“Is that what you’re calling him?”
“Seems to fit,” Bella said.
“Back to Ethan,” his mother said. “Now that you’re comfy with your nieces.”
“The only girls that stick to his side,” Eli said, smirking.
Fuck. Did his brother know what had happened a few weeks ago?
He’d have to find out. And if that was the case, why wasn’t he told before now?
“Leave your brother alone,” his mother said. “He’ll find his person when it’s right.”
“When he stops working so hard,” Eli said.
“You’re one to talk. Bella fell into your lap. If she hadn’t, you’d probably still be single.”
Eli turned and winked at his wife. “I never forgot her and she knew it. Why do you think her uncle sent her to me to be watched?”
“He sent me to be watched by Griffin, not you,” Bella said, laughing.
“Dude,” Egan said, laughing. “She has your number.”
“Griffin and I are a team,” Eli said. “And it doesn’t matter. I got the woman in the end. You, on the other hand, you had to save your wife.”
“I’d hardly say I was saved,” Blake argued. “But I feared I’d lose my rental by missing the ferry.”
“See,” Egan said, puffing his chest. “Saved. I swooped in and flew you off into the sunset. Literally.”
“You boys never stop,” his father said.
“Back to Ethan. You met with Nora. Do you think she’s like her father?”
“Not even close,” he said. “She’s completely different in personality. She was even concerned she might have to work with him, but I assured her that wasn’t the case. Just with his assistant once in a while, if that.”
He had a lot of ventures on his own that Nora would handle. Including a minority stake in the tech company that Blake’s father and brother owned, where she ran the software development end.
It was possible to mix work and family. He’d done it most of his life and had a great example from his father.
Not that Nora was his family.
But there was a past and could be a conflict. He wouldn’t let that happen.
“I told your mother that Nora seemed quiet but confident. I don’t believe she’s had a close relationship with her father, but she moved here. Norris has never been one to talk about his personal life much.”
“Because he probably doesn’t have one,” he said. “I got a little background from her, so did Blair.” He had to be careful what he shared, as some of it came from his other interaction with Nora. “She lived in Burlington with her mother for years. Her mother remarried and moved and nothing was holding her there. Norris asked her to come to Boston for them to reconnect.”
“Sounds as if they were estranged?” his mother asked.
“I’m not sure if that is a word I’d use, but not positive. I think it’s more strained, but willing to work. She’s been here less than a month and was interviewing for jobs.”
“Interesting,” Eli said. “Might be something like landing in your lap.”
Eli wiggled his eyebrows some, but his parents weren’t paying attention.
He’d have to get to the bottom of that soon enough.
He looked down and saw Khloe’s eyes closing. “This one is ready to fall asleep. Is that what you want?”
