Yes

Nate’s words sting Laura’s ears. She’s never seen him upset like this before and it was all her fault.

Con starts to turn back around at Nate’s last comment, but he sees Jamie’s glance, and relents. She was right…he couldn’t let his temper win this one.

Ignoring Nate, he keeps walking, the three making their way back down the beach.


It’s a quiet, tense ride home. The only sound is Laura sniffing in the back seat every once in a while, though Con doesn’t ask her what had happened. They make it back to Con’s where he gives Jamie a quick goodnight and promises to see her tomorrow. When she takes her own car, he gets Laura into his, and heads over to her place. Once there, he follows her inside to the living room…

Laura felt like a little girl again as she buried her face in her brother’s chest and just cried. His big strong arms held her tight as they sat on the couch, gently offering the comfort she needed.

Finally as her tears begin to slow, Con combs her hair with his hand. “You want to talk about it?”

Laura still rests the side of her head on Con, but is eventually able to talk. “I…I don’t know what happened…”

“Did he hurt you?”

Laura shakes her head quickly. “No…he never would.”

Though Con had been made, he knew Laura was right. “So why were you so afraid?”

“I…I just…” Laura swallows hard, trying to stop the tears from coming again. “He told me he cared about me and…and I started to push him away again, and then he kissed me and…” Her eyes fill whether she likes it or not, and the tears spill over once again.

Con rocks her gently. “It’s alright,” he soothes. “Did it scare you?”

“Yes…no…I don’t know.” Laura fights to figure out what her emotions were. “I told him once that I liked him so he shouldn’t let me keep walking away because I was scared from…from the past. But then I kept pushing anyway… and…and I know I keep hurting his feelings, Con…”

He gives a little sigh. He just wanted to fix everything so his sister wouldn’t hurt anymore. He’d been through these feelings once before and didn’t like reliving them. “Laura…do you really care for him?”

“I…I don’t know…” She sniffs again. “I wanted to…I mean…part of me…I liked it when he kissed me, Con…and I tried…I wanted to tell him… but I just… I couldn’t… and…and I got scared… and I thought of Bryce again…and...everything went haywire. I…I pushed him away…wanted to run, but…but I trust Nate…but I can’t….and…I don’t know what to do anymore…”

Con rubs her back as she sobs again. “If you really do care for him, I’ll stay out of the way,” he promises. “I just thought he was bothering you. But if you don’t want him hanging around you anymore, then I’ll help. But you have to make up your mind.”

“But…but how?”

Con pushes Laura back just a little and brushes her hair from her wet face to look into her bloodshot, teary eyes. “Just answer me yes or no, Laura… do you have feelings for Nate?”

Laura’s lower lip quivers. “I…”

“Yes or no?”

“Y…yes.”

Con heaves a weary sigh. “You’re not having an easy time of this are you…”

“Uh-uh.”

“What do we do, kiddo, hmm?” Con draws her in for a hug. For a moment, he remembers all the times before after their parents had died, that he’d comforted his sister the best he could. They had a close bond for siblings, and it had remained through the years. “You’re either gonna have to let it go and be satisfied with that decision because you’re not ready, or you’re going to have to learn to trust again and move on from the past.”

“I know…”

“Which will it be?”

Laura wished she knew. She’d faced down death countless times in her life, but never had she been as terrified as this.


Con opens one eye and tries to get his bearings. Why wasn’t he in his bed? Feeling a warm body next to him, he suddenly remembers that he hadn’t left Laura’s last night. He was still on the couch, and his sister was still curled up next to him, now sleeping.

He looks up at the clock, then gently prods Laura. “Hey….Laura…” He rubs her arm. “You want me to call in to Reese for you, or are you going to work?”

Laura gives a little groan, trying to wake up. Realizing what she’s being asked, she shakes her head. “I’ll go…”

“Okay.” Con helps her sit up, then gets up from the couch and stretches. “Go take your shower,” he prompts. “I’ll make you some breakfast.”


An hour and a half later, Laura is quietly making her way to her desk at TJY, avoiding anyone else, and quickly burying herself in work.


Scott heads for his cubicle. He chose a t-shirt again this morning, but his glasses are back on, and his hair is combed straight again.

“Scott, am I glad you’re here!”

He cringes at Reese’s voice. “Let me guess….you computer is down.”