“You’re right,” I nodded. “You’re our employee.”
Sean looked at Ray for support, but he received none. Ray just looked back at him impassively. I could tell from the look in his eye that Ray was worried Sean would walk. I chastised myself for losing control. As much as I hated Sean’s attitude, I knew I’d crossed a line.
“I’ll be here at eight,” Sean said. With that, he stood up and stormed from the office. We could hear his thundering footsteps all the way down the hall.
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. Ray closed his eyes for a split second. He looked exhausted. “I shouldn’t have gone off on him like that.”
“It’s okay,” Ray said. “He can be frustrating.”
“That’s an understatement,” Zach said.
“What’s his problem?” I asked. The question was more rhetorical than anything, but Zach took the opportunity and ran with it.
“His problem is that he has no respect for anyone,” Zach said. “He walks through life without a care in the world. He has no work ethic, no drive, nothing. He’s a waste of space who isn’t good for anything except riding bikes and—”
“Enough.”
Ray’s voice was soft, but firm. Zach shut up quickly. Ray fixed his eyes on his eldest son. Zach turned red and looked at the ground. I wasn’t sure what I missed, but I felt certain Ray had already warned Zach about bad mouthing his brother.
“Again,” I said. “Ray, I’m sorry for what I said to Sean. I know he’s more than an employee. If you’d like me to apologize…”
Just saying the words made my stomach churn. Even while I was apologizing to Ray, I knew I’d been right. Sean needed to be put in his place, and I was glad I did it.
“No,” Ray said. He shook his head and added, “Sean isn’t an easy person to deal with sometimes, but he has a good heart. He’s a good man. He just needs to be looked after. That’s why I want you at the photoshoot. You’ll be able to smooth out some of his rougher edges. With you there as a buffer, things won’t spin out of control.”
“So, I am a babysitter,” I chuckled.
“A little bit,” Ray admitted. “But an extremely well-paid one.”
I smiled and said my goodbyes before walking down the hall to my own office. Once inside, I pulled the door closed behind me and thought about the morning. Our meeting was short, much shorter than I expected. I never imagined it would be so intense.
As I pictured Sean’s face, I wondered if I’d made a mistake. The way Sean glared at his father and ignored his brother was almost Shakespearean. The Yates family clearly had more issues than I imagined. Their family dynamic was far beyond dysfunctional. As sure as I’d been about Sean, after that meeting, I wasn’t so sure at all. Was Sean really the best person for this job? Or had I royally screwed up by bringing him on?
CHAPTER NINE
Sean
After I picked Paisley up from camp, I did my best to put the meeting behind me. Seeing my brother for the first time since everything happened made my entire body feel like it was engulfed in flames. The second I saw him, a million unpleasant memories flooded my mind, and I remembered everything I hated about him. He sat there in our father’s office like he owned the place. I had to fight the urge to strangle him on sight.
I knew I behaved poorly. Tara was right to snap, but it didn’t make me feel any better. When I stormed out of there, I seriously considered never going back. It would have been so easy to just drive home and never go back to Phoenix again. I knew I could get shifts at the repair shop anytime I wanted. I could even pick up some side gigs and maybe I would be able to make enough money…
The second I saw Paisley, all those thoughts disappeared. This job was too good to pass up. No amount of hatred toward my brother could keep me from doing what was best for Paisley. She deserved everything I could give her, and with this job, I could give her anything she could ever want.
The next morning, Paisley woke up early. She was already dressed and waiting by the door by the time I walked into the living room.
“Wow,” I said lamely. “You’re up early today.”
“Yeah,” Paisley said.
“Excited for camp?”
“Yup.”
“I made your lunch last night,” I said. “It’s all ready for you.”
“Thanks.”
“How ‘bout some breakfast?” I asked. Paisley just shrugged so I went into the kitchen and poured us each a bowl of cereal. When I walked back into the living room, Paisley was already sitting on the couch waiting for me. I smiled and handed her the bowl.
She shoveled the cereal in her mouth too quickly. I thought she was going to choke, but I didn’t say anything. I wondered if she was too hungry. Did I not feed her a big enough dinner the night before? I shook my head at the thought. She’d been eating better lately. Those first few days after Claire’s accident were rough, but she was slowly getting her appetite back. I told myself not to question things.
“So, I was thinking maybe I could drive you to camp this morning,” I said casually. I took a bite of my cereal without looking at her. I didn’t want her to think it was a big deal in case she got spooked and lashed out again.
“Hayden’s mom takes me,” Paisley said simply. Her voice was firm, but she didn’t sound angry.
“I know,” I nodded. “I just thought it might be fun for me to take you.”
“I don’t want you to,” she said. She ate more of her cereal, and I let the subject drop. My heart felt like it was in my stomach, but I bit my tongue. I would try again tomorrow.
“That’s okay,” I said. My voice sounded normal and I was grateful. “I’ll just pick you up after.”
“At four,” she said.
“At four.”
There was a short honk outside. Paisley and I looked over to see Helen’s car pull into the driveway.
“Gotta go,” Paisley said. She handed me her bowl and grabbed her bag.
“Don’t forget your lunch,” I said. “It’s in the fridge.”
Paisley ran to the kitchen to get her lunch. In less than two seconds, she was back in the living room heading straight for the door. I rose off the couch to say goodbye, but she was already running outside. I sighed and walked over to close the door behind her. I watched through the window as she climbed in the car and Helen drove down the street.
Once they were gone, I sat back down to finish my breakfast, but I wasn’t hungry anymore. I didn’t expect Paisley to warm up to me immediately, but I was at a loss as to what to do. Nothing I did seemed to help her. She felt like a stranger to me. I wanted to push her, to poke and prod until she opened up, but I knew that would only do the opposite. She had to come to me in her own time.