Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
NATALIE
"Goodnight, Jeanette. Thanks for all your help today."
I offered her a tired smile as she gathered her things to leave for the evening. The past four days had been brutal—a relentless barrage of paperwork and client conferences. They'd all asked the same question: "Are you taking things over?" I danced around the issue, offering some mildly reassuring response without making any commitments.
I'd been there for a week now, and while my bereavement leave had run out, it had been years since I took any time off. I had banked a lot of vacation time. Thirty-two days, to be exact. My boss wasn't thrilled, but he'd have to deal until I could get back to the city.
Jeanette patted my arm, her eyes filled with sympathetic warmth. "You're doing great, sweetheart. Your dad would be so proud to see you taking the reins like this."
"I hope so," I said, my voice thick. "I want to do right by him, you know? By his legacy and all the clients who depended on him. Even if it is only temporary."
"And you will, honey." Jeanette squeezed my hand. "You've got his head for numbers and his heart for people. That's a rare combination."
I nodded, but I wasn't sure I believed her. "Thanks, Jeanette. I'll see you Monday."
With a final pat on my arm, she slipped out, leaving me alone in the quiet stillness of the empty office. I sank down into Dad's chair, letting my eyes drift around the space that had been his domain for so many years. I could still feel him everywhere. Even the faint aroma of his favorite peppermint tea lingered on like a ghost.
My gaze landed on the small jade elephant figurine he kept on his desk—a souvenir from our trip to Seoul when I was ten. I'd loved the vibrant markets and bustling city streets, so different from the sleepy charm of Sable Point.
"This little guy is going to bring us good luck," he'd declared, grinning as he handed me the carved trinket. "That's what the vendor said, anyway."
I smiled faintly, reaching out to trace the cool, smooth lines of the elephant's trunk. Dad had always been a sucker for silly superstitions and folklore, no matter how much Mom teased him about it.
He taught me so much about his culture, including the language he knew from birth. I rarely spoke Korean these days, yet I had a habit of switching to it when I felt emotional. Probably from all the years trying to cry my way out of getting grounded for sneaking through Jasper's window to sleep in his bed. I'd be speaking even less Korean now that Dad was gone.
God, I missed him. The ache was a physical thing, a hole inside me that never seemed to go away. Losing him had left me raw and exposed. I hadn't felt like this since...
Well, since the last time my world imploded, all those years ago.
I pushed aside the thought, forcing myself to focus on the stacks of paperwork and client files strewn across Dad's desk.
Five days in, and I already felt like I was drowning.
Sure, I had the technical skills and know-how after years in corporate accounting. But this was different. Personal and intimate in a way that spreadsheets and bottom lines could never capture.
Dad didn't just crunch numbers for these people. He was their confidant, their advisor, their friend. His extensive knowledge of their businesses and lives couldn't be quantified or easily transferred.
And me? I was just treading water, trying not to let anyone see how lost and unmoored I really felt.
I raked my fingers through my hair. This was all the proof I needed. Dad's legacy would be safer in someone else's hands. The thought filled me with a sick sense of failure, like I was letting him down.
My phone vibrated on the desk, pulling me from the spiral of self-doubt. It was a text from Mom.
MOM
You still at the office?
NATALIE
Yes, but just packing up. Have you eaten today?
MOM
I had a little something earlier.
That meant no . I knew she wasn't sleeping, not eating much. But I wasn't sure how to help her. The best I could do was take care of the business and give her one less thing to worry about. Give her time to process her grief.
NATALIE
I'm going to stop by Rosie's and pick something up for dinner. Any requests?
MOM
Whatever you get will be fine. Thanks sweetheart.
NATALIE
Kk. See you soon.
Pocketing my phone, I rose from the desk with a weary sigh. A break from this office was exactly what I needed. Some fresh air and a chance to clear my head before diving back in on Monday morning.
I slipped out of the building and into the balmy summer evening. The warm breeze carried the scent of blooming flowers and freshly mown grass. Despite my lingering sadness, I drank in the beauty of the place—the way the golden sunlight filtered through the trees lining Main Street, casting everything in a warm, nostalgic glow.
Evenings like this made me wonder how I ever convinced myself that the corporate grind was what I wanted.
As I wandered the few blocks toward Rosie's, I found myself smiling at the familiar sights—the cheerful window boxes overflowing with petunias, the hand-painted signs advertising fresh produce and homemade pies, the clusters of people lingering on the sidewalks to chat and catch up.
It was so different from Chicago, where everyone was always rushing from one place to the next, heads down and shoulders hunched. Here there was a sense of community, of connection. Of people taking the time to actually be present instead of just passing through.
I'd missed this more than I'd realized. The easy comforting rhythms of the place that had been a cornerstone of my life since the day I was born.
A few doors down from Rosie's, the neon sign for Callaghan's Bar flickered to life in the deepening twilight. Even from the sidewalk, I could make out the telltale thrum of hoots and hollers and the clinking of glasses—the unmistakable soundtrack of a rowdy night at the local watering hole.
My lips quirked as a memory surfaced. Jasper and I, seventeen and trying to sneak inside for our first taste of the forbidden. We'd barely made it through the door before Billy, the cantankerous old bartender, was shooing us out with a broom and a string of colorful curses .
I shook my head, equal parts amused and wistful. So much had changed since those carefree days.
The thought filled me with a strange sense of melancholy and longing. Was it just nostalgia for the simplicity of youth? The girl I was before life got so damn complicated? Or something else.
You mean someone else
I was jolted from my thoughts by a burst of raucous laughter spilling out onto the sidewalk as the bar door swung open. Three familiar figures tumbled out, jostling and shoving like a pack of unruly kids.
My breath caught as I recognized them—the Everton brothers in all their roughhoused glory. Chase and Elliot, the twins who always seemed to be operating at opposite extremes, and Jasper bracketed in the middle like he was a mediator trying to keep the peace.
They hadn't noticed me yet, too caught up in their usual antics. Chase was laughing. Elliot was scowling, all stern disapproval as he tried to shush his brother. And Jasper...
Jasper was watching them both with a look of long-suffering exasperation, like he was the only adult in a room full of unruly children. My stomach twisted at the familiar expression, at the way his brow furrowed and the corner of his mouth ticked up in that crooked half-smile.
He'd always been the quiet one, the steadying force amidst the Everton family chaos. I used to tease him about being an old soul.
I was poised to call out to them, to announce my presence and... what? Catch up like old friends? Not an option anymore.
I was paralyzed, rooted to the spot as I drank in the sight of them—so familiar yet so different. Chase's shoulders seemed broader, his grin a little rougher around the edges. Elliot had thickened out, his tall frame stockier and more solidly built.
And Jasper... God, Jasper. Every time I saw him, I was struck by the fact he looked exactly the same yet utterly different. The lanky boy had matured into a man, his shoulders broader and arms thicker.
He turned suddenly, as if he could feel me staring. I remembered the tingling sensation when I felt his eyes on me at Dad's funeral. Was that what he just felt when I was looking at him? Our eyes locked, and time came to a stop. His expression shuttered, lips parting on an indrawn breath as he registered my presence. I felt it like a physical jolt, that magnetic pull, still zinging between us despite everything.
We stared at each other. For a few heated moments, it was just the two of us, alone in our private bubble where words had never been necessary.
Then Chase caught sight of me and let out a loud whoop, shattering the spell. "Natty Light!"
He threw an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into a clumsy, beer-scented hug. I laughed. Despite the tension with Jasper, Chase's boisterous affection put me at ease.
"It's good to see you too, Chase," I said, my voice muffled against the soft cotton of his t-shirt. "Even if you reek like a frat house after a kegger. "
He barked out a laugh. "You love it. Don't even try to deny it."
I was still smiling as I turned to greet Elliot with a warm hug. He was more reserved than his twin, but there was a gentleness in his blue eyes that I'd always found soothing.
"It's good to have you home, Natalie," he murmured, giving my shoulder an affectionate squeeze before stepping back.
Home. The word rattled around my skull, kicking up a mess of conflicting emotions. This place, these people, they were my roots.
But my home was in Chicago. Right?
Now that I was back, and I'd had a glimpse of what I was missing, I wasn't so sure I ever really wanted to get away. Not completely. This town, this community, it was part of my DNA, woven into the fabric of who I was. I could try to run from it, but I had a feeling I'd always find a way back eventually.
I chanced a peek at Jasper over Chase's shoulder, but his expression was unreadable. He held my gaze for a beat then looked away, shoulders tightening like he was bracing for impact.
The awkward silence stretched between us, thick and charged. I fumbled for something to say, anything that would break the tension.
In the end, Chase beat me to it, slinging an arm around my shoulders once more. "You know, Nat, I was just telling these two bozos how much I've missed having you around to keep me entertained. This town is boring as hell without my partner in crime."
"When was I ever your partner in crime?"
Chase gasped. "You wound me! How about that time we went skinny dipping in the Thompson's pool?"
"That wasn't me. That was Sammy."
"Oh. Right. That makes sense. Well, what about when we stole that bottle of scotch from Papa's cupboards?"
"Now that was me. Can't make any promises for a repeat performance, but I'll see what I can do."
"Atta girl." He grinned, giving me an affectionate jostle. "We'll get into all kinds of trouble, just like old times."
I rolled my eyes and playfully shoved him away. "You're incorrigible, Chase Everton."
"You know it, babe."
It was amazing how easily we'd slipped back into our old banter. But I couldn't ignore the faint undercurrent of awkwardness. Jasper withdrew further and further with every passing second. His shoulders were hunched, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans as he regarded us with a cold, distant expression.
I wanted to reach out to him, to bridge the distance that had opened up between us. But I couldn't find the words or the courage.
Ever the voice of reason, Elliot eventually cleared his throat. "We should probably get going, let Natalie get on with her evening."
I was equal parts relieved and disappointed. Half of me was desperate to flee the uncomfortable atmosphere. The other half ached to cling to the moment, to soak up every second in Jasper's presence like a desert wanderer dying of thirst. But those thoughts didn't lead anywhere good.
"Yeah, I should probably get moving," I said, trying and failing for a casual tone. "I was just on my way to pick up dinner for Mom and me."
Chase's brows shot up. "From Rosie's?"
I nodded, and he grinned. "In that case, I'm coming with you. I've been craving one of their famous cheeseburgers."
"You're not crashing my dinner with Mom," I said. But it was a half-hearted protest. If Mom were here, she'd say, "the more the merrier."
"Aw, c'mon, Nat!" Chase gave me his best puppy dog eyes. "Don't be like that. I'll even buy!"
"With what money? Do you even have a job, slacker?"
Elliot snorted out a laugh. "Oh, damn. Shots fired."
Chase looked genuinely chastised, so I gave him a break.
"I'm just kidding, Chaser. Let's go."
He let out a whoop of triumph, throwing an arm around my shoulders again and steering me down the sidewalk.
"You coming, Jas?" Chase called over his shoulder. "Don't tell me you're gonna pass up a chance to hang with your favorite girl!"
My eyes bugged out of my head, and I braced for Jasper's reaction—the anger, the hurt, the inevitable shutting down that had become our new normal.
But it didn't come.
And that's how I ended up having dinner with all three Everton boys and my mom.