and into her room, closing the door behind her and pressing her computer’s on button while sinking into her chair.
She knew Cole meant well, but honestly. She wasn’t a kid. She put her feet up on her desk and grimaced. Okay, maybe she still acted a little like a kid sometimes. She slowly lowered her feet back to the floor.
But then, there were a lot of people in her particular field who were like her. She was a computer geek, but she also made her money with computers, so it was acceptable. She clicked the icon for her favorite game and started loading up a campaign that was already in progress. Before she was able to transition from the waiting room to the map, there was a knock on her door. “Come in.”
The door opened and Cade was there, leaning against the frame. “Hey.”
“Hi.” She looked down. She didn’t really want to talk to Cade right now. It would only stab her conscience. But he was being nice, and she didn’t want to be a jerk during the rare moment when he wasn’t.
“Sorry about Cole. You know how he gets.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“And while I tend to express it more by busting your chops, I understand how he feels.”
“You?”
“You’re our baby sister. I know it was scary as hell for you to lose mom like we did. And I know it was scarier to lose dad too. To have no one. You were so young, and . . . and I can’t imagine what it felt like being left with just . . . us. But from our point of view? We were all you had and we were just a couple of dumbass guys. Me, a skanky rodeo cowboy, and Cole, with the dysfunctional marriage and do-gooder complex. We weren’t fit for you, Lark. And we knew it. And you have no idea how terrifying that is. So we tried to compensate.”
“You were hardly ever here.”
“I was making good money, and you know it wasn’t just for me.”
She nodded mutely.
“And Cole . . . Cole stayed married to that witch way longer than he should have because he was trying to do the right thing. Because he was trying to be enough.”
“He should have asked me. Because I would have told him to ditch the bitch.”
Cade laughed. “Yeah. Thank God he finally did.”
“And thank God for Kelsey, who generally keeps Cole’s focus off of me.”
“The point is, I know Cole is a pain, but I know how he feels too. You were our responsibility starting at a young age, and sort of like obnoxious parents, it’s hard for us to let go.”
Lark bit her lip, guilt rolling through her. “Yeah, I know . . . I do know that it’s hard. You guys are all I have too. I know how suddenly you can lose family. I know how quickly life can get upended. Something happens and everything changes. That’s one reason I’ve been happy staying here. One reason I haven’t wanted to leave. Because I know family is precious, and you guys are all the family I have.” Her throat tightened.
She felt like a worm. A gross, slimy, sibling-betraying worm.
Except what choice did she have? If she didn’t follow through, she had no doubt that Quinn would show up here, smug and jackassy and demanding payment for the broken deal. She would look like an idiot, and he would get money from her family.
At least this way he wasn’t taking money from the Mitchells, and he wasn’t giving money to them either. He would have to pay a Mitchell for doing damn fine work. That was something, anyway.
“And we love you and stuff, which is where the attitude comes from sometimes.”
“Thanks, Cade.”
He put his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, well. Don’t tell anyone about this little moment of sincerity. It’ll damage my rep.”
“I won’t let anyone know you were decent for five minutes, don’t worry.”
He winked. “Thanks.” Then he straightened and closed her door. She shut her eyes and listened to his footsteps, uneven and heavy thanks to his limp, as he went down the hall.
Yes, she was a worm. But a worm in a binding contract, so there was really nothing she could do about
She knew Cole meant well, but honestly. She wasn’t a kid. She put her feet up on her desk and grimaced. Okay, maybe she still acted a little like a kid sometimes. She slowly lowered her feet back to the floor.
But then, there were a lot of people in her particular field who were like her. She was a computer geek, but she also made her money with computers, so it was acceptable. She clicked the icon for her favorite game and started loading up a campaign that was already in progress. Before she was able to transition from the waiting room to the map, there was a knock on her door. “Come in.”
The door opened and Cade was there, leaning against the frame. “Hey.”
“Hi.” She looked down. She didn’t really want to talk to Cade right now. It would only stab her conscience. But he was being nice, and she didn’t want to be a jerk during the rare moment when he wasn’t.
“Sorry about Cole. You know how he gets.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“And while I tend to express it more by busting your chops, I understand how he feels.”
“You?”
“You’re our baby sister. I know it was scary as hell for you to lose mom like we did. And I know it was scarier to lose dad too. To have no one. You were so young, and . . . and I can’t imagine what it felt like being left with just . . . us. But from our point of view? We were all you had and we were just a couple of dumbass guys. Me, a skanky rodeo cowboy, and Cole, with the dysfunctional marriage and do-gooder complex. We weren’t fit for you, Lark. And we knew it. And you have no idea how terrifying that is. So we tried to compensate.”
“You were hardly ever here.”
“I was making good money, and you know it wasn’t just for me.”
She nodded mutely.
“And Cole . . . Cole stayed married to that witch way longer than he should have because he was trying to do the right thing. Because he was trying to be enough.”
“He should have asked me. Because I would have told him to ditch the bitch.”
Cade laughed. “Yeah. Thank God he finally did.”
“And thank God for Kelsey, who generally keeps Cole’s focus off of me.”
“The point is, I know Cole is a pain, but I know how he feels too. You were our responsibility starting at a young age, and sort of like obnoxious parents, it’s hard for us to let go.”
Lark bit her lip, guilt rolling through her. “Yeah, I know . . . I do know that it’s hard. You guys are all I have too. I know how suddenly you can lose family. I know how quickly life can get upended. Something happens and everything changes. That’s one reason I’ve been happy staying here. One reason I haven’t wanted to leave. Because I know family is precious, and you guys are all the family I have.” Her throat tightened.
She felt like a worm. A gross, slimy, sibling-betraying worm.
Except what choice did she have? If she didn’t follow through, she had no doubt that Quinn would show up here, smug and jackassy and demanding payment for the broken deal. She would look like an idiot, and he would get money from her family.
At least this way he wasn’t taking money from the Mitchells, and he wasn’t giving money to them either. He would have to pay a Mitchell for doing damn fine work. That was something, anyway.
“And we love you and stuff, which is where the attitude comes from sometimes.”
“Thanks, Cade.”
He put his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, well. Don’t tell anyone about this little moment of sincerity. It’ll damage my rep.”
“I won’t let anyone know you were decent for five minutes, don’t worry.”
He winked. “Thanks.” Then he straightened and closed her door. She shut her eyes and listened to his footsteps, uneven and heavy thanks to his limp, as he went down the hall.
Yes, she was a worm. But a worm in a binding contract, so there was really nothing she could do about
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