Page 5 of Heart Strings & Hotlines
That slight twinge of jealousy has no place here. I don’t even know the guy. Sure, he’s handsome, ridiculously so. And yes, he’s battling his asshole of a father for custody of his sister after said asshole drove with her in the car while intoxicated. Again.
But none of that guarantees Thane is a good guy, and it certainly doesn’t warrant freaking jealousy. How absurd.
“Who’s Ophelia?”
And just like that, I’ve lost control of my mouth.
Kara shrugs again, but her face brightens. “She was our housekeeper. She used to tell me stories about Thane when he was little. I guess she sort of raised us since our dad couldn’t give two shits about us.”
“That’s…” Sad? Nice? I’m not sure where to go with this.
“She’s old and has a heart condition now. Thane retired her to Puerto Rico, where her niece lives, when our dad fired her last year. Dad found out she was allowing Thane to visit me when he was away. Can you believe that?” Frustration clings to this little girl like a dark cloud.
“Thane stopped coming home after that, but my dad still fired her. He said I didn’t need a babysitter anymore anyway, and now he has maids come in three times a week who barely even talk to anyone. At least Ophelia cared. She said Thane calls her on the first of every month to see if she ‘requires anything.’”
My heart breaks for this little girl.
“Kara.” Thane’s husky voice causes the hair on my arms to stand on end. “I’m sure Charlotte has better things to do than listen to our familial theatrics.”
“Ugh. He’s everywhere. All the freaking time,” Kara grumbles before turning her head toward her brother, who stands in the doorway. “But her dad’s an ass too, so at least she gets it.”
“Your father fired a housekeeper after she allowed you to spend time with your sister?” I can’t decide if I’m interested because this is better than Bravo or because it’s too close to my own life.
Thane nods, his expression grave.
“And you call her every month?”
He nods again. “It’s in my calendar to call on the first of every month in case she needs money for unexpected expenses. Jonah didn’t have a retirement plan set up for her, even though she worked for him for over thirty years.”
Jonah Wilder, their father.
“Yeah.” Kara smirks. “But he only calls on the first of the month, and the call lasts like thirty seconds unless Ophelia is feeling well, and then she talks until she’s caught him up on every detail of her life over the last thirty days.”
“How do you know that?” Thane’s tone is gruff and sharp. He seems to lack the social niceties most of us are bound by.
“Ophelia calls me every week, and I actually ask her questions.” Kara sticks her tongue out at her brother, and his ears turn pink as he scowls at her.
“Kara, you’re required for swim lessons,” he tells her.
“I know how to swim, Thane.”
The dynamic these two have is mesmerizing. She reminds me so much of myself. But Thane? He’s not exactly what I expected either. I mean, my father wouldn’t be caught dead checking up on an old housekeeper.
Does Thane do it for Kara’s sake?
“Plus…” A devious smile curls Kara’s lips. “The swim lessons are for the both of us.”
I didn’t think it was possible for Thane’s posture to be any more erect, but the guy proves me wrong as his entire body locks into place.
“We’ll skip swim lessons today,” he says gruffly. But there’s something in his gaze as he stares at his sister. Something that makes me believe there might be more to this man than his grumpy exterior. There’s a softness he reserves for her, and that knowledge should not cause the butterflies in my belly to take flight.
I bite my tongue when I recognize the sadness in his eyes though—he’s lonely and struggling to connect with a sister more than half his age.
Thane Wilder may hold a similar position in the world as our fathers, but something in that one expression tells me he’s a better man than they could ever be.
He’s trying, and that says more about his character than anything else. He loves his sister, even if he has no idea what to do with her.
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