Chapter 147

Hearing them say that made some of Abigail’s anxiety fade away. “I’ll try to adjust my sleep schedule. I promise I won’t mess up your work tomorrow,” she said, though she hadn’t expected to sleep straight through until evening.

“Don’t worry about it. I just wasn’t thinking clearly. I only wanted to make sure you’d sleep well tonight, but I didn’t consider your situation.”

“If you need to stay a few more days to adjust, that’s totally fine. It’s my family’s business anyway,” James said, waving his hand dismissively and trying to sound casual. But inside, he was beating himself up. I really need to think before I speak, he thought. His offhand comment had made Abigail feel guilty, and bringing her here wasn’t even entirely about work.

“Don’t listen to him. You just got to a different country—of course, you need time to adjust,” Sebastian said, cutting into his steak with clear irritation in his voice.

Warren smiled as he spoke, “Jet lag sucks no matter what. Your health comes first. Besides, you’re like a sister to us. What kind of brother would be that hard on his sister?”

That reminded Abigail–oh right, they were supposed to be her brothers. After sitting with them for a while, she told Sebastian and the others, “I’m going to take a shower. Call me if you guys need help cooking.”

James immediately replied, “No—”

“Sure thing,” Sebastian said, cutting James off completely.

James was usually pretty thoughtful, but something seemed off about him today.

After Abigail went back to her room, Warren turned to James. “You’re usually pretty sharp about reading people. What’s gotten into you today? You’re acting like an idiot.”

“What’s wrong with me?” James looked completely confused.

“She’s a girl hanging out with three guys, and you’re pushing drinks on her while keeping her out of the cooking. What do you think that looks like?” Warren shook his head in disbelief.

It finally clicked for James, and he slapped his forehead. “Oh man, I totally spaced on that. I guess I just figured since we’re all friends, we didn’t need to worry about stuff like that.”

“She’s a young woman who followed us to a foreign country. Of course she’s going to have her guard up. Even if we get along well, we haven’t known each other that long,” Warren sighed.

“This is totally my fault. I’ll make it up to her,” James said, feeling terrible about the whole thing. Making Abigail feel guilty and worried—he really was an idiot.

Sebastian pushed his plate away and stood up. “Let’s get all the ingredients out on the table first.”

James jumped up immediately. “Yeah, I’m done eating anyway. This steak is awful!”

Warren started clearing the table while James helped with the dishes, and Sebastian headed to the fridge for ingredients. Everyone had their assignments.

After her shower, Abigail came out with damp hair. Luckily it was short enough that she could towel it mostly dry without it pinging everywhere. “What can I do?” She walked over to where Sebastian was already slicing beef.

James immediately came over with a bag of garlic. “Just peel these for us. No rush though–take your time. We won’t need the garlic until the very end.”

Abigail took the bag and nodded. “Sure thing.”

“There’s the trash can,” James said, nodding toward the corner.

Abigail looked over and saw there was a chair placed next to the garbage bin. She walked over and sat down, setting the garlic on the counter and pulling one bulb out of the bag to start peeling.

“Seb told me about your thoughts on our car’s smart system today. I think your ideas are really solid. I was planning to add all these fancy bells and whistles, but you’re right. If it’s just a daily driver, safety should come first.” James took the opportunity to talk shop with her.

Abigail made a small sound of acknowledgment, focusing on the garlic in her hands.

“His family also has some SUVs that people use for road trips. What kind of features do you think would work well for those?” Warren chimed in.

Abigail held the garlic bulb but didn’t answer right away. Her hands worked quickly, and within moments she had a perfectly peeled clove ready. “If it’s for road trips, then it’s about keeping people entertained. When they park on the side of the road or at scenic spots for the night, they’re probably going to be pretty bored,” Abigail told Warren.

Sebastian was cutting beef and kept glancing up at her while he worked.

Warren walked past him and noticed how distracted he was, with all his attention on Abigail. He leaned in and whispered, “Watch out or you’ll cut yourself.”

The moment he said it, Sebastian startled and the knife sliced across his finger.

“Shit!” Warren jumped back, quickly setting down the vegetables he was holding.

Sebastian cut his hand badly. The knife had sliced deep enough that you could see the flesh underneath. He gripped his finger and glared at Warren. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“That looks really bad. I’m going to get some bandages!” James panicked and dropped the shrimp he’d been holding, rushing toward the door. Abigail quickly got up and walked over to Sebastian’s side. She saw the blood flowing from his hand and shot Warren a disapproving look.