Brothers of Paradise Series

“I don’t usually call you at work, I know-I’m truly very sorry. But I need to get this finished now, and I don’t want to rush you, but it’s also a bit tight on time.”

Her cheery voice is exactly like I remember, all sunshine and scrubby knees and summers by the ocean. She might be a grown woman with her own business, but she’s still my little sister.

“What do you need?”

“Just some tentative information about who you’re thinking about bringing to my wedding. And before you sigh-don’t you dare, Henry Marchand-I’m not pushing like Mom is. I don’t care who you date or don’t date. You’re very welcome to go stag, or with a man if you’ve changed your preferences, or with several-no. Not several women. But you know what I mean.”

I can’t help but smile. “Yes, I do.”

“It’s the weekend after next, and the absolute final order for the caterers goes in today. So I’m just calling to let you know that after today you can’t bring anyone who has specific dietary restrictions.”

I snort. “What if I meet the love of my life tomorrow, and she just happens to be vegan? Or lactose intolerant?”

“Nope, no dice. You’ll have to move on to the next one.”

“Harsh, Lily.”

“That’s me,” she says, a smile in her voice. “You’re staying for the full weekend, right?”

A pang of guilt flashes through me at the question. My family is so used to me coming and going, cutting family events short for business trips and meetings, that they have to double-check.Têxt belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.

“Yes, I am. Absolutely.”

“Good. I was thinking we could even take the Frida out one of the days, just us kids.”

“Plus Hayden?” Her soon-to-be-husband had basically grown up with us, and even if he’d been gone nearly ten years before he returned, I know my brothers consider him family.

“No. Maybe. I don’t know?” Lily sighs. “This whole wedding thing is so stressful. I’m starting to appreciate Hayden’s initial idea of eloping more and more.”

“Don’t you dare. I’ve taken two days off work for this.”

Her pealing laughter rings out through the phone. “Don’t worry, I won’t call it off. And I can fix a last-minute name card for whoever you’re bringing, so don’t let Mom stress you out about it if she calls you.”

“Thanks.”

“Of course. Do you have to get back to plotting world domination now?”

“Yes. Somehow, I have to work for it. You’d think the world would want to be dominated, with the mess it’s in.”

Lily laughs again. “All right, I’ll let you go, then.”

“Take care, Lily. Try not to stress too much.”

“I won’t.” There’s a faint pause. “You sound happy, Henry. Keep it up.”

I blink in surprise at the phone in my hand. She’s hung up, so there’s no need to respond, but still… Lily is outspoken, but I can’t remember her ever commenting on my mood like that.

At least she didn’t press me on who I was bringing. Before she called, I’d decided to go without a date-I had introduced very few women to my family, and my mom’s badgering wouldn’t change that-but the call had sparked an idea.

The opera house is due the week after the wedding. I’d be short on time as it was, without taking four days off. I’d have to work on it while I was there. And Faye had already proven herself to be a great date. How efficient would it be to combine the two?

Dangerous, my mind warns. It wouldn’t be wise considering my attraction to her. It would be risky. Potentially stupid. At the same time… the more I think about it, the more fun the idea sounds.

Faye knocks on my door late on Wednesday to work on the opera project. She’s tucked her laptop under her arm, holding both drafting and tracing paper. Everything about her screams professionalism; the tailored pants, the blazer, the set look on her features.

She starts laying her things out on the conference table. “Now, I was thinking we could go straight in with-” She pauses when she sees my expression. “Is everything all right?”

“Is it too late to cancel Chicago?”

“No. We might not get refunds, but that shouldn’t be a problem.” She shrugs. “You definitely won’t be popular with the company you’re meeting with, though.”

“Hmm.”

“You don’t want to go? I thought the project could be big for the firm.”

I tap my fingers along the arm of my chair. “Massive.”

“I don’t know much about it. There aren’t any files in the system. I checked,” she adds sheepishly. “Who are you really meeting with?”

It’s nice, talking with her like this. Sharing these things. I haven’t done this with assistants before, but then again, none of them were quite like Faye.

“I’m meeting with investors attempting to buy up a large swath of property on the East Side of Chicago.”

Dark eyes meet mine. “Ah.”

“Yes.”

“They’re going to force out tenants and demolish the properties after the acquisition, I’m guessing.” Her voice has turned hard-harder than I’ve heard it before. She knows this process better than I expected, and she’s reached the same conclusion I have.

“I expect so, yes. Forced gentrification.”

“What are they planning to build there instead?”

“Apartment buildings, a mall, and a small park.”

“Hmm.” Faye is looking at the tracing paper, but there’s tension in her shoulders. “It doesn’t seem like a project that Marchand & Rykers usually takes on.”

“No, it’s not. I’m taking the meeting with the investor as a favor to a friend.”

She nods, and her eyes find mine again. “And what do you think? Do you think it’s a good opportunity?”

“It’s clear that you don’t.”

“Well, financially I’m sure it would be a great opportunity. But I think this firm should focus on… other projects. Like the ones we’re already doing.”

Prestige projects, she means. The ones where we design skyscrapers and office buildings, parks and sculptures. Choosing our projects wisely had been the only rule Rykers and I had set when we joined our names and capital for the firm.

I sigh. “I don’t disagree with you. The project feels… unsavory at best, and amoral at worst.”