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“I survived my first week with my new job,” Gwen started chatting, while holding her sister’s hand and gently stroking the back of it with her thumb. “Mr. Seavey is a little cold and I have no clue if I’m doing everything to his liking. I just hope it’s a sign that I’m doing good, but I can’t read him very well. Tomorrow I’ll meet his brothers, who also own the agency. I’m a little scared and hope they are nothing like him.” She giggled a little. “I’m not even sure how to address them all. Mr. Seavey One, Two, and Three, I guess. I’m sure they won’t allow me to use their first names.”
She leaned her head against Evangeline’s shoulder and looked out on the garden. It was beautiful as always. A small group was out in the back gardening and planting new flowers.
“I had a little scare Friday, though. There was a misunderstanding and Mr. Seavey thought I’d given him the wrong information, even though it was the information that I’d been given. He was mad and for a split second I thought I would lose the job. I stood my ground and he seemed to calm down.”
Her voice broke and she stared out into the garden. She wasn’t sure how long they’d been sitting there but at some point, the shade had moved, and the sun was burning down on them, unusually hot for this time of the year. She pushed Evangeline back inside and into her room where Gwen started to unpack her toiletries and put them away in the bathroom.
She returned with a brush and hair bands and started to comb Evangeline’s hair. It was something she hadn’t done in a long time, but they’d always braided each other’s hair when they were younger. Tears started to run down her cheeks as she started to weave the strands together. This was ridiculous. She knew her sister was no longer present, yet Gwen couldn’t stop herself from trying to get some of her back.
When she finished, she went to the bathroom and wiped her tears away before taking Evangeline to join everyone for lunch. Gwen insisted on hooking up Evangeline’s feeding tube herself before kissing her goodbye.
While walking out she heard Stacy call for her.
Gwen turned and saw her head pop out of an office.
“We’re planning on celebrating Evangeline’s birthday on Saturday.”
“What time?”
“In the afternoon around three o’clock?”
“I might have to work but I’ll definitely try to come.”
“Perfect. Are you still a fan of chocolate cake?”
Gwen grinned. “Yes.”
“Well, we hope you can make it.” Stacy waved goodbye before stepping back into the office.
As Gwen started the engine of the car, tears started running down her cheeks yet again, leaving salty streaks in their wake.She knew she was just torturing herself by coming here and pretending her sister was still in there somewhere, but she couldn’t help herself. She was so close yet so far away. It had been eight years since the accident, but Gwen still hadn’t fully processed it.
By the time she arrived at the Seavey property, her tears had ceased but her eyes were burning. Not wanting them to see her like this she kept her head down and quickly walked inside. The rest of the afternoon was a mixture of work, reading books, and cooking. Her mind was still with Evangeline, so she tried to occupy herself and not think of her.
***
Six
The next morning, Gwen woke up with a nervous feeling in her stomach. Today she would meet the other Seavey brothers and it made her feel sick. She was terrified of the thought of both of them being just like Amon. She cringed because it felt wrong even thinking of him by his first name. She printed out all three schedules, grabbed her notepad, pen, and the estimates before heading towards the office.
She timidly stepped inside. Mr. Seavey–Amon–sat behind his desk. Her gaze, though, was immediately pulled to the man sitting in front of him on one of the chairs. His eyes were a dark green, so dark they appeared brown. Dirty blond hair styled with gel framed his edgy face, his broad shoulders bulged beneath his formal shirt.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement and looked over to the window where a man with a buzz cut stood. He was tall dressed in black jeans a t-shirt, looking less formal than his brothers. His build wasn’t as broad as the other man but more muscular. He tried to look casual as he leaned against the window frame, but Gwen could see that he was tense, not moving a muscle.
She turned back to the desk, not sure who she should look at. “Good morning.”
The man with the dark green eyes smiled as he eyed her curiously. “I was hoping to meet you today, Ms. Moore. I’m glad I can finally put a face to the wonderful emails I’ve received this past week.”
She couldn’t help but blush as relief washed over her. He seemed so much friendlier than Mr. Seavey. She stepped closer and laid Mr. Seavey’s schedule on the desk. He briefly glanced over it before looking back up.
She then turned to the man next to her and looked down at the schedules trying to figure out who he was. His face changed to amusement as he leaned closer and took the schedules out of her hands.
“This one is mine,” he said as he looked down at the one that she’d made for Rayen Seavey.
He laid the other on the edge of the desk closest to the window. Silas didn’t move, only stared at her with unwavering deep blue eyes. She wasn’t even sure if he was breathing, his chest hardly moved an inch.
She looked away and down at the estimates for the lawn work. “I’ve also received all three estimates for the garden work that you’ve asked for, Mr. Seavey,” she said as she handed him the papers.
He took them and glanced down at the papers. “I’ll inform you of our decision.”
