Sergio nudges her with his shoulder. “You thought he’d be the one to do it, didn’t you?”
“Well, yeah.” She shrugs. “I’m surprised he made it this long.”
“Over the last few days, that’s become obvious to me as well.” He angles himself in the chairlift to face her like he’s about to spill the best tea. “But here’s the thing. I needed to do it. I needed to fire him. I may not have originally liked the idea, but it’s what’s best. He’s always going to be my brother, and I will always support him and love the ever-living shit out of him. This way, we can both go our own ways with our heads held high and no hard feelings.”
“Okay …” Rose says slowly. Her face is pinched like she’s trying to decipher his angle. “I’m still missing your point here.”
“My point is that I’ve basically been controlling my brother in an effort to keep him from leaving me for the last couple of years. But I can’t control him any more than he can control me, and lord knows we’vebothtried and have ended up resenting each other.”
“Again, still not sure what this has to do with me.”
“I’m getting there, I promise,” he assures her, then looks forward, checking to see that they are about halfway up the mountain. He turns back to face her and continues, “So, here’s the thing. Same as how Adrien and Holden are my brothers, you are my sister.”
“Well, I don’t work for you. Thank God. I don’t know how Adrien did it. So you can’t fire me.”
“Not my intention, but thank you for the reminder. And I have nothing to fire you for. Except … maybe I do.”
She looks at him with her eyebrow raised to new incredulous heights. “What on earth for?”
“As my constant critic.”
“No offense, Sergio, but you need a constant critic.”
“Maybe the Sergio of before did. But I don’t think I do anymore.”
She lets out a mocking, bitter laugh. “You officially consider yourself to be infallible?”
“Oh, god.” Sergio waves her off and laughs casually, a stark contrast to her far less jovial one. “Far from it. If anything, these last ten months or so have taught meexactlyhow fallible I am.”
She lowers her raised eyebrow. “I will admit, you have seemed somewhat self-aware today. Better than last night, that’s for sure.”
“Fully agree,” he says with all seriousness. “And I do apologize for kicking this week off so poorly. Especially since I know you wanted to cancel it.”
She freezes up, and her skin pales.
“Don’t worry,” he assures her. “I get it. You have a lot going on right now. And I need you to know I’m rooting for you. And Allison.AndJeremy. I’d never do anything to derail all that you’ve built and worked for.”
“I know you wouldn’t … at least not intentionally.”
“Not even accidentally. I know I’ve come across as a bit of a selfish prick all these years, but I promise you that’s not the case.”
“Well, you do have to admit, Sergio, you don’t have the best track record.”
“Maybe at face value, no. But come on. Do you think your husband would have kept me in his life all these years if I were a total lost cause?”
Rose’s eyebrow raises again. “I love my husband, but we all know he’s a bit of a himbo.”
Sergio tilts his head and points his chin towards her. “The most lovable himbo I know. But the truth is, and you and I both know this, that he’s not an idiot. And he has the biggest heart out of all of us.”
A smile creeps across Rose’s face. “He truly does. Though Henry is giving him a run for his money.”
“Yeah, he is, isn’t he?” He lightly taps her side with his elbow. “He’s a good kid you guys got there.”
“Thanks,” she says, and braces for the end of the chairlift coming soon. “And you know, you’re not so bad yourself. I don’t always have to give you such a hard time.”
“It’s not like I don’t deserve it. But I’m turning over a new leaf,” he says and dismounts following Rose. “And part of that new leaf involves Jeremy. I want to pick back up where I started with him. Letting him go four years ago is probably my biggest regret.”
She pauses her skiing at the top of the mountain, a little out of the way of the next pair coming off the lift and turns to look at Sergio again. “He is incredible, you know? The best of them all.”
