Charlie sticks out her tongue at him. “Sorry,” she tells me with a sheepish grin.
“You’re not wrong.” I blow out a sigh. “This admin stuff takes a lot out of me. I don’t know how Marcus actuallyenjoysit. I think I’d rather sit through aGilmore Girlsmarathon than do this shit—it’s a special kind of torture.”
Charlie pouts. “You did not just insult one of my comfort shows.”
I roll my eyes. “I’ll take that show seriously when the writers remake it so all the actors talk at a normal pace and make witty references I actually understand.”
“Amen, brother!” Trey pushes himself into the frame next to Charlie with a huge grin.
She shoves him away. “So what’s up?”
“I don’t have long, but I wanted to ask you something.” My eyes lock with hers, and I lower my voice. “It’s about Fiona.”
Charlie’s brow furrows. Lincoln and Trey start giggling at something in the background, and she gives them a tolerant look, then stands and walks from the room and down some stairs, closing the door when she reaches their office.
“Sorry,” she says, sitting down in a large leather high-back chair that squeaks under her weight.
“She just showed up here asking for a job,” I whisper, watching the door. “Do you want to fill me in on what’s going on?”
Charlie sighs. “I shouldn’t really be telling you all this, butFi’s had a rough go lately. I assume she told you she was laid off?”
I nod.
“Well, her mom died that night.”
“Shit,” I breathe. I don’t know a lot about Fiona’s mother other than she was an alcoholic.
“And then she broke up with Anna, which hit her pretty hard.”
“Wow, that’s brutal. I really liked Anna at Friendsgiving last year.”
“I know. We did, too. Honestly, I thought they might get married.” Charlie rubs her eyes wearily. “She hasn’t really told me a lot since it all happened. I don’t even know who she’s been staying with for the last two months. But I know she needs a change.” She gives me a pleading look. “If she’s asking for help, that’s a big deal. You’ll give her a job, right?”
My stomach churns.
The need to protect Fi hits confusingly strong, but I assume it’s because I’d do just about anything for my little sister.
“Sure,” I mutter. I’ll just have to put my personal feelings aside, which is what I do best anyway. “I’ll give her a job.”
Charlie gives me a small smile, but then her face turns serious again. “Please take care of her, Seb. She doesn’t think she needs anyone, but she does. I worry about her.”
“Of course.”
There’s an awkward pause while Charlie studies me. “And how’re you holding up, brother? I know Marcus has been gone a lot, and he told me about the incident at the pub.”
I grit my teeth. Just thinking about Michaels’s stupid, sad face makes me want to punch it again for good measure. But Charlie doesn’t need to know that, so I school my features into something more neutral. I’m not about to worry my little sister—she’s already juggling freelance editing jobs alongside deadlines for her publishing contract. Her debut contemporaryfiction novel,Hand Me Down, will be released early next year, so I know between that and helping the guys run Lakeside Cinema, she’s probably swamped.
“It’s all good,” I tell her. “Maybe I’ll let Fi manage some of this admin stuff, so I can get back into the kitchen.”
She gives me a soft smile. “You guys work too much.”
“Agreed. Talk to you later, kiddo.”
“Bye, Seb.”
I drop my phone back on the desk just as Fi walks in. “Did I hear Charlie’s voice?
“Uh, yeah, just a quick phone call.”
