The Secretary and Her Boss

Chapter 30

I stood at the pier's edge, fingers trailing worn grooves in the wooden railing, watching my brothers attempt to teach Laurence how to fish off of the edge— because of course they were.

It was strange. The sight of my brothers and Laurence together on the pier. Two pieces of my life that I never thought would go together, blending in a swirl in the afternoon sun and sea air like it was the most natural thing in the world. He was the first guy my brothers had met who truly connected with them.  It felt precious. A rarity that made the moment that much more beautiful because of how uncommon it was.

After attempting to reel in a very large fish and watching the fish line break, sending it splashing back into the water to a chorus of my brother's cries of dismay, Laurence excused himself and came over to stand with me as they tried again. Shouting orders at each other, scrambling for the lone fishing pole like it was a prize.

"Hello," Laurence said as he leaned his arms across the railing.

"Hi," I replied.

We were both quiet for a moment as we watched my brothers.

"They like you," I said as Finn got a fish into a waiting water bucket. Jack slapped Finn's back in congratulations and nearly sent him flying over the pier railing with the fish.

Laurence actually smiled, his eyes still on the sight of my brothers. "I like them too." He swallowed, seeming to soak in the sight before turning to look at me. "I'm sorry I missed lunch."

"I'm not, " I said, eyes out on the water, thinking about how Laurence would have been closed off if he had witnessed his brother attempting to blackmail information out of my ex-boyfriend about me. "This was better."

I smiled to myself and patted the side of my dress where a hidden pocket full of cash sat. "I mean, how often can a girl make money off all her brothers like that?"

Laurence smiled out at the water, his easy demeanor still close. "I couldn't disappoint you. And the look on Jack's face was worth it."

"Thanks... for wanting to meet them," I said, my voice so quiet that it was nearly impossible to hear over the sound of the waves below.

"They are important to you," he said softly, the words— 'and you are important to me' felt like they were just out of reach, unsaid but hanging between us like a crackle of energy.

"They have the type of relationship that I wish I had with Cater," Laurence said surprising me, his eyes back on my brothers. "They are so comfortable together." His tone was soft, heartbreaking in its vulnerability.

We both watched them try to catch the fish that had now jumped out of the bucket and was flopping its way down the pier. "They are something," I said with a smile.

I turned back to Laurence. "I'm sorry about Carter."

His eyes closed, the world vanishing for a beat, his lashes dark against his cheeks, a curtain hiding the pain inside. "I know," he said softly. 

"I wish you could have that too," I murmured.

After a beat, when his eyes continued to stay closed, I touched his cheek, waiting until his eyes fluttered open. "You can borrow my brothers anytime you want."

His cheek brushed against my fingers like a gentle caress as he smiled.

The smile was amused, soft, his lips tugging up at the sides in a way that melted my insides. That smile sent a brief flash through me. An image of a potential future.

Where Laurence comes home with me for Christmas. My brothers pulling him into their world like one of their own. A family he always wanted. His hand in mine as we sit on my family's porch as the snow falls in our yard.