Page 79 of The One Timer

“Sorry? You know she counts on that money.”

“How am I supposed to know that?”

“Because she’s a normal person and doesn’t come from a family with money and a company and a mansion and a billion-dollar legacy, that’s how. No one does.” I swipe my hand through my hair and meet Gran’s eyes. The twinkle has dimmed.

“Don’t worry, Chase. We’ll see that she gets paid⁠—”

“She won’t take charity. You know that.”

Katherine snaps her fingers. “We’ll say she’s on call and pay her for that. It’s reasonable.”

I don’t say what I’m thinking—that no matter how reasonable it is, Emery might not see it that way.

She’ll see it as her being dispensable, a temporary employee and not part of the family or part of our world. And there’s not a whole lot I can do to change that.

“Emery is very sensitive and proud,” Gran says. “She admires our family, but she doesn’t feel like she belongs.” I snap my attention to her, wondering how she knows, how she sees all this. But then she does spend a lot of time with Emery.

“That’s because she doesn’t belong,” Katherine says, putting up a hand to stop me from laying into her. “She is an employee and not a long term one like Uvi. She’s not part of the family or a neighbor or a family friend or schoolmate, nor does she have any kind of association with our family besides employee. So how could she possibly feel like she belongs?” She stares me down and arches a brow.

“She’s my girl, that’s how.”

“But is she? Really?”

“What the fuck—sorry Gran.” Gran nods her forgiveness and I aim all my frustration at my big mouth sister. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re together and she knows it.”

“Did you get her a Christmas Gift? Have you taken her out? Besides after a game? Seems you haven’t done much besides sleep with her⁠—”

“Fuck you, Kat. She’s more important than that. She’s no puck bunny. She’s a beautiful person, smart and generous and sassy and loyal to a fault.”

“And hard-working, too,” Gran says, a satisfied smile on her face.

“She’s a gem. So?” Katherine says.

I furrow my brows. “So? What? What am I supposed to do?”

“Claim her, my boy. Make it real,” Gran says. “Katherine, bring me the jewelry box on top of my bureau.”

Katherine does as Gran asks and I’m puzzled as fuck, but a deep fear takes hold, like I’ve lost control of my life, like something is slipping from me.

“What’s this about, Grand?”

She opens the large box and takes out a small black velvet cube and opens it. My chest pounds and I refuse to think. She turns the open box in my direction and holds it out to me.

“Take it, Chase. It’s a family heirloom. It was my mother-in-law’s ring and I’m giving it to you.”

I don’t ask why. I don’t say anything because I can’t. Emotions of every kind overwhelm me, and I feel like I took a puck to the throat.

Seconds tick off with only the sound of the grandfather clock in the silent room. Katherine stares at me with her boardroom poker face in place. Gran looks expectant.

“You expect me to give this to Em?”

“Of course. Take your time. Do it when its right, but remember, if you feel like she’s part of your life, your world, you need to make her feel the same way. Don’t take it for granted, my boy.”

“But what if…” I don’t want to finish the thought, the reason for the large dose of fear mixed in with my emotions, causing all the chaos.

“What’s the alternative?” she says. We both know the answer. The alternative is that I lose her if I don’t man up and claim her. I may lose her anyway, but I need to make the effort. Losing by default is the worst way to go. It means you didn’t even try, a true loser.

And I’m no loser.