Page 15 of Boss of the Year

I had met Nathan Hunt briefly last spring when Joni had visited me under less fortunate circumstances, and he had followed her to Paris to beg her to come home. Based on our few interactions, I knew little more that Nathan and Joni were a pair of opposites. A brainy doctor with an extroverted dancer, he was even her physical inverse: a stolid, enormous tree offering a home to the chaotic nymph that was my sister.

And yet, despite all their differences, they both seemed devoted to one another. It didn’t take a genius to realize the changes in Joni’s character—the sudden maturity, the new desire to care for others as much as herself, and the confidence with accepting her previously undiagnosed neurodivergence—were all directly influenced by Nathan.

She smacked a kiss on Nathan’s cheek, which made him jerk up with a surprised expression that quickly morphed into unconcealed desire. Just as quickly, he adjusted his glasses and return to his study.

“You and your jokes,” she murmured before turning back to me. “For your information, we bought it for the land and the stable, not the structure. Three acres, less than an hour from the city, is primo, so we’re going to tear down the house and build up from the foundation. Hence the plans.”

The goal was to build a new house and refurbish the stable to make a space for her, Nathan, and the family they wanted to have one day, which would include a girl named Isla, an autistic horse enthusiast and Nathan’s longtime ward.

I was a little fuzzy on the details, but it all seemed very generous. And complicated. And yet another dimension of Joni’s growth.

“Don’t change the subject,” she said. “Tell me you have something to wear. You obviously did a bunch of shopping in Paris.”

I sighed. Not everything had changed. My sister was still like a dog with a bone when it came to interfering with my social life. Or lack thereof.

“Daniel didn’t inviteme, Jo,” I said. “He invited the cute girl from the plane, the neighbor he didn’t remember he had. He did not invite the cook.”

“So what?” She kicked her legs back and forth on the island. “You’re cute no matter where you work. Show up, look hot, and he won’t care if you collect trash for a living.”

She made it sound so easy. Despite being older, I’d always lived in Joni’s shadow. My “twin” was effervescent, flirtatious, and shameless. At a party where everyone was worth at least a hundred million dollars and she probably had twenty in her bank account, she would flash her brightest smile, strike up a conversation, and feel right at home.

I was more likely to blend in with the houseplants.

“It’s inappropriate,” I said. “I’m on staff. I can’t just waltz into the party like I actually belong there.”

“Wait, it’s at Prideview?” Joni sat up straight.

I rolled my eyes. “Jo, where else? I’ve only been working there since I was fifteen. Did you forget the name?”

Joni ignored me and turned to Nathan. “Babe, didn’t we get an invitation to that?”

Nathan pushed his glasses up his nose. “Yes. It’s Clifford and Winnifred’s anniversary party. They invite my family every year.”

One thing I had to give him credit for—whenever he spoke to Joni, he gave her his whole attention. I hadn’t seen any man look at a woman like that. Not even my brother or the men my other sisters had married, all of them obviously smitten with their wives. The man was laser-focused on Joni whenever they interacted.

“See. I was remembering something else.” She wrinkled her nose and pointed and flexed her toes like the dancer she was. “Are your parents going?” She didn’t exactly get along with Nathan’s wealthy family, who primarily lived in Virginia but also had a house next to the Lyonses in New Rochelle.

Nathan seemed distracted by what she was doing with her feet and how it made her muscles move. Joni wore very small shorts in the summer.

“Er, no. They’re in Virginia right now.” He couldn’t quite tear his gaze from her legs.

Joni turned to me, victorious. “Then we should go too. Marie can come with us, and Daniel will drool. Problem solved.”

I sighed. “Um, no. The problem isnotsolved. I still work for these people, and the person who invited me only did it before he realized I was the assistant cook.”

“Like I said, he won’t care about that. For all he knew, you could have been a chimney sweep when he asked you.” She nudged Nathan in the shoulder. “Did you care that I was an out-of-work dancer contemplating stripping when we met and you asked me to move in with you?”

Nathan blinked. But his gaze didn’t move away from hers one inch. “I did not.”

“And would you have liked me more if I’d been a doctor like you or a lawyer or something equally special and fancy?”

“Those are just professions. Lots of people perform them. You’re special for things that are unquantifiable and unique to you.”

Joni’s face softened. I looked away as she pressed a kiss to Nathan’s mouth and whispered “thank you” so quietly I almost didn’t hear her.

Something in my chest twisted.

I was glad my sister was so happy. I was.