Page 65 of Second Chance Vacation

The sour feeling that’s been sitting in my stomach about today seems to subside at Stephen’s familiarity. I know I have been resisting the nepotism of it all, but having someone who is basically family at the helm of the ship makes me feel better.

“You’re going to be sharing an office with Liam—and Jackson…you two need to behave.” His tone shifts in an instant, making me straighten my spine. “This is a place of business. When it’s just us, we’re family, but when it comes to other people in the company, I need the both of you to be the picture of professionalism.”

“Hey, hey now, Jackson is professional. I doubt he’ll strip down nakedhere,” Liam’s voice travels from behind me before he smacks my back.

Liam, much like his dad, has his hair perfectly styled. It reminds me of how my Fraternity brothers used to wear it. Some would think it looks pretentious, but given the environment, I think it fits him. It’s a far leap from the carefree way I’m used to seeing it. Despite being half white, Liam is the spitting image of his Korean father, something I know he is happy about. Not that his mom isn’t gorgeous, but time is treating his father better.

“That happened one time.” I roll my eyes.

“One time is all it takes, man. People don’t forget.”

The office at Baker & Park is exactly what you’d expect from one of the most prestigious law firms in Atlanta. Floor-to-ceiling windows blend seamlessly with the glistening white tile floors. It’s cold, not a single inviting decoration that reminds me of home. Every frame on the wall is meticulously placed, none of them askew. Each picture appears to be stock, a lack of personality—it’s a stark difference from the men standing in front of me.

“Can we stop talking about me naked, please?” I retort as a small blonde walks past us, a look of shock glazing her face before she darts away.

Liam and Stephen look at each other, working to stifle their laughter. The moment Stephen notices the blonde, he straightens, placing his professional demeanor back over him.

“Liam, please show Jackson to the office you two will be sharing.”

“Of course, Jackson—follow me.”

I feel like I’ve stepped into the Twilight Zone. The way the two of them can flip a switch is unsettling.

We approach the office, and I am pleased to see it is a stark change from the rest of the space.

There is a mark on the floor where I assume Liam’s desk once resided, smack dab in the middle of the room. His desk is now pushed to one side of the room, and what I assume to be mine mirrors it almost exactly. My mahogany desk lacks character, with only a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Liam’s, however, looks like a Game Stop exploded. Posters line the wall in frames, showing various games that I know vaguely. The top of his filing cabinet is covered in figurines that match the same characters in the posters.

His room at the beach house is much of the same, so this isn’t entirely a surprise to me. Since the moment he got his hands on a Gameboy when we were kids, Liam has always had his face buried in some kind of game. I sometimes will play with him, but the games decorating his side of the office are far outside of my skill level or knowledge.

“What, no Call of Duty?”

“Don’t patronize me.”

Sitting down at my new desk, I look at the space, unsure of what to do with it. I’ve never been one for decorating my workspace, but it feels uncomfortably lacking by comparison. I grab a framed photo from my briefcase, and then another—photos of my family can breathe some life into my side of the room.

Liam joins me on my side, leaning to sit on the edge of my desk. He grabs the framed photo taken last year when I visited New York to see Hannah. She and I standing below the bright lights ofHamiltonon Broadway.

“I think putting this out is depreciating the office space in value.” He chuckles before placing the frame back where he found it. Despite my attempts to not get involved in his feud with my sister, I somehow manage to always be placed in the middle of it.

Rolling my eyes, I try not to engage him on the matter. He quickly makes his way back to his side of the office, grabbing a ball from his bottom drawer. Liam begins tossing the ball up in the air and catching it. Despite this, his eyes remain on me.

“We missed you at the beach house this summer. What gives?” He sets down the ball to fold his hands in front of himself on his desk. “I spent the entire week dealing with your demonic being of a sister. Do you realize what that does for my street cred? Not a single woman wanted to talk to me because there was Hannah, sticking her nose in my business.”

“Yeah…” I can’t resist the chuckle that leaves my mouth. “Thatis why women weren’t talking to you.”

“I don’t appreciate what you’re implying.”

Liam, despite his looks, has never been known for being a ladies' man. It’s not that he doesn’t have what it takes. I mean—he’s a charmer. I’ve seen it myself. But the moment they express interest, he lacks follow through. Sometimes I wonder if he does it on purpose. He very well might pull women throughout the year, but the few weeks a year I would see him growing up, he didn’t really even seem to try.

“I’m not implying anything.”

I shoot my hands up in surrender before the ball he was previously tossing lands against my forehead.

“Other than that, how was it? Did you guys have fun in my absence, at least? I mean—let's be real, I bring the party…but I’m sure you guys didsomething.”

“We went to that stupid ass Tiki Bar my dad insists on going to every year, and becausesomeonewasn’t there to give me an out, I was forced to go—Did I tell you it was also an instructional dance night? In which our parents forcedHannah and meto take part? It was a hula dancing class. Yet, somehow, your sister managed to step on my feet with those colossal hooves she has—three times.”

Hannah had given me the cliff notes on the trip. I know that they fought a lot, but that’s pretty standard for them.

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