“Pretty sure it’s the other way around, buddy.” We both laugh. “Maybe because I can see your face and your expressions? Maybe because I can feel your words instead of just hearing them?”
“If I were there, what would you do?”
“Honestly? I would make you sit on the couch next to me, I would snuggle into your side and listen to your heartbeat.” My words surprise me—because they’re true.
He groans out, “God, that sounds amazing. Especially after the night I’ve had.”
“Wait, you didn’t have a good night?”
“No. I was an asshole to you. I spent the entire night regretting how I actedandwishing I could be there to punch Chris in the face just for being with you.” He lets out a dark laugh. His possessive words cause my core to tighten and my heart to beat so fast it's a surprise it isn’t beating out of my chest.
“Sam,” it comes out too breathy. “I feel like I’m stuck in this impossible situation.”
“Yeah. So, what are we going to do about it?” His defeated tone matches my feelings about the subject.
“You’re older than me. Aren’t you supposed to have all the answers?”
His laugh breaks some of the tension I’m feeling. “I have some solutions, but none that are easy, I’m afraid.”
“Care to share with the class?”
He sighs audibly, “Well, either I have to let you go, and you move on with someone else, which I can’t do, or I move back to Charleston.” He says it in such a matter-of-fact way.
His first option feels like a knife to my gut. If only he knew how much I’ve tried to move on with someone else, only to be pulled back into his orbit, even if we weren’t speaking.
“Is moving back to Charleston an actual option for you?”
I hear the smile in his voice when he responds, “I think so. But it's complicated.”
“It always is,” I say in defeat. The thought gives me hope. If he were in Charleston, things between us would be a lot lesscomplicated.
The next morning, I’m nervous as I walk into Wilde, Oaks, and Harris, PLLC. I’m so anxious that I couldn’t eat breakfast.
I love Dad, and Steve Wilde and Dan are great. It’s just that I never thought I’d be here. I never thought I’d wake up one morning to find myself working for Dad at his firm. I’ve always hated the whole nepotism thing. But here I am.
I know I deserve to be here in the way I deserved to be at my last firm. I’m a hard worker, and I’ve always put in the time and work to get to where I am.
As I step off the elevator and look at the glass doors leading to my new place of employment, I cringe inwardly as I stare at “Wilde, Oaks, and Harris, PLLC” splashed across the glass doors in black, bold lettering. I suppress a groan and try to muster a genuine smile.
My biggest concern this morning is navigating the people who worked with and loved Ethan. He was so charismatic and got along with everyone he met. He was respectful of everyone and stood up for people when others wouldn’t.
Even though I don’t want to admit it, I’m worried my new colleagues are going to get to know me and be disappointed that I’m not more like he was.
I’m just a poor man’s Ethan.
I’m not outgoing like he was, I would rather sit at home reading a book than go out any day. I just want to go in, do my job, and then go home. I know things are going to have to be different here.Ethan was a spitting image of our dad, down to their extroverted personalities.
I take a deep breath, pull open the doors, and walk through.
A woman, who must be in her early 20s, immediately greets me. She has short blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She smiles at me and stands from her chair behind the large mahogany reception desk.
“You must be Kat! Or do you prefer to go by Katherine? You look just like your dad and Ethan.” She gets a horrified look on her face as my brother’s name leaves her lips. “I’m so sorry.” She looks down and starts fiddling with her fingers. “I’m so sorry about your brother.”
Trying to lessen the guilt pouring off her, I make sure to use a calm and friendly voice. “Thanks, and please call me Kat. What’s your name?
She looks back up at me and smiles. “Kat. My name is Clarisse. Welcome to your first day. I’ll show you to your office so you can get settled in. Each Monday morning, the firm gathers in one of the conference rooms. I’ll point it out on our way to your office, and we have a meeting to review any significant cases for the week. That’s at 9:00 a.m. After that, I’ll give you a full tour of the office.”
I’ve never actually been to this building before, so I don’t know what to expect.
