Ouch. That’s fucking harsh,” Wyatt said with a deep chuckle. “You could always, I don’t know, get to know your nieces.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that,” I said quickly. “It’s just… what I need is money. And work is a lot harder tocome by in town than it is in the city.”
“You can come work for me,” my little brother offered. Reid’s construction company was really taking off after a major renovation project garnered him some attention. “I do a decent job keeping my schedule in order, but I could use someone to help with the financial stuff.”
“Yeah, the paperwork side of owning a business is the worst,” Wyatt agreed. “I’d take that help any day of the week.”
My lip curled up in disgust from the thought of it alone. “Ugh, looking at spreadsheets and receipts all day?” Did these men not know me at all? That sounded like the seventh circle of job hell. “No, thanks.”
“Think on it, Lydi-bug,” my dad piped up from his chair with Jane on his lap. “I’ll always encourage you to chase your dreams, wherever they may lead, but sometimes that dream is just to get a paycheck. No shame in that.”
I gave him a tight-lipped smile and nodded. “I’ll think about it,” I agreed, mainly just to stop this conversation from continuing.
Could I really sell myself out, from New York City art galleries to working as my brothers’ administrative assistants, like that?
Reid sidled up close to me, whispering for just me to hear while the others moved the conversation on to other things.
“Are you okay? If you need a loan to get back on your feet, just let me know. I can help you.”
“I’m fine,” I said. The lie slid off my tongue easily. The last thing I wanted was to take money from my baby brother, who was just starting out in life and newly married.
While Dad played with Jane, now happy—and barefoot—as could be, Luke pulled Reid into a conversation about the construction project he was working on.
My eyes bounced to the kitchen, then back to the room of guys and babies before me. I got up from my seat on the couch and discreetly poked my head into the kitchen.
“Go get her,” Sheila said to Maeve.
She crinkled her nose with worry. “I don’t want to bother her. She’s hanging out with her family, you know.”
“Yeah, but we’re more fun,” Scarlett said.
