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“Mason just brought my nieces to California from Florida so they could get away from a situation going on back home, and they’re not exactly happy about being here. They know they need to be here, and that’s all that’s keeping them from going back to Florida, but they need something to do to keep them busy. A job, friends . . . anything. And I was hoping that you would be able to help with that.”
I waited to see if he would add anything, and when he didn’t, I shrugged. “I—sure. I mean, I don’t know how much I can do to help them find friends, but if they’re old enough for the gym, I know my dad is looking for a few people.”
Mason cleared his throat, and Eli gave him an annoyed look before saying, “We also need to make sure that one of them, Kira, doesn’t try to run back home. She has a boyfriend and is taking the separation harder than her sister. My sister and brother-in-law trust my judgment to find someone who can do that. I trust you as much as I trust my own son, and I think you and your connections will be exactly what they need to settle in here.”
I laughed hesitantly and looked at both of them for a few seconds. “Are you serious? I’m not a babysitter, Eli; we work in advertising. Besides that, I’m twenty-four, what do you expect me to do with these girls that will make it seem okay for me to even act like their friend?”
“I knew I didn’t like him,” Mason blurted out, and stood. “Meeting over.”
“Sit down,” Eli ordered, but didn’t look to make sure he did. “Liam, my nieces just turned twenty-two, they’re close to your age. And no one is asking you to babysit them.”
“You want me to make sure one of them doesn’t run back to her boyfriend! That sounds like babysitting,” I argued.
“Still don’t like him,” Mason chimed in, but Eli and I didn’t bother responding to him.
“I don’t need you to watch her every move, I was just hoping that you could maybe include them in whatever you and your friends are doing one or two times over the weekends. See if the girls get along with you or your friends, try to get them to have a good time so they won’t focus on how much they don’t want to be here. You don’t have to give up your life for them, Liam. And if you aren’t willing to do that, and if your dad does have space at the gym for them, that would be more than enough. I won’t ask you for anything else.” When I just sat there staring at him, Eli leaned closer. “Please. I’d have my son do this, but you know he’s backpacking through Europe this summer with his friends.”
If it had been something as simple as inviting his nieces to a party, I would’ve done it in a heartbeat. But with Mason there—whatever his real reasons—and with the part that still sounded like I’d be babysitting them, I knew there was something else behind this than the girls just needing to be introduced to a few people. The fact that there was a “situation” back in Florida, and that they didn’t want to be here, only confirmed that thought. But Eli was my mentor. I’d interned for him in college, and he’d hired me on after the internship had ended. He’d continued helping me throughout the last couple years of college, always pushing me to work harder and be better, and then did the same so I would work my way up in his company after I’d graduated. He’d done more than I could’ve ever asked for, and this was the first thing he’d asked of me. No matter how odd it seemed, I knew I couldn’t tell him no.
“Okay,” I finally agreed. “I’ll call my dad. I know for a fact that he needs new people for the drink station in the gym. I’ll see if he can interview them and let you know when.”
“Perfect,” Eli said on a relieved sigh. “They’ve already been here a week, I know they need to get out of their condo.”
I nodded and reluctantly said, “And I’ll make sure whichever one you mentioned won’t go running back to her boyfriend. I’m sure a bunch of us will end up at the beach this weekend, at least. I’ll let you know when I do.”
“Still don’t like him,” Mason said again. “I vote we find someone else.”
I rolled my eyes and looked over at him. “Why did you even need to be here?”
“A question I’ve already asked a few times,” Eli mumbled.
Mason’s teasing tone and expression quickly disappeared, leaving him looking at me the exact way he had been in the hallway. “I’m here because someone needs to tell you that you aren’t to touch either of them. Rachel and Kash may trust Eli’s choice in you being the one to help them out; that doesn’t mean I do. No one chose you so you would have another girl to fuck.”
“Mason,” Eli snapped, but Mason’s gaze never left me.
One eyebrow rose, and a short laugh burst from my chest. “Excuse me?”
“You didn’t try to hide the girl who was in your office earlier, and that already makes me not like you as much as I could. You see an opportunity in a girl, and you take it. Trust me, I get it. I was the same way when I was your age, which is why Eli still hates me. But those girls mean the world to Eli, to me, and to their parents. This is me warning you now: If you touch one of those girls, you will have all three of us on you. And their dad is the last person you want to piss off. Your job is to be their friend. Nothing more.”
“Noted,” I huffed as I stood to leave the office. “Anything else, Eli?”
He shook his head at Mason, and sighed when he looked back at me. “Just remind Cecily that I don’t want her in your office.”
The corner of my mouth tilted up and I nodded as I turned to leave. “I’ll call my dad and let you know what he says.”
“I appreciate it, Liam. Really,” he called out as I reached the door.
Mason snorted. “Still don’t like him.”
The feeling was mutual.
Immerse Yourself in the World of Molly McAdams
Taking Chances
Her first year away is turning out to be nearly perfect, but one weekend of giving in to heated passion will change everything
Eighteen-year-old Harper has grown up under the thumb of her career marine father. Ready to live life her own way and to experience things she’s only ever heard of from the jarheads in her father’s unit, she’s on her way to college at San Diego State University.
