Page 33 of Waste Some Time
She was going to tell him everything.
Good. Sydney needed to be honest with her brother. They needed to have this talk. Sydney needed her brother.
This was a good thing. She was happy for Sydney.
But that changed nothing.
Regardless how close they’d become over the last week, even just through texts about Katie’s cat and Sydney’s growing interest in shifting to entertainment finance, Sydney still wasn’t available.
No matter how this conversation with Stephen went—and Katie was convinced it would go well—Sydney needed to explore her new life.
Katie had to get out of her way to do that.
And now, she realized, she had to get out of Sydney’s way with her family, too.
14
SYDNEY
“Y’all go ahead,”Katie said. “I’ll help Simon clear the table.”
Sydney took a deep breath and blew it out with a pinpoint exhale. She gave Katie another tight smile of thanks.
She didn’t need anyone’s approval for what she was about to reveal. But part of her still wanted Katie’s support. Even if she wasn’t certain she deserved it.
Stephen stood from the table but hesitated to check with Katie first. “You sure?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Katie said with a wave. “Go ahead. I’m good.”
Simon scoffed. “I promise I won’t let anything happen to her while you’re gone.”
Sydney waited for Stephen to follow her out onto the back patio after they both grabbed their coats. They took seats opposite each other, and Sydney stuffed her hands in her coat pockets, freezing despite being bundled up.
Good. That would keep her from dragging this out.
“Okay,” Stephen said with a groan as he leaned against the cushioned patio chair. “What’s up?”
Sydney took a deep breath. She knew she needed to tell Stephen what was going on. All of it. Katie had been right that Stephen would be thrilled about everything. Still, the words caught in her throat. Speaking them would make it all real. And she wasn’t sure which part of that terrified her.
“So this trip was a little more than just a holiday visit.”
Stephen narrowed his eyes as he leaned back casually in his chair like the cold didn’t bother him one bit. “Okay. What else is it then?”
With another deep breath, Sydney told him the easy part.
“I’m moving back home. I think.” She bit her lip, then corrected herself. “No, I’m sure. I’m moving back to New Orleans.”
Stephen’s eyes widened. “Are you shitting me?”
“Nope.” She felt a smile reach her lips as she relaxed into the admission. “It’s true.”
His expression shifted to one of concern. “Nothing happened in San Diego, did it? You’re not having problems with?—“
“No, no,” she said. “Doug and I are fine. Living our own lives. Work is fine. Everything there is fine. I just… I belong here. And this week solidified that.”
Stephen’s mouth stretched into a wide grin. “Mom’s gonna be so pumped about this. Wait, who else knows?”
“Simon. I told him right before you and Katie got here.”
