He nodded, taking another step back as if he needed the distance. “Okay. I…” He frowned. “Did you at least hit the asshole properly?”
The corners of her mouth twitched. “Broke his nose.”
“Good,” he said earnestly. “Then…apology accepted. And…yes.” He turned and left. Without another word, he walked the few steps to the restrooms where Jean, the one he’d tried to sell to her as his date, was waiting.
“You seemed busy, so I didn’t want to interrupt,” Rachel heard her say. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, sorry about this…extremely unprofessional interview.”
Jean merely smiled. “No problem. I’m tired of big law firms. I’ve seen you and O’Leary in court before, and it was magical. I have no problem working for a brilliant idiot.”
Rachel saw Connor smile wearily. His smile tugged at her heartstrings as if there was a hook attached to his mouth. “You have the job. Can you start Monday?”
Jean’s eyes lit up as they walked away from Rachel, leaving her standing there.
She had apologized. He had forgiven her. They’d negotiated a truce. They’d agreed they were creating too much chaos.
That was good. It meant she finally had more time to focus on her sisters, to conquer her fears, to practice honesty.
But while she was at it, if she were being honest…seeing Connor leave had never once felt right.
Chapter Fifteen
Family is like sunshine. You’re happy it’s around, but it can also be incredibly exhausting.
Tips and tricks for every situation from divorce lawyer Connor Stone
If being a lawyer doesn’t work out, take your chances as a poet! - Rachel
You really didn’t need to bring cupcakes.”
“Don’t listen to Connor, Alec!” Cian said with his mouth full. “Bring as many cupcakes as you want, whenever. Ideally, anytime, anywhere.”
Alec grinned. “I understand you want to watch your figure, Connor. All that sitting isn’t good for you.” He patted Connor’s flat stomach meaningfully. “But there’s mostly love and respect baked into those cupcakes and they have no calories.”
Connor peered at him darkly while Cian chuckled softly. “I love that you’re here, Alec. No one else would dare pat Connor’s belly.”
Yes, and for good reason!
“Are people here afraid of him?” Alec asked. “That used to be a problem. But you know when you see your brother struggling for years to distinguish right from left, and almost failing his driving test because of it, he quickly becomes incredibly human and no longer scary.”
That was what you got for inviting family over. Groaning, Connor threw his head back and put a hand over his eyes. He’d actually been glad Alec had come. He’d hoped that with his little brother in the guest room next door, he’d stop having filthy thoughts about a certain couples' therapist, whom he’d been rigorously ignoring for days, at her request, no less. But so far, all his brother had managed to do was agitate him…and make him laugh. And make him feel like a full-fledged member of the Stone family again with stories about Allie and Mallory.
So, okay, yeah! He loved Alec, whatever. But it was still time for the idiot to shut up.
“Oh my God,” Cian said, slamming his hand down on the table. “He still confuses left and right sometimes!”
“Twenty to thirty percent of people have trouble with that,” Connor replied angrily. He knew which way was right. He…at times, only needed a few seconds to remember.
Alec grinned. “He almost got glasses because the doctor thought he had bad eyesight. The problem was during the test, he had to say where the gap was in a circle, and he got left and right mixed up.”
“Glad you’re here, man,” Connor said dryly, slapping him on the shoulder a little harder than necessary. “Really great.”
His brother laughed and rubbed the spot where Connor had hit him. “You’re welcome! Glad to hear it. Cupcake for your temper before Cian eats them all?”
He pointed to the red velvet cupcakes in the middle of the table. They were topped with white frosting and glittery dust. Also, Alec had conjured up chocolate fairies and tucked them into the cupcakes so they looked like they were floating several inches above the table, the white frosting their skirt. It was a ridiculously magical image.
Connor rolled his eyes. His brother had always solved problems with sugar, and flour, in school, in college. Whenever he wanted to make a good first impression, he brought his divine baked goods, and it worked every time. Connor was certain Alec had snagged a great number of women with the help of his award-winning buttercream.
