“Just Ethan, please,” I remind her for the second time today.
Also for the second time today, I remind myself to contact the temp agency and let them know I won’t be extending Adrianna’s contract after the end of the month.
She giggles. The sound is like a cheese grater applied directly to my already frayed nerve endings. “Right, of course… Ethan.”
Adrianna sets the report on my desk. I asked her to email it but should have known that she’ll find any reason to barge into my office.
“And here’s another coffee.” She sets the cup down on my desk a little too enthusiastically, making some coffee slosh over the brim. “I noticed your last one went cold on you.”
Yes, because I’m not convinced that it wasn’t full of wet asphalt.
I’m about to remind her for the millionth time that she doesn’t need to fetch coffee for me. I’d prefer that she focuson… whatever it is that she’s doing out there. Murdering trees to print unnecessary reports, apparently. I make a mental note to have our nonprofit division look into hosting a tree planting ceremony.
“Uncle Ethan!” a tiny voice interrupts.
Sophia starts toward my desk, holding a few colorful pages out in front of her, but slows to a stop when she sees Adrianna. Her shyness kicks in at the sight of a stranger in my office, and she turns back to her mom for reassurance.
Unfortunately, Adrianna doesn’t exactly help the situation. Planting her hands on her hips, she glares at Rachel and snaps, “Do you have an appointment? Mr. North is very busy.”
Rachel directs a quizzical look at me while Sophia curls into her mother’s leg.
“It’s fine, Adrianna,” I say, exasperated. “Can you please just close the door on your way out?”
Indignancy flashes across Adrianna’s face. The way her mouth pops open then clamps shut reminds me of a fish. She straightens her cardigan, then practically stomps out of the room.
“Sorry about that,” I mutter, motioning for Rachel to take a seat.
With Adrianna gone, Sophia perks up and rounds the desk to give me a hug. She hands me a drawing she made of a bright blue and orange striped cat.
“Wow, did you draw this?” I ask her. It’s a big step up from the turtle she drew a few months ago.
She nods excitedly. “Margot taught me how! I made this one for her.” Sophia hands me the second drawing, which is an identical cat in pink and purple.
My face falls, along with my stomach. I remember that day; it was the same week we went to Aspen. Rachel was in a hurry to get to a doctor’s appointment when she dropped Sophia offfor lunch, but I was stuck on a call. Margot kept Sophia busy drawing animals on some printer paper at her desk.
Every mention of Margot, every thought of her feels like a dagger sinking into my skin. Of course, this does absolutely nothing to stop me from thinking of her a million times a day. Every little thing reminds me of her. At work, at home—there’s no escape. She’s woven so deeply into every facet of my life and every inch of my heart that I can’t go even an hour without thinking of her. And by the end of the day, I’m more puncture wounds than person.
I stare wistfully out the glass wall at Margot’s old desk, currently occupied by the obnoxious temp. Rachel’s eyes follow my gaze then settle back on me. Her voice is cautious when she asks, “Where’s Margot?”
Peeling my gaze away from her old desk, I clear my throat. “She transferred to another department.”
“Oh,” Rachel says, clearly surprised. “That’s too bad. I really liked her.”
I nod vaguely.
She pauses for a moment. “And it seemed like the two of you were… close.” Something flickers in her eyes—maybe knowledge, or maybe just suspicion.
“You know about us,” I surmise. “Did my brother say something?”
Margot was never meant to be a secret. I just needed time to figure things out. And now, it seems all I have is time.
Rachel’s laugh is quiet and subdued. “Garrett? No, he barely says a word to me.”
That tracks. Garrett has always been less accepting of Silas’s behavior than the rest of us. He didn’t exactly approve of the messy situation between our oldest brother, Rachel, and me. But he’ll do anything for me and my parents, which means puttinghis own feelings aside and welcoming Rachel and Sophia back into the family now that they’re living in Denver.
“I see the way you look at Margot though, Ethan.” A hesitant smile pulls at her mouth. “I know.”
I suppose she would. Rachel saw a glimmer of that same look once. Although, what I felt for Rachel doesn’t compare to the way I feel about Margot.