Page 77 of Unbuttoning Her Brooding Boss

He’d been so afraid—on so many levels.

‘Jack?’

‘I’m okay. Don’t worry.’

Stupid words. He knew his parents were beside themselves right now.

He managed a little laugh. ‘I’m okay—honest.’

‘When are you coming home?’ That was his mother again.

‘Soon,’ he promised. ‘I’ll call again soon, okay?’

He rang off before they could talk more. Because suddenly he’d realised where he’d gone wrong and he needed time tothink.

He’d thought having the answers would make his life complete. Would fill that empty little pocket in his heart. Only now that pocket somehow seemed bigger. And it hurt more than it ever had before.

He’d not asked them, not told them how he felt—what he needed to know and why. He’d buried himself in work and closed his worries off from them. Because he’d been stupidly scared. Of their reaction. Really of everything. He’d never realised he was such a coward.

His phone buzzed in his hand and he swiped the screen and held it up to his ear with a wry grin. ‘Hey, George.’

‘How’s your trip panning out?’

Jack knew his mother had called George the second she’d got off the phone to him. The Wolfe clan was rallying. And he loved them for it. Even if talking about it was half killing him.

‘It’s been... big,’ he muttered.

‘You need company?’

‘No. I’m okay for now. I’ll call you when I get to Manhattan.’

Jack glanced down at the tablet on his lap, still on ‘The List’, and with Steffi Leigh’s smiling avatar in the corner. He clicked on the archive and watched her very first vlog. So Steffi, and yet so different. So young—and that giggle...

It tugged his heart.

Tara had her bag of tricks out and the two of them were laughing uncontrollably at the witch’s nose Tara had glued wrongly onto Stephanie. It must have been well before her brother’s illness. When she’d been excited and full of anticipation, free and happy. Not burdened with responsibility and worry.

He watched the next clip. And the next. So random. So ridiculous. So quirky and cool.

Now he saw why her blog had got so popular. Why it was all those young people liked to tune it. It was fun.Shewas fun.

She’d compiled lists of whatever it was she’d been interested in at the time. And she’d been insatiably curious, insatiably enthusiastic—soaking up new experiences. New places.

But as he worked his way through he saw how it had evolved in the time since Dan’s accident. To become more lists, less Steffi.

When he clicked back to the home page he saw she’d posted a new video: ‘Three Things to Find in the Rest of the Room’.

‘Morning, everyone.’

She was smiling, but she looked so tired and pale.

‘I know you’ve always wondered... whatelseis there? Who’s there with Steffi Leigh? Well, you all know Tara, my make-up artist.’

Tara popped her head up alongside Steffi’s, waving at the camera.

‘She’s going to do some more make-up tutorials for you,’ Steffi added. ‘But the truth is she’s also been giving me lots of the info for my lists—as have some of my other friends. Because I’ve been hanging out at home with my brother, Dan—who’s also here with me.’

She turned the camera on her brother. Jack leaned a little closer towards the screen. Dan looked equally pale, but he too was smiling. He was wearing a singlet top and he waved at the camera.

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