She laughed in a way that made me think she’d practiced it. “I’m not offering extra help to just anyone. Just… select people. Well, a select person.”
I narrowed my eyes at her and walked toward the exit at a brisk pace, and she kept up.
“Are you telling me that you think I’m a special case who needs extra help? Are my grades that bad?”
“No! That’s not what I meant. You know that.” She laughed and slapped me on the arm, her hand lingering.
I stopped just outside the doors to the quad. “Look, TA?—”
“Sally,” she said with a smile.
I blew out a breath. “Sally. TA. I think there’s a conflict of interest here. I don’t think TAs should tangle with students. Forgive me.” I took her hand off my arm.
“I could quit!” she exclaimed as I walked away.
“Don’t bother,” I tossed over my shoulder and made my escape.
The drive to the office wasn’t long. Hade Harbor was so small. Turn around, and you were out of town again.
I parked and made it to my office just in time to answer my father’s video call request.
He sat at his desk in front of the New York city skyline. It was a very familiar view. It had been the background to countless video calls on missed birthdays and other important events. My father’s attachment to his work had been the reason my mother had left. Well, that and Emily’s death.
“Brody, catch me up,” he said as soon as I answered.
I’m good, Dad. How are you?
I didn’t say that, however. I never felt fucking anything about my father’s lack of personal interest in his family. I’d learned that there was no damn point.
I jumped into the local business updates, as well as my take on several articles he’d sent me when he’d been away. This was as close to quality time as I ever came with my father.
Half an hour later, he was checking his watch, and I knew my time was up.
“Oh, that reminds me. Marjory wants Selena to get some hands-on experience at a company, since she’s majoring in marketing.”
“Meaning?”
“Find her an intern position at the office, something easy. I don’t want her calling her mother to complain that you gave her something hard to do.”
“Okay.” Bloody hell. She wasn’t going to like me being her boss, I knew that already. But that was too fucking bad. I didn’t hate the idea at all. It was about time Selena understood who was in charge in our relationship.
“I’ll get her mom to send her in at the end of the week, and you can show her the ropes.”
“Understood.”
Oh, this was going to be fun.
Brody
I gotout of the chauffeur-driven town car the nanny used to take me and Cal to swimming class and ran into the house. The gravel crunched underfoot, and tall shadows from the long hedges that lined my childhood London home swayed in the late English summer.
“Brody, your bag!”
I ignored Millie’s exasperated yell and charged inside, the medal I’d just won in the local swimming competition clutched tightly in my hand.
Cal came in behind me.
“I want to show Emily my medal,” I told him.
