NOTHING YOU HAVE TO EARN

Wes arrived with a dinosaur in his pocket and two questions ready.

"Does that window open?"

"Not all the way," Nico answered.

"Can you race in that chair?"

"Wes," I said.

Nico rested his hands on the wheels.

"Depends who's trying to catch me."

My brother considered that.

"Adeline walks really fast when we're late."

"I've noticed."

June had come for lunch, too. Before agreeing to the visit, I'd discussed security with Rafael and Nico's condition with Mercer. I wanted Wes to see where I worked without bringing him into a war.

He forgot the chair as soon as he discovered a game controller. Nico handed him the second one. Twenty minutes later, he accused a seven-year-old of cheating.

"You didn't read the instructions," Wes said.

June nudged me by the sink.

"I expected someone older."

"He's thirty-four."

"I meant you. You look a hundred, sweetheart. Sit down and eat."

Her smile said something else.

On Monday, the clinic called about an opening for a further assessment. My relief lasted until they explained the costs still outstanding. I requested everything in writing and went into the laundry room, where I couldn't be overheard.

Nico didn't question me when I came back. Later, he noticed the folded estimate beside my cup and pointed to it.

"May I?"

I should have said no. I handed it over.

He read it and reached for his phone.

"Don't."

His hand stopped.

"You don't know what I was going to do."

"I know enough. I don't want you calling someone and fixing my life without talking to me."

He placed the phone on the table.

"All right. Let's talk. I want to help with his treatment."

"You already pay me to work here."

"I'm not offering you more work."

That made it harder.

"Your father said he wanted to help, too."

His face changed. I regretted the comparison before I'd finished breathing, but I couldn't take back the fear behind it.

"The moment he knew he could take it away, Wes became leverage. I can't go through that again."

Nico didn't answer immediately.

"I don't like knowing you're afraid of me," he said. "But I'd rather know than have you pretend you're comfortable."

I sat opposite him.

"I don't think you'd do what he did. I just don't know how to accept something this big. If I want to leave the job, if we have a fight..."

I stopped. Having a fight no longer sounded entirely professional.

Nico noticed. He didn't use it.

"Then we make the conditions clear now. Nothing that depends on whether I'm feeling generous next month. You can have someone who doesn't work for me review it."

"I don't want to be bought."

"I don't want you to be for sale. I want your brother to receive the treatment he needs. They're different things. Help me keep them different."

It took two conversations and independent advice, paid for by me, to reach an arrangement I understood. The support would cover treatment expenses agreed with Wes's team. It wouldn't depend on my employment or any personal relationship. I would remain responsible for his medical decisions and contribute what I could afford.

My eyes stung when I signed.

"Thank you," I said afterward, in the enclosed balcony.

Nico didn't try to hug me. He opened his hand on the table.

I was the one who put mine in it.

"I do have a request," he said.

My stomach tightened before I could stop it.

He saw and winced.

"About the dinosaur. Wes left it here. If you don't take it home, I'm going to run it over."

I started laughing with a hand over my face. The laughter turned to tears, and this time I wasn't ashamed. Nico brought his chair close enough for me to rest my forehead against his shoulder.

He held still for a moment. Then his hand settled on my back.

That evening, Edna arrived with a box of things Nico had requested. Rafael escorted her into the living room. She'd brought photographs, books, and an old watch. At the bottom was a yellowing envelope.

Nico recognized the handwriting before he opened it.

"Evelyn."

I'd heard the name. At the mansion, they said his sister lived abroad and preferred her distance. When I'd asked whether he wanted to contact her, Camille had changed the subject.

He read the letter twice.

"She says she waited for my call."

Edna sat without being offered a chair.

"She did."

Nico looked up.

"My father said she didn't want to speak to me."

The housekeeper's eyes filled.

"She called the house. More than once, after the crash. I should have found a way to tell you."

He gripped the letter until the paper began to buckle.

I rested my hand on the table near his, leaving him free to take it or not.

"Can you tell us what happened?" I asked Edna.