TWENTY-NINE
“How long have you been sleeping with my brother?”
My eyes widened as I met Mari’s grin across the table.So much for playing it cool.I’d met up with Damien and Mari in the lobby after I’d changed, and as soon as I saw them, the urge to run overwhelmed me. All my earlier bravado with Damien washed away, and instead, fear gripped me like a vice. It took way too many calming breaths to force my feet to move forward instead of darting back into the elevator.
But as soon as Damien found me across the room, he offered me a slight smile, his eyes warm and understanding, as if he knew how desperately I wanted to bolt. I needed to do this. For him. He’d stuck by me through my fears, and I refused to let them win again. After all, it was just a dinner with his sister. How bad could it be?
When she followed her brother’s gaze and spotted me on the other side of the room, she rushed forward and swept me into her arms. Despite her short frame, she held me tight, her arms wrapped around my stomach. Anxietyreceded from my bones, and I let her hold me, needing it more than I realized, even if she was practically a stranger.
The first time I met Mari, it had been under very different circumstances. We’d been passing acquaintances, sitting by each other in the friends and family section at the all-star game. Little did I know, only hours later, her brother would be crashing into my bed.
Damien’s groan broke me out of my memories, bringing me back into the present moment. Mari stared at me, waiting.Oh right. She wanted to know how long I’d been sleeping with her brother.
The entire restaurant seemed to go quiet as Mari waited for my answer. Suddenly, the bustling noise of the modernly designed room died out, and all I could hear was my heart beating heavily in my chest. God, did they suddenly spike the heat? Because my palms were not this sweaty seconds earlier.
Before I could splutter out an incoherent answer, a large hand moved over mine, tangling our fingers together. When I looked over at Damien, he kept his eyes on his sister but squeezed my hand once.I got this.
“Mari, boundaries.”
She rolled her eyes with an amused smirk, not even a little upset about being called out. “Sorry, Damien. This is the first time you’ve willingly brought someone to meet me in years. Can’t blame me for being a little curious.”
“Curiosity is fine,” he said. “Making Bri uncomfortable is not.”
Mari’s eyes softened and then turned toward me. “Sorry, Bri. That wasn’t my intention. I’ve just never gotten to play the protective sister card, and maybe I overdid it.” She twisted to glare at Damien. “Andthis one interrogated my wife forhoursbefore he gave his blessing, so he deserves a bit of questioning.”
My eyes widened at Damien. “You didn’t.”
His mouth fell open. “She came home with my baby sister. Of course I needed to make sure she was a good person—that she was worthy of her. Don’t let the happy family routine fool you, this one had theworsttaste in women before Angie came along.”
“Pot, kettle, brother,” Mari mumbled, hiding her words behind her wine glass.
Damien just rolled his eyes then dragged my hand over into his lap. With his thumb brushing over my knuckles and the easy rapport between the siblings, my guard lowered all on its own. Their relationship was so different from the one I had with Jason. Even though Damien and Mari had more years separating them, they were incredibly close. While my brother would drop everything if I needed him, we weren’t friends. We never sat around and chatted about our lives, instead focusing on our mother and her demands.
Mari shoved her long dark hair over her shoulder then offered me a genuine smile. Despite her brash demeanor, I liked her. She didn’t mince words but with the most caring intentions. Her fierce protectiveness of Damien only made me like her more, happy he had her by his side. “So, Bri. Damien tells me you’re a Special Education teacher. How do you like it?”
I snuck a peek at the man at my side, arching my eyebrow as if to ask,you’ve been talking about me?
He just smirked in response.Can’t help it.
I cleared my throat and faced Mari. “I love it. Seeing the kids' confidence grow, watching them master their goals, it’s everything to me.” My smile faltered, my conversation with my principalflashing in my mind.
“But?” Mari asked, not missing a beat. The woman had missed her calling as a therapist. Then again, working as a vet, especially at an emergency care center, required a high level of empathy.
“It’s my co-teacher this year.” I sighed. “He’s a bit…difficult. My principal wants to challenge me to work with different personalities, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea.” I shook my hands in front of my face. “It’s fine. I’ll make it work.”
Mari’s eyes narrowed at me. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Swallow down your annoyance to make others feel comfortable. If this teacher isn’t pulling their weight, it’s on them, not you. You shouldn’t have to make things work.” She shook her head. “And honestly, shame on your principal for putting you in this position. Has he done anything to fix the problem?”
“Well, I don’t know?—”
“That’s enough of an answer,” Mari said. My throat constricted, hating how true her words struck. It gave voice to all my feelings since my conversation with Ethan. He’d worked with Brad for years and hadn’t done anything to correct his poor behavior. Yet he expected me to swoop in and magically fix it all in one year? Even if this was a sort of test to see if I could be a worthy administrator, it wasn’t one I was prepared to pass.
My job was hard enough most days; adding my co-worker’s failings seemed like a cruel ask.
I took a breath, not wanting to sully this evening with rage over my job. The impulse to back down was deep in my bones, and it took everything I could to hold on to those frustrations for another day, to not pass it off with a dismissive comment. “Thank you, Mari. I neededto hear that.”
