“That bad, huh?” But Adrian wasn’t joking around this time. He seemed sincere.
And that was how, in a room of virtual strangers, I felt safe enough to tell the story of my world falling apart. Something I hadn’t even told my parents yet. They listened without interruption. No stupid jokes or random topic-changes. They just let me pour my heart out, while Miles kept pouring the wine.
“If it weren’t our busiest season,” Ethan said when I’d exhausted my voice, “I’d have gone to Bora Bora to kick his ass myself.”
“I would’ve held him down for you,” Adrian added.
I waited for Miles to give his two cents, but he just shrugged and said, “I’m a lover, not a fighter.”
And it got me laughing again.
A couple of days ago, I didn’t think that was possible. Not with how things looked for me.
“So this is your nightly ritual?” I was already looking forward to it. The perfect debrief after a busy day with the kids.
“Pretty much,” Ethan said, and got comfortable on the couch again. “Except I kick them out eventually, or they end up overstaying their welcome.”
Which reminded me of how late it was. I finished my drink and slowly pushed up from the couch, stretching the creeping tiredness from my bones. “Honestly, with the way things are going, you should just join the two houses and get it over with.”
“Hey, don’t go giving them any ideas,” Ethan called after me as I made my way to the staircase.
I waved at them over my shoulder. “Goodnight, gentlemen. I gotta replenish my stores for tomorrow’s chaos.”
Their muted conversation followed me all the way upstairs, until I closed the door to my bedroom and was enveloped by the peaceful hush that came with a good end to a good day. I kicked off my shoes and sank into my bed, letting the weight of the day press against my shoulders. My phone buzzed almost immediately.
“Hello, Miss ‘I’m Totally Fine,’” Liv said, voice sharp with amusement. “How’s the new job?”
Hearing her voice tugged at my heart in a way I wasn’t ready for. “I’m exhausted, but it’s good. I think.”
“You think?”
“I mean, the kids are adorable.” I hesitated a beat. It had only been a day and I was bursting with everything I had to say about the men. Something made me hold back, though.
“Three of ‘em, right? I hope you negotiated a higher rate,” she said. “They didn’t disclose that in the ad.”
The current rate already put me in a tax bracket I would never have reached on my own. I would’ve been fine if Ethan added a hundred more kids to my day.
I didn’t tell her that either. In fact, the more Liv probed with questions, the more I found myself clamming up. It was all too new, I told myself. I was still figuring things out, was the excuse that followed.
“If you’ve fallen asleep on me…”
I snapped back to the moment. “I’m here. Just tired, that’s all.”
“You know, since you’ve been so cagey about your new job, I went ahead and Googled your boss.”
This landed, and I sat bolt upright on my bed. “What? Why?”
“Because you either ignore my texts or change the subject when it comes up,” she said. “Did he tell you to do that? Blink once if you’re being held captive by a gorgeous business owner who once made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.”
I chuckled softly. “What’s the point of blinking if you can’t see me?”
“More importantly, how dare you not tell me he’s so goddamn good-looking?”
I groaned under my breath, that close brush with Ethan in the linen closet sneaking up on me again. Getting me all hot without warning. “You’re ridiculous. I don’t care what my boss looks like. That’s not why I’m here.”
“Uh-huh. Famous last words.”
“Look,” I said, flopping back onto my pillows. “Everyone here has been nothing but professional, including me.”
