She touched her face as she left. With Gabe at her side, and their secret fling in her brain, her face would be pink in those photos no matter what.
Chapter 18
Eve ducked her head into the living room, where Nicholas had created a mini workstation. Her brother had spread out reams of paper and was busy typing something furiously on his laptop. “Looks like you had more than a couple phone calls.”
Nicholas jumped and glanced up guiltily from his computer, like she’d caught him doing something illicit. “I—uh—”
“I won’t tell Livvy.” She came inside and shut the door behind her. “Though you should probably inform her that you won’t be taking off work even when you say you are.”
“Nah. I’m not going to be like Dad.”
Eve smiled sourly. Nicholas could never be like their father. “Of course not.”
“I mean, when it comes to work. I’ll take off when I say I will. Livvy says I need a healthy work-life balance.” He shrugged, sheepish. “But when she’s off doing something, and I’m bored, I might as well answer some emails.”
Eve nodded. A low hum of tension invaded her body. She’d come in here to have a chat with Nicholas, and that was what she was going to do. She simply didn’t know where to begin. “You’re coming out to the game?”
“In a few.” He hesitated. “Eve, are we... okay?”
“Of course.”
“I know I can get overprotective. Livvy has pointed it out. Many times.” He paused. “Many, many times.”
Say what you feel.“You can. Sometimes when you yell...” She linked her fingers together. “It’s a bit intimidating, even if I know it comes from a good place.”
His face darkened. “I had no idea. I’m sorry.”
“Please don’t be sorry.” She started to explain it was her, not him, and she was sorry she was so timid, but Gabe’s voice reverberated in her head.Stop apologizing for having emotions.
“Why don’t you have a seat?” He gestured to the chairs opposite the desk. “Livvy takes a while to change and stuff. We can talk. Maybe about that marketing position.”
His tone was so conciliatory. Her fingers tightened, and she almost said yes, but then she took a deep bracing breath. “Actually...” She walked to the chair and sat down, perching on the edge of the seat. For a second, she imagined she was sitting in front of her disapproving father, across from his massive desk in his dark study. She grasped her bare wrist and willed the image away.
No. There was nothing to be terrified of here. “I don’t want the marketing position.”
Nicholas ran his fingers through his hair, leaving the dark strands standing straight up. They’d both inherited their almost black hair from their Greek mother. “Eve—”
“I know, I know. Chandlers work. I’ve been working for months. I have an idea for a business.”
“Oh yeah?” He steepled his hands under his nose. “What is it?”
Now. Tell him everything now.“A ride-sharing service.”
“LikeRyde?”
“Better than Ryde.”
“A lot of services market themselves as better than Ryde. What makes yours different?”
She was clenching her wrist so tight she might leave bruises. She forced herself to stop. “It would be fair.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The current businesses are unfair. They’re unfair to drivers and passengers. They don’t give the drivers enough of a share. They allow tips, but most riders don’t actually tip or tip well, especially in smaller markets like Rockville. After taxes and gas and vehicle upkeep, the drivers aren’t taking home anywhere close to a living wage. They’re not treated as employees. They don’t get benefits, even if they work more than the equivalent of a full-time week in any other industry. It’s not fair, when the business wouldn’t exist without them.”
“Hmm. But there’s probably a reason they don’t pay the drivers more.”
“Greed.” She lifted a shoulder. “The apps make their money off of volume and keeping rates low. They know that means cutting the drivers out of a little extra bit of the pie.” She leaned forward, warming to her subject. “There’s also the safety and accessibility angle. Currently, drivers are given a cursory background check, but anyone can sign up to be a passenger. I’d change that, make things safer, especially for more vulnerable members of the population. I’d also create an app that’s simpler and more user-friendly, even for people who aren’t technologically adept, and give the drivers incentives for—” She stopped, seeing the skepticism on her brother’s face. “You think it’s dumb.”
