Page 86 of Bonus Daddy
“He’s become a friend.” I shrugged. “His partners and their wives have too. The girls spend time with their kids too. And last month, Brian took us to see Lake Paige in Boston.”
Jenn’s eyes widened. “He got you Lake Paige tickets?”
I nodded, leaving it at that. If I mentioned the helicopter or the preshow meet-and-greet or the hotel penthouse makeovers, she’d lose her mind.
“That isn’t the kind of shit a man who is just a lawyer does,” she said.
“Or just a friend.” Josh crossed his arms, protective brother mode clearly activated.
Jasper eyed me warily, still chewing.
I rolled my eyes, swatting at a bug. “It’s not like that. I needed legal help, and he gave it. Throughout the process, we all became friends. We went to the concert, and sometimes he takes my yoga classes. That’s it.”
They eyed me and one another warily, but they dropped it when Jasper jumped in with a story about how Bitsy Brambles’s goats got loose. He’d had to chase one through town before finally catching it in the alley behind the diner. His job as a firefighter and paramedic meant he always had wild stories to tell, and Jasper had the charisma to make even a run-of-the-mill small-town emergency sound fascinating.
By the end, he had us all howling, and soon after, the day had caught up with me, and I could barely keep my eyes open.
Mel and Jenn loaded up their sleeping kids and went home, and after I insisted that I’d do the last of the cleanup, Josh headed up to bed.
Mel had done the majority of the work, but Jasper and I finished loading the dishwasher, and as I wiped down the counters, I mentally went through my to-do list for the next day.
“Jessie.”
I turned to my baby brother, smiling softly at the way his hair flopped into his face like it did when he was a little boy, then chuckling at his ridiculous mustache.
“I know you’re in love with him,” he said quietly. “That Brian guy. I don’t remember him. I was probably too busy running through the barnyard and fields to even talk to him, but Mom mentioned him a few times. Said he was the one that got away.”
I shook my head. “I’m not.”
“Everyone thinks I’m the dumb, oblivious one.”
That got my attention. He was a barrel of fun, yes, but I’d never once thought he was dumb. Before I could tell him that, though, he held up a hand.
“But I know what I saw when you talked about him. It’s okay. Iwon’t tell Josh and Jenn.” His lips twitched. “You know how those two get.”
I stared at him in the dim light, unable to come up with a denial.
He squeezed me tight and kissed the top of my head, then padded to the stairs.
“I’m happy for you, sis,” he said over his shoulder. “You deserve good things.”
His words rang in my ears as I got ready for bed. Because he was right.
I was happy to be back in Vermont.
But something was missing.
Or rather, someone.
Chapter 30
Brian
“You’re scaring me,” Sully said, gripping the edge of my desk. “You gotta get it together. You do need to sleep once in a while.”
As I loosened my tie, I glared at him. “I’m fine.”
He shook his head and snagged the walkie off my desk.
