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“I’m telling you,” Jane shouted as she slammed shut the door to her apartment. “It would have been nice to have grown up in a family where a job was created for you whenever you needed it,” she said while taking off her jacket and shoes, continuing to whisper under her breath.
“What happened this time?” Ali smiled to herself from the kitchen she shared with her sister, Jane. Every week, like clockwork, since Jane started working at The Oxford, she would come home with some sort of story about something that had happened at work, and that something was generally centered around the Drew brothers.
“This time?” Jane replied as she rounded the corner and locked eyes with her sister.
Ali shook her head with a laugh and continued to cut veggies into her salad. “Oh, come on, you never seem to disappoint with the stories. What happened today?”
Jane poured herself a big glass of ice-cold water, needing to cool down a bit. She knew her sister found it annoying when she came home from work venting about her job, but she didn’t care. The funny thing was that she actually loved her job - when she didn’t have to deal with nepotism. Ali had a nice, zen job as a yoga instructor. Her goal every day was to make sure people left her studio stress-free, feeling relaxed and centered. Essentially, it was the polar opposite of Jane’s job as the Director of Events at The Oxford, which was one of Rhode Island’s most popular restaurants and reception venues.
“Austin Drew happened,” Jane answered, as she snuck a slice of green pepper off Ali’s cutting board and plopped herself down on one of the kitchen stools.
“So, he’s back?” Ali asked as she looked at her sister and prepared herself for Jane’s recap. She loved her sister dearly, but Jane had a tendency to make everything a big deal.
“Yes, he’s back.” Jane nodded, rolling her eyes. “The baby of the family is back, and the red carpet has pretty much been rolled out for him.”
“And what else?” Ali asked confused, looking up at her sister. She wasn’t sure if there was more to Jane’s story or not. “Did everyone at work find out you had a major crush on Austin in high school?” She laughed as she thought back to those days.
“Oh my God, NO! Are you kidding me? Besides, that was a long time ago,” Jane replied a little more vigorously than necessary, obviously not wanting to be reminded of that time. “It just sucks because I don’t want to work with him and I have a feeling that’s going to happen. When I was hired, they pretty much told me that he was the only member of the Drew family who didn’t work at The Oxford.”
Ali went back to chopping her veggies, thinking back to high school, and how much Jane was head over heels for Austin, a guy she had zero chance with because they ran in completely different social circles.
“That’s right. I remember you mentioning that,” Ali nodded, looking at her sister. “That’s what basically cinched the deal for you there, right?”
“Well, yes, and no… I mean, this is my dream job, but I never, not for one second, thought that he’d actually be at The Oxford working with me. Ugh,” Jane grunted. “I had a feeling, that when I heard he was coming back to Rhode Island from his six-week vacation in Palm Beach, that something like this would happen. The worst part is that everyone at work seems to be excited about him coming to work at The Oxford. I just had a sixth sense about this, I mean… do you remember me telling you about this last week?”
Ali shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to tell her sister she didn’t remember a thing about last week’s conversation. “Vaguely.”
“I swear you don’t listen to half the stuff I say,” Jane answered as she grabbed her water and took another sip.
“Oh, you know that’s not true,” Ali shot back. “It’s just that you’ve mentioned Austin’s name a few times since you started working there. I mean, I know they said he wouldn’t be working at The Oxford, but this was likely going to happen, eventually. It’s their family business, Jane.”
“That's not true. Honestly, once his parents said in our interview that he wouldn’t be working there, I didn’t give it a second thought,” Jane interrupted. “They even made a point to tell me that he was their only son who wasn’t employed there.”
“Oh, please,” Ali laughed as she gathered the veggies and tossed them into a bowl. “What did you think? That all the Drew brothers would actually go out into the world and get their own jobs? It doesn’t work that way, not when your parents own a business like theirs.”
Jane got up and walked back to the fridge, but this time she grabbed the Pinot Grigio. “Family politics or not, I’m telling you…it’s not fair, especially since the rumor is that he’s being placed with me in Events.”
“But, remember, you knew all of this was a possibility, albeit a remote one,” Ali added as she put the final touches to her salad, grabbing a bite of a lone mushroom.“It’s a family business. Period.”
“I know,” Jane answered, feeling frustrated as she poured herself a glass of wine, but knowing her sister was right. She didn’t want to deal with Austin Drew because she didn’t have good memories of him from high school. He was the one family member she wanted to avoid, and she thought she could…until the news broke that he was returning to Rhode Island and coming to work for his family. “I just didn’t think the spoiled brat of the family would actually want to come back to Rhode Island and work in the family business. His brothers have all made their way back, but most people seem to allude to the fact that Austin’s a lost cause, and that he would find something else to do.”
“But now that’s all changed?” Ali asked, leaning against the counter as she watched her sister take a sip of wine.
“Yup,” Jane nodded. “And, from what I’ve gathered from people at work, he’s an entitled, pain in the ass who thinks the world revolves around him.”
“So not a big change from high school?” Ali chimed in. “By the way, why was he in Palm Beach for six weeks? That sounds kinda nice,” Ali added with an eye roll, not really caring why he was away, but just feeling temporarily envious of him. “And hey, before you drink it all,” she grabbed herself a glass from the cabinet and said, “pour me a glass.”
“Who knows,” Jane continued. “He was probably partying, hooking up, and tossing money in the air like it was confetti. Can you imagine being able to get away for six weeks without a care in the world? He’s 30 years old, doesn’t have a full-time job, but found the need to bum around Palm Beach for six weeks,” Jane said, shaking her head in annoyance as she handed her sister a freshly poured glass of wine. “Seriously, I mean, talk about an easy life. What kind of stress does a person like that have? Which socks go with his leather loafers?”
Ali couldn’t help chuckling, even though she knew her sister was annoyed. “Hey, it pays to have parents with loads of money,” Ali answered. “I didn’t know his older brothers during high school because I was never friends with them and they were upperclassmen, but, come on, Jane… Austin would walk the hallways in school like we should all be thanking him for gracing us with his presence. Problem was, you fell for it… and I didn’t,” she shrugged with a knowing look, as only a sister can do.
Jane remembered. She remembered perfectly. The four Drew brothers were the guys that every girl in high school wanted to date. They were handsome, rich, outgoing, athletic - the entire package. What made them stand out so much was that they were all close in age. Austin was one year older than Jane and Ali, the Drew twins were two years older than them, and the oldest brother, who was three years older, was a senior when Jane and Ali were freshmen. As much as they were all gorgeous, there had always been something extra special about Austin. He always stood out and she fell for it.
“And, Jane, don’t forget,” Ali went on, “not trying to toss gas on the flames, but I tried to warn you about working for the Drew family. Everyone knows Mr. and Mrs. Drew work hard, nobody can deny what they’ve been able to build and accomplish, but their boys have certainly reaped the benefits,” Ali said in a matter-of-fact tone. “At least that’s how it appears. And, I imagine, like most families, the kids come first.”
“I know, Ali,” Jane replied, remembering Ali talking to her about working for a family business when the job first opened. “The thing is, though, Mr. and Mrs. Drew have treated me fairly and generously for the last three months. And I absolutely love my job. Not to mention that the pay is incredible. I couldn’t top that salary anywhere else in the state. The only problem is now Austin Drew is in the picture, and he will be working with me,” Jane said as she grabbed an elastic band from her wrist and tossed her long, dark hair into a messy bun on top of her head.
