I glared at her the entire time she moved around the desk she had no business being behind and across the office until she reached the door. I caught a glimpse of Heather as she followed after her and returned the little finger wave she gave me. Apparently Nick’s assistant was as big a fan of Eve’s as I was.
I waited for the door to close before turning back to my brother-in-law, the man I’d considered family for the past several years.
He scrubbed at his face anxiously, and it was clear as day that this whole mess with him and Tali was seriously wearing on him. His face was unshaven, his hair was a mess, and his suit was wrinkled, like he hadn’t bothered to iron it after Tali stuffed it in his suitcase.
“Look, Mar, whatever this is, I’m really not in the mood, okay? I’ve had a shitty few days, and I don’t need you coming in here to jump on my ass.”
I stomped to the edge of his desk and snatched up one of the paper clips he kept in a bowl and threw it at his head. “Shut up, you idiot. I’m here to help you.”
He rubbed at his forehead where the clip had just bounced off, looking up at me in bewilderment. “You are?”
I rolled my eyes like I was dealing with the dumbest kid in class. “Yeah, I am, stupid. You’re my family, and as pissed as I am at you right now, I can’t just sit back and watch you screw all this up.” I held up my hand to stop him when he opened his mouth to speak. “First up, we need to address the problem that is your skanky little intern.”
He collapsed back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. “There’s nothing happening there. I already told Tali all of this. I don’t even see Eve that way. It’s just a little harmless flirting.”
“Does she know it’s just harmless flirting?” I asked, pointing behind me toward the door. “Because I’m telling you right now, that’s a woman biding her time. I can spot a chick like that from a mile away, and as long as she thinks there’s even the smallest glimmer of a chance, she’s not going anywhere. Which means she is most definitely a threat to your marriage.”
“It isn’t like that,” he insisted. “I love my wife. I’m in love with her. I’d never cheat. When Eve gets like that, I don’t even engage.”
I arched a brow and crossed my arms over my chest. “You don’t stop her either. How do you not see that’s a problem?”
“I don’t—”
“I’ve seen you two together, Nick,” I informed him. “Twice now. I was on a date at a restaurant here in the city when the two of you showed up together. She was all over you. Sure, you didn’t engage, and maybe you pulled away, but you didn’t tell her to stop. Then, the night I was staking you out—”
He held up his hands. “Wait. What? You were staking me out?”
“That’s neither here nor there, and it’s totally beside the point,” I deflected. “As I was saying, you two were standing outside this building, and she was touching you in a way that was completely inappropriate. Whether you believe she’s a threat to your wife or not, you have to at least see that her behavior is beyond unprofessional.”
“You’re right,” he relented a second later, blowing out a weary sigh.
“Of course I am, dummy. I’m always right.”
He nodded in complete agreement. “All right. I’ll take care of the Eve situation.”
I let out a sigh and moved to one of the chairs across from his desk, taking a seat. I needed to school the man, and that could take a while. Might as well get comfortable. Also, my super cute professional shoes were starting to pinch my toes.
“Unfortunately, Eve isn’t the real problem in your marriage.”
Leaning forward in his chair, he braced his elbows on his desk and let out a pained groan. “What do I do, Mar? How do I fix this? I know I fucked up. I let this get too far out of hand. I should have been home more, I see that. But doesn’t she understand that the only reason I work this goddamn hard is for her and the kids?”
“You’ve known Tali a long time, Nick. You know her probably better than anyone. Why in the hell do you think she’d care about things like cars and clothes and houses? That’s not my sister. That’s not your wife. You know that. She’d be happy as a pig in shit living in a van down by the river if she had the three of you. She cares about you and Erika and Matt. You’re her family, and family is all that’s ever mattered to her. She doesn’t want a caretaker, Nick, she wants a partner, and she wants to feel loved and desired by the man she’s been head-over-heels for since she was fifteen years old.”
“I just—” He stopped, looking at his lap and shaking his head in defeat. “I lost sight of what was important.” When he lifted his gaze to mine, his eyes were glinting with sadness and tears. “I can’t lose her, Marin. Without her, without our family, nothing matters. She’s the only woman I’ve ever loved.”
“Tell her that,” I insisted vehemently. “Tell her all of that, and most importantly, stop making excuses for your fuckups. Own them. Until you do, nothing you say is going to matter. She needs to see how much you still care about her.”
“I can’t breathe without her, Mar. I have to win her back.”
There wasn’t much more I could say to help him out of this situation. All I could do was hope to God he took my advice and that Tali would remember how much she loved him. Rising, I hooked the strap of my purse over my arm and issued one more piece of advice. “Then fight for her, Nick. Let her see you still want her as much today as you did when you first met.”
I turned and started for the door when he called my name. With my hand on the handle, I turned to look back over my shoulder. “Do you think I have a chance?”
“I do,” I admitted. “But I’m afraid this might be your last one. Do me a favor and don’t waste it, yeah?”
“You’re a good sister, Marin. I love you.”
“I love you too, dummy. Now make this shit right so you can go home.”
With that challenge issued, I pulled his door open and stepped out. Heather was at her desk, staring up at me with inquisitive eyes.
“Can I ask you to do me a favor?”
“Yeah, sure. Anything you need. I think the world of Tali, so just name it.”
Oh, I liked this woman. “Watch out for him, would you? I think he might have finally extracted his head from his ass, but he’s a man, so that means there’s still a chance it could get stuck up there again.”
“Don’t worry, I’m on it. He might be a pain in the ass, but he’s a good man.” She chewed on her bottom lip pensively before finally saying what was on her mind. “It was all her, you know. Eve.” She curled her top lip like she smelled poo. “He would never—”
“I know,” I assured her, and smiled when I saw her shoulders slump in relief. She liked Nick as a boss and a person, and maybe together we could help fix things. “Well, I’m off. It was lovely to meet you, Heather. I hope it happens more in the future.”
My phone vibrated in my purse as I took the elevator back down to the lobby after saying goodbye to my new best friend, Cindy. I pulled it out and read the text as I stood at the crosswalk, waiting for the light to change.