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“I was busy looking for another job. I wanted to have good news, not bad.”
He’d always been there for her. One of her earliest memories was of Matt picking her up when she’d fallen on her face in the sand. He’d brushed off the sand, scooped her up and carried her to the sea to make her laugh.
The only reason her parents had agreed to let her go to college in New York was because they’d trusted Matt to watch over her. At first he’d taken that responsibility a little too seriously and they’d had a few fights.
Gradually they’d learned to compromise, but he still had a tendency to ride to her rescue.
Some men were born protectors and Matt was one of those.
His fingers were firm on her shoulder. “I’m here to cushion the bad news. That’s what big brothers are for. Do you want me to go and punch your boss?”
&n
bsp; “No, but if I met Chase Adams I’d punch him myself.” She was horrified by how close she was to tears.
“What does Chase Adams have to do with this?” Jake shrugged off his jacket and sprawled on the nearest chair. He reminded her of a lion or a tiger, always able to make himself comfortable regardless of his surroundings.
“He’s the reason Matilda was fired and why we’ve all been laid off. With no warning.” Paige pulled away from Matt and gave them the briefest of details. “Who does that? Who fires a kind, good person for one mistake?”
“Are you sure of your facts?” Jake picked up a plate. “Because that doesn’t sound like Chase.” His eyes were gray and they made her think of mountain mists and wood smoke.
“You know him?”
“We both know him.” Matt sat down and Claws immediately leaped onto his lap. “I did some work on one of his properties and I agree with Jake. That doesn’t sound like him.”
Jake examined a bowl of chopped raw vegetables and pulled a face. “Don’t you guys have anything unhealthy to eat? Greasy burger? Fries?”
“I could rustle you up an arsenic dip,” Eva said sweetly, and Paige scowled at Jake.
“We’ve lost our jobs and you’re thinking of your stomach?”
“I’m a man.” Jake ignored the raw vegetables and added some olives and garlic bread to his plate. “There are two body parts that dominate my mind for most of the day, my stomach and my—”
“You’re not funny.”
“And you’re uptight. You need to loosen up.”
His words stung. “Well, forgive me for caring that I lost my job.” She rubbed her hands over her arms. “I trusted that company with my future and they betrayed that trust. I worked hard, I exceeded all my targets and yet they do this. I thought I had some control over my future and it turns out I had none.”
After Cynthia had delivered the news, she’d gone in search of Frankie and Eva and found them in the same position as her.
* * *
IN THEIR BROWNSTONE, Frankie rented the garden apartment, Paige and Eva shared the first floor, and Matt had the top two floors. It was the perfect arrangement, except she knew from the stiff set of Frankie’s shoulders she was worried about how long she’d be able to afford the rent, even at the friendly rate Matt charged. They were all well aware that it was her brother’s generosity that allowed them to live in this part of Brooklyn. Other people her age were living in the equivalent of a shoe box. But living somewhere else would have meant more parental anxiety so she’d accepted his generosity and vowed to pay him back.
At this rate, that moment was going to be a long way off.
She flopped down on a cushion opposite Jake.
Claws purred and stretched out on Matt’s lap.
“The chosen one,” Frankie murmured. “That cat has serious issues.”
“That’s what makes her interesting.” Matt’s fingers brushed lightly over the cat’s fur. “I know you’re all feeling bruised right now, but you’ll find other jobs.” His shirt was rolled back to his elbows and Paige noticed the scratches on his skin.
“Did Claws do that?”
“A bad-tempered holly bush. It wasn’t supposed to be my job but one of my staff was sick.”
