Page 111 of Center Sneak

“Hey,” I try to say calmly. I lean forward in my chair as I place my hand over his.

“We had lost Dad six months before, and I was so lost. I was drowning in grief and feelings that I didn’t know I had. Being a teenager sucks as it is, but losing someone close to you so young sucks even more.”

He nods because he knows. He was thirteen when Dad died.

“I had no idea what to do. I was just so sad all the time, and then I got a job, and I made a little money, and I found a little happiness in my life. And then there was this older guy who was interested in me. He showered me with so much attention that I desperately needed at the time. I was happy every time I went to work.”

I’ve never talked with Sebastian about this before, especially since, at the time, he was barely a teenager, and we weren’t nearly as close back then as we are now.

“I wanted to hold onto those moments of happiness. When Joel asked me out, I thought I was special and cool. An older guy interested in little old me? Well, we all know how that turned out. I was so head over heels for him, at least I thought I was. Nothing could convince me otherwise. Nothing,” I say firmly so he starts to believe it.

He lifts his head an inch. “I know that, but I could have done something in college or when I was on my rookie contract and had big money. I should have stepped in.”

“You did step in,” I remind him.

“Too late.” He drops his head.

“Hey. None of that. When I was drifting away and icing you out, you stayed connected. You called. You reminded me that you were there. And then you were. When I finally accepted, you did not hesitate. You bought me a plane ticket for that night.” I laugh about that moment now, because he had no idea the mess he was getting into when I arrived.

“You stepped in when it mattered most and helped me pick up all the pieces of my life. Heck, you even created an entire foundation for me to not only protect me, but so many other women too.” I pause for a second to let those words sink in before I continue. “Thank you for changing my life for the better. I found such a large purpose with the foundation that I didn’t know I needed. I thought it would be hard to do, but it has been so healing for me. You are absolutely amazing, and the best brother a girl can ask for.” I choke up on my last sentence, because it’s true. I don’t think I’ve ever articulated that to him before.

“Do you mean that?” His eyes are wet around the corners.

“Every word. I hope you don’t feel guilty because there’s absolutely no reason for it.”

“Okay,” he says, his voice small.

“Okay? Don’t make me start a foundation for you now to cheer you up,” I tease.

He grins. “How about we just keep the one but grow and expand it to help even more women outside of Boston too?”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, starting with the Cape property that you toured in October. I just got a call from the realtor. It’s ours if we want it. You in?”

“Absolutely!” I don’t hesitate. After we toured and placed an offer, we heard crickets. We were under the impression the property owner changed his mind and delisted it. We hadn’t even toured anything after, because we couldn’t find anything that quite compared.

“This is amazing,” I state out loud in awe. My mind is spinning. “We are going to help so many people on the Cape too.” He leans in and squeezes my hand.

There’s a knock on my office door and Calvin walks in ‌holding a bouquet of a dozen calla lilies.

“Hey!” I greet him with a huge smile on my face. My day is getting better and better.

He takes another step forward, fist-bumping my brother and making cordial greetings.

“I didn’t know you were coming.”

“Yeah. Big day to celebrate.”

“Oh, Sebastian told you about the offer?” I try to hide the hurt in my voice that my brother shared the news with his best friend over me, his foundation partner, but I guess I’ll have to accept that I may never be first in anything.

His eyes cross, looking at both of us with confusion. “What offer?”

Huh, so he didn’t tell him first after all.

“We are accepting the offer for the property on Cape Cod. The Good WIN Foundation is expanding.”

“Congratulations!” He shakes Sebastian’s hand, but his eyes are on me as he says it.