Page 2 of Little Did You Know

"Living the dream. Work, fuck, eat, sleep, repeat." My reflection looked hollow in the window. Empty. "You?"

The silence stretched until I could map it in heartbeats. Ice clinked against glass—once, twice. The sound transported me back to the summer I left and never looked back.

"I wish I could say the same." Another clink, softer this time. Hesitant. "Listen, there's something I need to ask you."

"Of course, anything, man." I was more serious now. Emmett had been my best friend since grade school. I was two years older than him, but if it hadn't been for him and his family, I'd have been in foster care growing up or possibly dead at the hands of my drunken father. "What's up?"

"It's Olivia."

"How is little Livy?" Livy, also known as Olivia to her family and close friends, was Emmett's younger sister.

"She's all grown up." Something in Emmett's voice made me turn away from the window. "Heading off to grad school."

"Wow, she's only..." The math caught in my throat like old guilt. Twenty-nine minus... "Twenty?"

"Twenty-one." Keys jingled on Emmett's end. "Had her birthday a few weeks ago."

I crossed to the liquor cabinet. "Time flies."

I'd occasionally kept in contact with Emmett, but it had been years since we spoke last and even longer since I'd seen Olivia.

"She's coming your way. She was accepted into the South Florida University's grad program there in Tampa to get her master’s in finance. I tried to get her to stick around here, but she was persistent and wanted to get out on her own."

"How can I help?"

"She flies in tomorrow." Emmett's voice took on that protective big brother tone I remembered from our childhood. "I was hoping you could pick her up from the airport, make sure she gets settled into her dorm, and get her classes taken care of."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Of course, man. You know I'd do anything for you and Olivia."

"I appreciate it, Nick."

"How about you?" I strolled out of the kitchen, through the living room, and into my office. "When are you coming to visit?"

"Soon, I hope. Things have been crazy around here."

"I look forward to it. And don't worry about Olivia. I'll get her."

"All right." Papers rustled on Emmett's end, followed by the soft tap of computer keys. "I'll text you the flight info."

"Good talking to you." My hand found the old baseball on my desk—the one from our last high school game together. "Don't be a stranger."

The typing stopped. "Same to you." A chair creaked. "And Nick."

The baseball was smooth under my fingers, worn spots mapping years of catches in his backyard. "Yeah."

"Take care of my sister." His voice had gone flat, emptied of everything but command. The words hung between us like a closing door, and for the first time, I wondered if this was more than just a favor between old friends.

The line went dead before I could respond. I set the baseball back in its stand.

Emmett's voice had carried something I couldn't quite name—more than just big-brother worry, but he was probably stressed about his baby sister leaving the nest. He'd been raising her since he was eighteen, which must have been hard on him.

Setting my phone down on my desk, I noticed a newspaper opened and left for me to see, most likely by my housekeeper, Arlena. I scanned through the page to find the newest gossip, rolling my eyes at the big picture of myself and my so-called latest "girlfriend," Kelsey Timberland.

Florida's most eligible bachelor might be off the market. Nicholas Pearson was spotted snuggled up Friday night with supermodel Kelsey Timberland, leaving a charity event hosted by Mr. Pearson. The two were rumored to share a limo leaving, and according to friends of Ms. Timberland, she didn't make it home until the following day. So, either the hottest playboy on the market has finally been tamed, or the two pulled an all-nighter.

"Where do they come up with this garbage?" I mumbled, shutting the paper and tossing it into the garbage. The trash they wrote became more and more comical with every new post.

Kelsey and I had shared a limo home, and I did indeed make a pass at her, and after a quick limo fuck, she'd insisted I drop her off at her secret boyfriend's house.

---