Page 7 of The Trouble with Flings

She eyes me over her wineglass. “You’re either very humble or very sheltered.”

“Probably both,” I admit. “I hate leaving the island. My family had to twist my arm to get me to come here, but now I’m glad I came.”

She smiles, soaking in the compliment. “I’m glad you did, too. Is this conference some kind of intervention by your family?”

“You could say that.”

“Interesting,” she says curiously. “Are you a workaholic?”

“No. I enjoy my job. Working at the resort is all I’ve ever wanted to do. The resort is the heart of the community, which I care very much about. I work hard to ensure the families on the island never feel separate from it. We host holiday events and help friends and neighbors when they need it, but I have no issues with work-life balance. My family thinks I don’t let my hair down enough and I’m missing out by not exploring the world.”

She studies me as she finishes a bite of lobster, and I can tell she likes that answer. “I was going to ask what it was like growing up as a Silver on Silver Island, but it couldn’t have been bad given what you’ve said.”

“Growing up there was great. I’ve got friends I’ve known since childhood. My parents’ best friends have big families, too, and we were always together. We still are. As for being a Silver, I learned early on that our name definitely opens doors, but it also comes with a lot of responsibility and preconceived notions about who we are, which can be hard to overcome.”

“How did you manage that as a kid?” she asks.

“I worked hard to show people there’s more to me than my last name and prove I wasn’t living on handouts. I got good grades, excelled on the field and the court with the baseball and basketball teams, aced my courses in college, and busted my ass at the resort.”

I take a drink, and as I set down my glass, she says, “Impressive. A jock and a business guy. That begs the question, who is the real Fitz Silver?”

“That depends on who you ask. My brothers and sisters would say I’m the rule follower, the peacemaker, the good one.”

“And your friends?” she asks.

I have to think about that for a minute. “My friends would say I can negotiate my way in or out of any situation, and I’d give anyone the shirt off my back, but I play my cards close to my chest.”

“Women love that. It makes you mysterious.”

“You’re not wrong,” I say honestly to see how she reacts.

She doesn’t react. She simply points her fork at me and says, “You sound similar to my older sister, Mia. She keeps her personal life locked down like Fort Knox, and she always does the right thing. I swear she’s had a plan for herself since the day she was born.”

“Is that a bad thing?” I ask.

“Not for her. She’s got her dream job as the assistant to elite fashion designers. Then there’s my younger sister, Jayla—”

“The Olympic skier? Married to Rush Remington? She’s your sister?” Rush Remington is also an Olympian.

“Former Olympian, but yes. Now she does occasional sponsorships, and she’s raising her kids, Thane, who’s almost six going on thirty, and Kyleigh, who’s the most adorable three-year-old on the planet.”

“I bet they’re both adorable. I grew up with Rush’s cousins. His uncle Roddy runs the marina on the island. His family is incredibly proud of him.”

“That’s wild. I don’t know his cousins, but Rush is a great guy. He’s a do-gooder, and Jayla’s another do-right darling, like Mia, but she’s fiercely competitive and as stubborn as a mule.”

“Sounds like my youngest sister, Bellamy. She’s a lifestyle influencer with millions of followers. I swear she got where she is on sheer determination. If I ever tell her not to do something, I’d bet my life she’ll do it.”

“I think I like her,” Jennifer says.

“Most people do. Have you met Wells yet? He’s another one who got where he is on his refusal to fail.”

“I haven’t met him, but if that’s what he’s like, it makes sense he partnered with Jared and Seth. They’re the same way.”

“Yeah, Wells mentioned that. It seems like they’re a good fit. Do you see your family often?” I ask.

“I see my sisters more often than my brothers, since they live in the city. Jace splits his time between Maryland and New York. I only see him about once a month, and Jared’s always traveling from one restaurant to another. I don’t get to see him much,” she says with a hint of longing.

“That’s got to be hard, not seeing them. My oldest brother, Grant, was in the military for years, and I hated not seeing him. He’s back on the island now, and married to a great girl, Jules, and they have an adorable little boy.” I want to learn more about Jennifer, not get sidetracked by my family. There are too many skeletons in that closet, so I circle back to her. “Where do you fit in with your siblings? If Mia and Jayla are the good ones, who are you?”