Alex didn’t miss a beat. “I didn’t have to convince her. Have you ever known her to say yes to anything she didn’t want to do?”
Holden laughed. “Yeah, that’s fair.”
Ryan raised his glass. “To Jane. For escaping.”
I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t escape.”
“Yeah, it wasn’t quite as dramatic as escaping.” Alex’s knee pressed lightly against mine under the table. “She chose.”
The quiet certainty in his voice made something twist warmly in my chest, and I caught myself wondering if maybe Alex’s family had a point. If arranged marriages, unorthodox as hell and wildly impractical on paper, worked because they cut through the noise.
This way, there were no endless what-ifs or years of circling the same fears. You chose, then you showed up and did it. It sure seemed to be working well for us.
By the time I’d finished my first glass of wine, the edges of my earlier nerves had worn smooth. Alex seemed to have that effect on rooms. He didn’t dominate the conversation, didn’t posture or flex the kind of power people expected from his last name.
He listened, asked questions, and remembered answers. Somehow, without trying, he made everyone feel seen, and my brothers, who were allergic to bullshit, responded to that immediately.
“So you’re finishing up at Columbia this spring?” Alex asked, leaning back in his chair like he’d been coming here every Saturday night for years.
Ryan nodded, trying and failing not to sound proud. “Undergrad in business management. I’ve been debating a master’s, but I’m not in a rush to chain myself to more tuition just yet.”
Alex’s eyes lit with genuine interest. “Have you ever thought about coming home to Chicago once you’re done?”
Ryan cocked his head. “I mean, sure? In theory, but it all depends on where I get the best offer.”
Alex smiled slightly and my heart skipped because I knew that smile by now. It was the one that meant he was already five steps ahead. “I’m not sure if you know about this, but Westwood and Sons runs a summer internship program. It pays well and it’s real work, not just coffee runs and making photocopies. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to set you up with a spot. There’sno pressure, but it could give you a clearer sense of whether a master’s is worth it.”
The table went quiet and Ryan stared at him like he’d just offered him a winning lottery ticket. “You’re serious?”
“Completely. Only if you’re interested, though. No pressure.”
“Yes,” Ryan said immediately, then laughed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Yes, I’m interested. This is awesome, man. Half the people I’ll be graduating with have been killing themselves trying to get into that program and the other half just aren’t trying because they know they’ll never get it. Of course, I know about it.”
I felt warmth bleeding through me again, pride, relief, and gratitude all tangled together. Alex caught my eye and lifted an eyebrow at me like he was asking permission after the fact. I gave him a small nod in response.
Thank you.Right now, I didn’t even mind the touch of spontaneous nepotism.
After what my father had done, the Thayer name was the equivalent of a giant black mark on our records. I’d been worried for years about whether anyone would hire him if he didn’t choose to come and work for us, and just like that, Alex was giving him the opportunity to prove himself for who he was, not just as a Thayer.
Holden leaned forward next, curiosity clearly getting the better of him. “What about engineers? Any internships for those? Even if it’s coffee runs and photocopying.”
Alex turned to him with an easy smile on his face. “Well, we don’t really employ those, but what kind? Maybe I know someone.”
“Structural. I’m halfway through my freshman year.”
Alex hummed, thoughtful for a beat before he refocused. “Do you know the Shepard family?”
Holden’s eyes widened. “As in Trent Shepard? Yeah, I mean, I’ve heard of him. I don’t know him, though.”
“His father’s firm is always looking for engineers. If you want, I can make an introduction. A good reference goes a long way and Troy knows me well. He knows I wouldn’t give someone a reference if I didn’t believe in them.”
Holden actually slammed back in his chair, completely shocked. “That would be insane, man. In a good way, obviously.”
“I’m happy to help,” Alex said simply.
Across the table, Colin watched the exchange with a quiet, assessing look. Nora looked relieved. Maybe even hopeful. Alex was making a stellar impression on everyone. He wasn’t just offering career opportunities. He was offering hope, which was something our family had desperately needed for a while.
Everyone was smiling except Wyatt. He still hadn’t said much since dinner had started, but now his irritation was no longer subtle. He stabbed at the last few bites of his food, his chair angled slightly away from the table, his gaze flicking between Alex and me with something ugly and closed-off in his expression.
