Page 4 of Broken Boss

“No, you’ve got your hands full—I’ll just put this in the kitchen.”

It takes a moment to remember my way around. I’ve only been up to Cambridge twice since Mel and Jenson bought the town house, wanting to get out of the busy part of Boston and somewhere quieter now that Milo is over a year old. The house is filled with beautiful pools of amber light, dark wood, and blankets strewn on the couch.

It feels like a home.

So very different from my own place just outside of New York.

“Was work okay today?” Mel hovers close by, her brows knit.

“Yeah, it was fine. Why?”

“I don’t know, you seem…distracted.”

I fight back a blush. If only she knew just what, or who, had me so distracted. I definitely don’t need my sister-in-law delving into my fantasies.

“I haven’t been sleeping great with the construction going on at the neighbor’s house.”

Mel makes a face. “That’s still happening? How long can it possibly take to put in a pool?”

We chat and gossip, settling into the kitchen as Jenson comes down the stairs. He sees me and does a double take.

Am I really that off?

“Hey, little brother.”

Jenson rolls his eyes at my smirk. It’s been about a year since Nate and I discovered that our dad, who left when we were teenagers, had another family, including Jenson. Despite our being adults, I like reminding him that I’ve got a few years on him.

“How’s the hunt for partner going? Your law school buddies get over you breaking the rules yet?”

Mel grins. Like me, she loves to stir up trouble here and there where she can. She and Jenson were best friends as kids, dated in high school, and then lost each other for more than a decade. Mel didn’t come from this affluent life that we three brothers created for ourselves, and I love that. She’s so much more fun than the other wealthy snobs we know.

“Apparently not. But I’ve never had much faith in picking a partner the way they handle it now. Just because someone has worked for a company or been in a position for years doesn’t mean they’d be the best fit.”

Jenson nods in approval. He has his own history working with assholes at his data analytics company.

Milo sighs and snuggles into his mom’s shoulder. From the mess of food still on the high chair, it’s obvious he ate earlier. “So how exactly are you going to pick someone?” Mel whispers over her dozing baby.

I shrug. “It’ll be someone internal, that hasn’t changed. But I don’t care how long they’ve been at Sharpe Law. I just want them to prove themselves. Show me why they deserve it, and what they can change in the legal world. Too many lawyers these days are concerned with making a ton of money.”

The truth is, late at night, I worry that’s the exact reason so many of my associates have come to work for me. Sharpe Law is one of the top legal firms in New York City. We make money. But that’s not why I started doing this, and it’s not what I want the focus of my company to be.

Marty, for example. She’s been with the firm for almost a decade now, and traditionally, she’d be the logical choice for replacing Grant.

But when Grant came on, he didn’t care about the money. He just wanted to do what was right. My old mentor is only a few hours away now in South Carolina, but I miss him—and his advice—like hell. Which is part of why I was lingering in his office earlier today…

So it’s partly his fault my obsession with Autumn Cavendish has only deepened.

Mel puts Milo down for bed and Jenson and I share a pre-dinner drink. Once we’re tucked in around the table gorging on fried rice and catching up, I let my brain sit on autopilot and try to work out the conundrum I find myself in.

Autumn.

I didn’t even know that was her name until I heard Marty make a scathing remark about her hair, which I just happen to love. The severe chin-length bob makes her auburn hair swing and catch the light beautifully. It makes her eyes look even more fiery.

Especially today, when we were face to face in Grant’s—her—office.

Seeing her in that lingerie would’ve been enough to make me obsessed if I wasn’t already.

The first glimpse I got of her was earlier this week. I happened to walk by one of the conference rooms and saw her leading her new team, a mash-up of Grant’s previous team and some new interns.

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