“Did you just pop off the button of your pants?”

Lillie’s face flamed as she looked down at the waistband of her black slacks now missing a button. “Whoops,” she said and pushed open the glass door to the architecture firm where she worked. Her older brother reached around her to hold the door open as she walked through. “I knew that button was loose.”

Jarrett rolled his eyes as he followed her inside. “Are you sure you didn’t just over-indulge at the potluck at church last Sunday?” he asked.

She gasped as she sat down at the front desk. “How rude! Are you implying I’m fat?”

He held up his hands. “No! I promise.” Then he chuckled. “I just happened to notice three slices of chocolate cake on your plate.”

“Hey, I’ve been going to the gym. Look at these guns,” she said and curled both biceps, her sleeveless pink sundress leaving them bare. She frowned at the lack of definition and cut her eyes at her brother. When he snickered, she narrowed her eyes. “Okay. Let’s see yours.” When he looked away and whistled, she made a tsking noise. “He can dish it out, but he can’t take it,” she said. “Anyway, get out of here. I told you that you didn’t need to walk me all the way in from lunch. I come here every day.” Lillie opened the top right drawer of her glossy, cherry wood desk—part of the tasteful set she’d helped the manager pick out when they moved to the downtown location—and found a safety pin for her pants.

Jarrett plopped down in one of the waiting area chairs. “With the trial coming up, you know the reporters are going to start hounding us again soon.”

Lillie struggled to fasten her waistband with the safety pin as she responded, “I know, but I can handle it.” A handful of dark, curly hair sprang free from her hair clip and fell over her forehead. She blew out of the side of her mouth at it as she clasped the safety pin. “Fix one problem and find another.” She straightened and shoved the hair behind her ear. “The humidity is killing me with this.”

Jarrett rolled his shoulders and sat back. “I do like this office better than the last one.”

She scowled and said, “Thank you for lunch, but don’t you need to get back to work?”

He shrugged. “I took the day off.”

“You took… What’s going on, Jarrett?”

“Nothing. Just needed to do some stuff and wanted to take my baby sister out for lunch while I was out and about,” he replied.

“Okay, well, I have work to do now so why don’t you go do your stuff now.” Lillie waved a dismissive hand and continued, “I know you think my job is just sitting here, but I have things to do.”

He sat forward, elbows on knees. “Like what?” he asked.

“Like I need to work through our accounts receivables today and then manage our accounts payable. Gotta pay the rent, the electric, the bribes. You know. Things.”

“Tell James he needs to change your title,” Jarrett said.

Lillie grinned and said, “Tell him yourself.” She pointed behind Jarrett to her boss, James. Ex-special forces, the head of the firm looked more like a mythic warrior than an architect. He extended a hand to Jarrett. “Hey, man. What are you doing here?”

Jarrett shook his hand and said, “Just took Lillie to lunch and wanted to make sure she got in okay.”

Lillie rubbed her temples with her fingertips as she grumbled, “I will not kill my brother. I will not kill my brother.”

James chortled. “I think your baby sister can handle herself,” he said then narrowed his eyes.

“Here we go,” Jarrett muttered. “I knew the reporters would start soon.”

Lillie glanced through the glass doors of the office suite. A tall, broad man with a headful of near-black hair and startling blue eyes stepped out of the elevators. He wore a pair of khaki pants and a white button up shirt. She saw his eyes land on the stenciled writing on the door. He bee-lined for the office. Lillie tried to place him. He didn’t look like a local reporter—she’d already turned down interviews with all of them. And she’d remember a guy that good-looking asking for an interview. Chiseled features, strong jaw, full mouth. His nose was just a little crooked, though. Obviously broken at some point. Otherwise, he would have looked like a Superman-action figure.

He strode into the office and took in the trio. When he hesitated, Lillie said, “Welcome to Everston and Associates. Can I help you?”

The man cleared his throat. “Yes,” he said. “At least I hope so, but I don’t mean to interrupt. I can wait.”

Lillie fought a goofy smile at his Scottish accent. “There’s no help for these two,” she told him giving her boss and brother each a warning look. The men both crossed their arms and waited for the newcomer to state his business. “Do you have an appointment?” she asked.

“No,” he replied, eyeing the others and shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “I’m actually looking for Lillie Taylor.”

Lillie’s shoulders slumped. “No comment as usual. I’m not interested in an interview.” She pointed to the door. “Thank you, anyway.”

The man blinked. “No, I’m not here for—”

Jarrett swept past the visitor and held the door open. “Have a nice day,” he drawled. Lillie thought Jarrett never sounded more Southern than when he was annoyed.

The man didn’t budge. “I don’t know what you mean about an interview. I’m here on behalf of a friend,” he explained. “My name is Isaac Thayne.”

Jarrett’s jaw tightened. “You need to leave now.”

The Scottish man tilted his head. “You must be Jarrett Taylor.”

Lillie stood and asked, “What’s going on?”

Jarrett continued to hold the door open as he said, “I told you the same thing I told his attorney. No.”

“Whose attorney?” Lillie asked. “Who is this guy? Not a reporter?”

Isaac Thayne shook his head. “No,” he replied. “Not a reporter. I work with your father.”

Lillie felt the blood drain from her face. Her voice just above a whisper, she said, “That’s not funny.”

Jarrett’s voice was also low when he said, “You need to leave, Thayne.”

James took a step closer to Lillie, putting an arm around her shoulders. She leaned against her friend and glared at Isaac. Indecision clouded his eyes as he looked back at her. “Ms. Taylor, I’m not talking about who you knew as your father. I’m talking about your biological father.”

Bethanie Alongi

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