Page 23 of Made for You
Wilder shook his head. “That’s on me. I’ve been out a lot, and—”
“No, truly. You’re doing what you need to. I admire it. I don’t want it to change. I’m not complaining, believe me.”
He let out a breathy laugh. “I do. But I know it’s contributing to this burnout.”
The words jabbed at me. Was I burnt out? Could I really be burnt out only a little over a year after retiring? That seemed so backward. Not like me, certainly.
“What about non-work stuff? You said things with Kiley are good—that’s great. What else?” Tristan asked.
I thought through a laundry list of things I did. “I like book club. I go to the town council meetings, which are increasingly interesting, and I’m planning to brush up on my skiing skills this winter.”
Or, I’d considered it. I lived near a world-class ski resort and it seemed like a good idea. Granted, it was only September. I had time.
“And the hot new neighbor?” Kenny asked, eyes widening when I tossed a pillow at him.
“Don’t say she’s hot,” I grumped.
“Why? She’s a fox.” He batted his lashes.
Tristan, Wilder, and Beast all sighed.
I glared. “You can’t talk about her like that. She’ll be a coworker starting Monday.” Something in me tightened. Or loosened. Or… reacted at saying it out loud. “Which is exactly why there’s nothing else to say about her.”
Kenny was aghast. “Because she’s coming to work for ustemporarily? Seriously? Wilder and Sarah hooked up when she was an employee. It’s practically written in the business plan that the boss should get with the sexy secre—”
“Just stop right now.” I opened my mouth to say more, then ended up momentarily annoyed into silence.
Kenny chuckled, clearly so pleased with himself, as Tristan shoved his shoulder. I had to smile at the quick action. Tristan was reserved in practically every way, yet he didn’t stop himself from messing with Kenny when the kid needed it.
“She seems smart. Beautiful. The granddaughter of your favorite neighbor. Right up your alley, no?” Wilder asked.
It hung on the tip of my tongue to refute all of that, but the same sense of relief rushed in at his words. True, it fell well short of how I felt about Nikki—how I stupidlyalreadyfelt about her—and yet, the fact that he saw it gratified the part of me that weirdly felt like we would be good together.
“She is an actual genius. She’s…” A breath whooshed out. “She’s gorgeous, and smart, and honest, and funny, and kind, and she’s Rosie’s great-niece, which doesn’t hurt the cause. I like her, obviously. I was probably preprogrammed to have a crush on the woman. Someone up there ordained that I was made for her or something. But…”
A beat of silence passed before Kenny slapped his thighs. “But?”
“It’s not the right time. Kiley has two years left in high school. I’m not going to start up a relationship when she needs me to be focused on her—to show up for her.” Even if rehearsing the plan made regret wind tight around my chest.
“Jaws, dude. No one has ever showed up for their sister better than you have, all right? You dating someone isn’t going to change that.” Kenny reached for his beer and took a swig before returning it to a coaster on the coffee table.
“Agreed,” Wilder said.
Beast grunted. “He’s right.”
Tristan studied me for a moment before he nodded, confirming.
But their opinions didn’t matter. And I wasn’t going to live my life thinking of myself as some kind of hero because I took in my own sister. I’d never forget how Iwasn’tthere for her for so long, and now I only had a few years to make up for it. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t agree. I need to be here for her. Period. And I’m not going to sacrifice my availability to her for someone I just met. I never planned on pursuing a relationship until she graduates high school, at the earliest.”
Two years wasn’t all that far away, anyway. Right?
Right.
Before any of them could respond, the back door leading into the kitchen closed a little louder than usual and our attention swung to the space behind me. Footsteps padded inside, and Kiley came into view.
“Hey,” she said, eyes flicking to each of the men she knew well by now.
“Hey, Kiley! How was mathletes?” Kenny asked, way too enthusiastically.
