“We were wrong,” she said. “And we all said so.”
That was news to him. “You did? When?”
“Not to your face, obviously.” She waved a dismissive hand, then looped her earrings back into her ears. “But all of us hear things. Mom and Dad. The aunties. People tell them when they see you out volunteering, or when you talk at their kids’ school. Titi Marie loves that yarn you helped make.”
“Cece,” he began, but his throat closed up, the words dying on his lips. Her expression told him that she understood enough.
“What you’re doing is important.” She reached out and squeezed his hand. “But you’re important too, with or without that job.”
They exchanged smiles, and no matter what happened, he’d made the right decision in moving back home. He’d missed his family.
“So you don’t want to quit.” William had no problem interrupting their sibling moment. “But I’d like to keep my job too.”
Right. The issue at hand. “Now you see my problem.” Leo threw himself back against his chair.
“Lawyer?” William asked.
“Maybe. I mean, she and I weren’t involved when I recommended her for the grant, and I haven’t done any program review activities since we started, you know…”
“Fucking?” Cece suggested.
He sucked in a deep breath. Exhaled. Spoke.
“I love her.”
There. It was out, and now everyone was looking at him with pity. Yes, the sex was great. But it was also love, or at least it was for him. Faith, though… she’d walked away from him today. It was their graduation-day breakup all over again. Him standing still while she stormed out of his life.
“Oh.” He snapped his fingers as one of the pieces from that afternoon fell into place. “That radio station asshole. That’s who she left with.” He knew he’d seen that weaselly face somewhere before.
“Maybe she was looking for new funding?” Cece suggested, and he was grateful that she was trying to put a positive spin on things for his sake.
“Yeah. Maybe.” He sighed. “Anybody got any rich friends who want to fund an educational nonprofit with a strong emphasis on environmental issues?”
His sister laughed, but William tapped a finger to his lips in thought. “We did work with a lot of wealthy volunteers over the years, and POR has a few guardian angel donors. Maybe one of them wants to help with a domestic program. I could make some calls.”
It was something. If they could replace the Foundation money with some other source, then Faith could keep her doors open, and he and William could both keep their jobs.
“But do you want to work at Digham if it means dealing with that asshole for the rest of your life?” Cece curled her lip.
“Oh, I refuse to give him the satisfaction of quitting,” he said immediately. That’s the one thing he knew to be true from the bottom of his heart. He’d never give Carlislethat. “Besides, the work I’m doing is important. I’d report to Satan himself if it meant I could make sure local programs get funding.”
“Okay,” Cece said. “So Billy shakes down some rich donors, and I prepare to kick Fea’s ass at a moment’s notice.”
“Fe.” His lips twitched. “She’s onto you now.”
Cece stuck out her chin. “I’ll call her what I call her, and she’ll take it.”
William tipped his head to study her, expression thoughtful. “I genuinely don’t know which of you would win in a fight.”
“Me,” she preened. “I fight dirty.”
Leo knew better than to count Faith out, but encouraging more speculation about the topic seemed unwise. Plus he didn’t like the way William was eyeing his sister. Also, had Cece called himBilly?
God, now wasn’t the time to worry about that. “Okay, let’s focus. None of that can happen by tomorrow morning, so what can we do now?”
“I should probably feed the boys,” Cece said.
William held up his phone. “I can order pizza.”
