Page 43 of Rayne

Chapter 15

I stay quiet at the dinner table, watching Hawk and Jett closely as we tuck into our pasta and vegetables.

I'm at the far end, staring down the middle of the table while Mom and Jett are to my left, and Dad and Hawk my right.

"Tell me about work," Dad says to Hawk. "I know it's been busy."

"Very," Hawk answers, holding his fork up. "We've landed some new contracts. It's actually helping us expand. We're setting up new offices so we have more permanent hands on the ground. It will help ease travel."

Mom beams at him from across the table. "Are you going to settle down with a more permanent location?"

He nods. "We're actually considering staying in Arizona for the foreseeable future."

I start coughing frantically, their conversation paused as they look at me.

"Are you okay?" Mom asks in concern.

"It got caught in my throat," I tell her, waving her off. "I'm fine."

Hawk looks at me knowingly, a small glint in his eye. He turns back to Mom, smiling warmly. "We'll be able to catch up more often. Maybe even take a family vacation at some stage."

My mouth drops. Neither of them look at me, but I can feel their energy radiating down the table. Those fucking assholes.

Mom looks like Christmas and Easter have come at the same time, tears pooling in her eyes. "Oh! Oh, we would just love that. We were actually talking about that recently, weren't we, Craig?"

Dad nods happily. "We said the same thing to Rayne last week."

Hawk looks at me innocently. "Wow, what a coincidence."

"Yes," I grunt. "A huge coincidence."

"We must be on the same wavelength," Jett laughs, elbowing Mom playfully. "Can't wait."

Dad looks over at me, frowning. "You okay, kiddo? You're a bit quiet today."

I nod. "I'm just tired. I didn't get much sleep last night." My gaze flicks to Jett, his eyes dancing as he smiles at me.

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Rayne. Hopefully you manage to get some rest tonight," he says.

My teeth grind and I look down, picking at my pasta. "Me too. Hopefully everything goes according to plan and I don't get disturbed."

"Disturbed?" Dad asks, and I cringe internally.

"Loud neighbors," I answer casually. "Nothing major."

He nods, accepting my answer. "Well, definitely try to get some sleep. It sounds like you have a big work week coming up."

"I do," I sigh. "Juggling two attorneys is a little exhausting."

"Juggling two people would be," Hawk answers. "Takes a really special person to handle it."

I slowly raise my head to peer at him, tilting my head. "It depends on the people as well, I suppose. Thankfully I love what I do and find work rewarding."

There's a challenge to my tone—my need to prove that I'm not stuck in boring routines in a career that will never advance.

Hawk smiles. "As long as you are happy. That's all we can ask for. Right, Mom?" he says, turning to look at her.

Mom nods. "I just want all my babies to be happy. I'm proud of all of you."

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