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“Sorry to drag you into family business, Gray,” Marnie said with embarrassment. “It’s just that we worry about our Sophie here. Always a free spirit. She’s spent the past few years being a barfly and giving us heart palpitations worrying about her getting shot up by some alcoholic motorcycle ruffians.”
Will caught Sophie’s eye and mouthed, Motorcycle ruffians?
“It wasn’t that bad, Mom,” Sophie ground out. “Can we talk about this later?”
But Sophie’s father wasn’t ready to drop it. “Your sister said you were job hunting. Surely you didn’t quit one job before you had another lined up?”
Sophie took a gulp of her wine.
“Oh, Sophie,” her mother breathed in the tone known as Great Disappointment.
“I think it’s great,” Will said loyally. “Soph’ll find something in no time.”
“Says the man who’s been self-employed since age sixteen and only has to worry about himself,” Brynn muttered.
“Not everyone needs a laminated life plan to tell them what underwear to wear and what job to take,” Will snapped back.
“At least I wear underwear,” Brynn swiped back.
Gray looked puzzled at the vehemence of Brynn and Will’s snapping. Don’t try to make sense of it, Sophie thought. They hate each other just for breathing.
“More dessert?” Sophie asked the group brightly. All she wanted to do was head home and cry into a bubble bath. It was an especially practical idea since she probably couldn’t afford tissues or her water bill. Her tears could just fill the tub.
“Hey, Gray,” Brynn was saying in a thoughtful voice. “Didn’t you say your new secretary backed out at the last minute?”
Sophie’s eyes flew to her sister at the random change in subject. Nothing about Brynn was ever random. Sophie went on high alert, and allowed herself a brief look at Gray. He too looked wary.
Well…more wary, anyway.
“Yes,” he replied stiffly. “Laura was supposed to start tomorrow, but her fiancé received a job offer in Atlanta that they couldn’t pass up.”
“So you’re short a staff member,” Brynn pressed. “Going to be pretty tough to be CEO if you’re trying to answer your own phone.”
Oh no. No no no. Fire alarms started blaring in Sophie’s head.
“Brynn,” she began in a warning tone.
But her sister ignored her and remained fixed on Gray. “Well, I was just thinking…you’re short an assistant, and Sophie’s short a job.”
Sophie saw the moment Gray realized what Brynn was up to. His eyes widened in horror.
Yeah. Exactly.
“Brynn…” she said again.
Again, her sister ignored her plea. “Sophie can easily adapt to the professional world. Sure she’s done mostly restaurant stuff for a few years, but back in college she spent a couple years as a temp receptionist, and she had a great internship during law school.”
Gray’s eyes flew to hers. “You went to law school?”
“Dropout,” Sophie said sweetly.
“But still,” Brynn pressed. “She would be a fantastic assistant.”
Gray continued to look a little dazed by Brynn’s suggestion. Even Sophie’s parents were staring at their oldest daughter in puzzlement, no doubt wondering why Brynn was trying to push Sophie’s mediocrity onto her new perfect boyfriend.
“You’re being a control freak,” Will told Brynn.
“I’m being helpful,” Brynn corrected, before leaning expectantly toward Gray. “So what do you think? You can at least give her a chance, right?”
