Page 59 of Breaking All The Rules

I wrapped my arm tighter around Eva as the woman’s eyes filled with tears. She blotted at them before seeming to notice me.

“Hi, I’m Ethan,” I said, reaching over to shake the woman’s hand. I assumed this was her other sister, given how much they looked like each other.

“Ethan?” she confirmed, looking from me to Eva with raised eyebrows. “As in...”

“As in,the guy I work for,” Eva said through clenched teeth.

“Right...” She chuckled and shook my hand before giving Eva a dramatic wink. “I’m Gabi, Eva’s other sister. The middle child, and therefore, obviously the coolest of the three of us.”

I laughed and watched as Eva rolled her eyes.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, pulling my hand back as I caught the look Eva was giving her sister.

“Well, I think I’m going to go find coffee. Anyone want some?”

“No, thank you,” I replied as Eva shook her head no.

Once we were alone again, I turned to face Eva and studied her face.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked, reaching over to rub her knee.

“Yeah. I’m just worried about my sister.” She looked past me to the doors of the emergency room, looking to see if anyone would magically appear with an update.

“I know. I can only imagine how scared you are.”

We sat there in silence for a few minutes as I tried to comfort her the best way that I could. Suddenly, she turned to me, and her eyes went wide as if she remembered something. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone, messing with the buttons before handing it to me.

“What I was calling to tell you earlier was that I found out something about Cora. Something I think you need to know.” She pointed at the video that was paused on her phone and nodded.

I pressed play and waited for the video to start, my stomach already feeling in knots. Immediately, I noticed Kate sitting in a booth at a restaurant, laughing at something the other person had said. The camera moved slightly to the side, and I felt my blood pressure shoot through the roof as I saw Cora sitting next to her. No one else was in the video as they laughed and acted completely in love. When they leaned in for a kiss, I closed my eyes and pushed the phone away. I didn’t need to see that bullshit.

“See, they’re screwing you,” Eva said, followed by a heavy sigh.

“Just because they’re fucking doesn’t mean that they’re screwing me.” I could feel the tension building in my shoulders.

“Think about it,” Eva insisted, showing me the phone again. “Why would Cora want to have sex with you if she’s into women? They want something from you. That’s why they filed reports.”

I worked my jaw back and forth as I thought about it. She had a point. Cora had made it abundantly clear that she didn’t want a relationship with me. Just sex. Kate... Well, Kate wasn’t anything I ever saw coming. I was completely thrown off when Regina pulled us in to talk to us about the complaint Kate had filed.

Someone walked out down the hallway, pulling our attention directly to them. I let out the breath I was holding when I saw that it was just the cleaning crew wheeling their supplies down the corridor. I wasn’t in the mood to try to deal with the Kate and Cora bullshit that had just landed in my lap, so I decided to change the subject.

“So, I heard that we have a new employee starting on Monday,” I said, hoping to lighten the mood, even though I knew it was near impossible given where we were and what had happened. The problem was that I didn’t have any other good news to talk about.

“Are you mad that I didn’t ask you before I recommended my sister for the job?” she asked nervously, chewing her nail.

“Honestly?” I asked, my eyebrows raised. I watched as the color drained from her face, and a look of worry washed over her beautiful face. “No, I’m not mad. I was a little blindsided by it, that’s all.”

She smiled, and her shoulders dropped as she relaxed a little.

“Do you think she’ll be a good fit for our office?” I asked. While I didn’t doubt that Eva was a good judge of character, I knew how easy it was for the lines to get blurred when you tried to have a professional relationship with your family. It took Garrett and me a few years before we were able to iron out that wrinkle at work.

“I really do,” she said and nodded. “Lucy is the youngest, but she’s also the most mature and independent. She’s a natural-born leader, never breaks the rules, and genuinely cares aboutthe job she does. Unfortunately, it’s also been the reason that she’s stayed with Lance for so long. But you can’t blame her for wanting to try to make her marriage work when there is a child involved.”

I smiled, knowing what kind of personality she was talking about. My mother stayed in a bad marriage for years because she thought it was what would be best for me and my brother. I wish I could go back in time and convince her that she was worth so much more than she ever gave herself credit for.

“Well, then, I’m happy to have her work for us.”

“How did you hear about her getting the job anyway?” Eva asked, her brows pinched together.

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