“Sure.”
He nods, his tousled hair spilling over his forehead as he pours the alcohol, giving himself averygenerous amount. I raise my eyebrows but stay quiet.
“So, tell me more, Fiona.”
My stomach does that weird twisting thing again, and I close the fist in my lap, focusing on the way my nails bite into my palm. “I need a job, actually.”
Seb frowns, leaning back in his chair. “Don’t you work at the community college in Brighton?”
“I…did,” I say haltingly, “but my department’s funding was cut.”
His frown deepens. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. It actually happened a couple months ago, after—” I consider whether I want to get into all the reasons that I’mhere. But then it occurs to me that Charlie may have already told him.
Panic rises in my chest, and I take a sip of my whisky, letting it burn my throat before I look up at Seb’s expectant gaze.
Get a grip, Fi. You can do this. Just tell him.
But too many thoughts bubble to the surface: my mom’s death, my break up with Anna, hiding from Dennis.
It’s too much.
My brain scrambles.
I squeeze my fist tighter, but it doesn’t help this time. My heart is beating so fast.
“Fi?”
“What?” I startle, my knee banging against the desk leg, causing the cup of pens above it to rattle. “I’m sorry. Is there a bathroom close by?” I’m shocked my voice is so steady.
Sebastian gives me an odd look but nods. “Keep going down the hall, and it’s on your left.”
I bolt from the office. When I reach the bathroom, I shut the door and lock it. Then, I squat down with my face in my shaking hands, breathing hard. I recognize the panic attack—my mom used to get them a lot. I helped her through them but there’s no one here to help me.
CHAPTER THREE
SEBASTIAN
Itap my fingers on the desk and take another long pull of my drink, trying to relax my tense muscles.
Do I want to hire her?
We definitely need an extra set of hands around here, but the thought of seeing Fiona every day sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Fiona’s mere presence affects me in ways that it shouldn’t, with her being my sister’s best friend and all. My attraction to her has to be some sort of brother code violation or something.
Yet, I can’t deny that I’m tempted, especially if she needs help. The girl is sunshine personified, and I’ve always enjoyed her company.
Really enjoyed it.
In fact, we had an instant connection the first time we met that’s rare for someone like me to experience. Attraction is hard. Then she started dating Anna. I thought I’d misread her vibes, so I pushed away any feelings I had.
Fiona showing up here and asking for a job is a little out in left field. After all, Vancouver is a long way from Brighton, relatively speaking. And what happened with Anna?
Without thinking, I pull my phone from my pocket and hit FaceTime next to my stepsister’s name. I steel myself while it rings, hoping I don’t look as worn out as I feel.
“Hi, Seb.” Charlie’s emerald eyes study me for a moment before she scrunches her nose. “You look like hell.”
“Wow, Sunshine,” Lincoln says somewhere off-screen. “Your brother called, and you chose violence.”
