by Layla Hagen
Tess lacked her usual sparkle, and no amount of macarons brought it back. Isabelle was still in town, but only until tomorrow, and we’d planned to have a girls’ evening ever since we knew she was coming to visit. Per her own admission, Anne was already going stir-crazy with Lindsay gone and asked if we couldn’t organize the evening right away. I gave in, especially because Mom was severely lacking entertainment, so we were taking the party to her place. Josie was coming as well, but Heather couldn’t make it.
Aside from tomorrow being a workday, I had two other reasons that made me look less forward to tonight than usual. For one, I was feeling a little light-headed. And the second reason was that Rob was leaving for LA tomorrow. We’d had other plans for his last evening here (they involved a very sexy nightgown I’d planned to torture him with. He was practically my test subject for new products, and this one was hitting shelves this week).
“I’m torn between letting you go... and chaining you to my bed,” Rob said. His gaze was so intense that I didn’t doubt he’d pull a caveman move again, toss me over his shoulder and carry me to bed. The best part? I was sort of hoping he would. I was currently on my way out of my house.
Tess and I were both staying at Mom’s tonight, because it didn’t make sense to travel at night only to wake up early to head into the city to the store.
“You know, this line of thinking isn’t helping at all. I’m just as torn. If we both give in to our dark side, we just won’t get anywhere.”
“Fuck, Skye, I just don’t want to let you go.” He pushed me against the door, drawing the tip of his nose up and down my neck. The skin on my arms and legs turned to goose bumps.
I playfully pushed him away.
“See you whenever you’re back.”
He’d mentioned he was staying one week maximum. I hoped it wouldn’t be that long.
“Thanks for inviting Anne too.”
“Don’t you worry about her. Between all of us, we’ll take great care of her.”
He touched my cheek, resting his thumb on my lower lip. I swallowed hard, quickly leaving his house before he got dangerous ideas again.
Anne joined me on the train.
“Thanks for adopting me,” she said.
“My pleasure.”
“You really think everyone is going to be okay with it?”
“The more the merrier, trust me,” I assured her.
“And your mom? It’s her place, after all.”
“Mom’s excited to meet you.”
“Okay.” She looked desperately sad, and I just wanted to lift her mood, but I didn’t know her well enough to come up with something that would work.
“I usually read on the train,” she said.
“I know, I’m the same.”
“I recently discovered audiobooks,” Anne said. “Makes everything even easier. I get motion sickness sometimes.”
“What’s the last thing you listened to? I mean, if you recommend it.”
“Nah, the last one was kind of a bore, but I did listen to a very informative one about wealth mindset. I forgot the name of the author. It’s called You’re a Genius at Being Wealthy.”
“I like the title.”
She showed me the cover on her phone.
“Cool, I’ll buy the book. Or you know what? I’ll give audio a try too.”
“I’ll help you set up your account.”
I took out my phone and credit card, and by the time we reached our station, I’d popped my audio cherry.
Tess was already at Mom’s. Josie and Isabelle arrived ten minutes after us. After initial introductions were out of the way, we took stock of the food, though since we’d been relying on Rob sending over meals, we didn’t have much. And speaking of Rob, he outdid himself that evening. When the delivery arrived, it wasn’t the usual dinner for two but a platter filled with half a dozen delicious treats.
“My brother is more thoughtful than I gave him credit for,” Anne said.
“Well, well. He definitely knows we’d have stuffed our faces with popcorn otherwise,” Tess said.
I didn’t reply, just smiled from ear to ear. Hiding in the pantry, I texted him.
Skye: Thanks for dinner.
Rob: Anytime.
Skye: You’ve just saved me from getting super drunk and dirty-texting you.
Rob: You can always dirty-text me.
Rob: Seriously.
Skye: Why doesn’t this surprise me?
Rob: :)
Sitting around the dining room table, we stuffed our face with all the goodies, chatting about everything and nothing in particular. Mom was focusing on Anne. She must have sensed that Anne still felt a bit out of place here, but forty minutes into their conversation, Anne’s shoulders weren’t as hunched, and she was smiling more.
Mom went to bed about two hours into the evening.
Tess pouted. “I thought she’d stay up for longer.”
“She’s just tired,” Josie said. “By the way, anyone want to check the drinks supply in the library?”
I threw my head back, laughing. “We must remember to tell Mom you were the one convincing us to break into her supply all the time. How come you don’t have a nickname? Should be the Marauder.”
Josie grinned, rubbing her palms theatrically. “I love that.”
We stormed Mom’s liquor supply, which was in the reading room where Tess and I took turns sleeping.
The bottom row of the floor-to-ceiling shelves had doors, and behind two of them was Mom’s collection of bourbon and whiskey. She was short on wine: just one lonely bottle of merlot. Then again, Mom didn’t drink wine.
“Anyone feel sixteen again?” I whispered.
Tess cocked a brow. “Why are you whispering?”
“I don’t know. Instinct. Guilt. Take your pick.”
My sister pointed to the bottle of merlot. “That looks like just what we need.”
“Get drunk as skunks?” Isabelle double-checked.
“No, we all need something to melt off the stress in our bones, and this merlot here seems just like what the doctor ordered. Me being the doctor,” Josie concluded.
“There’s five of us. I’m pretty sure we’ll need another bottle,” Isabelle said.
Josie pointed her thumb to her sister. “See? That’s where I get all the marauder genes. Or influence, whatever you want to call it.”
Isabelle nodded proudly.
“Hate to break it to you, but this is the only bottle Mom has,” I said.
“We’ll make do,” Tess said, looking around. “Let’s keep the party in here, so we don’t wake her up.”
The couch was too small for all five of us to sit, but as soon as we pulled out the bed, we were comfy, sitting in a circle of sorts. Tess next to me, Josie next to Isabelle, and Anne between the two groups of sisters. Tess, Anne, and I were splitting the wine bottle. Isabelle and Josie each poured whiskey in their glasses.
Tess pointed at Anne. “So, the way this works is we first get out whatever weighs on our mind and then promptly forget it by being silly. I’ll start. So, first, I’m super terrified that Skye and I jumped into this business with both feet too fast and it’ll all go belly up.”
I grimaced, pulling my sister into a half hug. “Tess, we’ve been worried about this for about a year. At this point, I just see it as a normal part of life. Time will tell. So far, we’re keeping our head above water. What got you extra moody this week? Is it the food truck guy?”
“What? No. I think I just drove myself a little crazy, what with Mom’s eyes and our new collection coming in.”
I raised my eyebrows.
Tess sighed. “Fine, it does make me wonder exactly why I’m not his type. Is it something in my physical appearance? My personality? Both? I haven’t been on a real date in a while, and I miss it.”
“Awww, girl. You’ll have better luck soon,” Isabelle said.
“Anne, want to go next?” Tess asked.
“So, I don’t know if Skye told you, but I’m
divorced. My ex is a jackass... but I’m still half in love with him,” Anne whispered. “I hate him for cheating on me all this time, but I don’t know how to stop loving him. My daughter is spending two weeks with him, and I miss her like crazy. I know it’s good for her, and I’m happy Walter is finally making her a priority. But I miss my girl.” Her voice wobbled.
Josie and Isabelle looked stricken. They came from a happy, whole family, so this probably seemed like an apocalyptic scenario to them. Tess and I were from a broken home, so we had firsthand experience of all this heartache and how it shaped you.
“Anne, it’s okay to miss her and even to still have feelings for him,” Tess said gently.
“Falling out of love with your ex would be good though,” Isabelle said. “Might I suggest therapy. I’m sorry if I’m too forward. I am a therapist, and I know how much it helps.”
“Are you taking on new clients?” Anne asked.
“I’m not living in New York...though that might change soon.”
Josie grinned at this, winking at her sister conspiratorially. This was news to me, but since neither had said one word until now, it was not the time to ask for details.
“We could do it online,” Anne said.
“That’s a thought,” Isabelle replied. “I’ve been thinking about that lately.”
Anne smiled, taking a sip of wine. “Well, let me know what you decide, maybe I’ll give it a try.
“Anyone have good stuff to share? Happy stuff?” Anne went on.
“Well, if Heather was here, we could talk about the wedding,” I said.
Tess held up a finger. “But since she’s not, we can talk about the bachelorette party. Anne, want to join us for that? I’m sure Heather won’t mind.”
“Sure. When is it? Is Rob going to the wedding with you?” Anne asked.
“It’s at the end of December. I haven’t told Rob yet,” I admitted. “Do you think he’d like to go?”
“Why don’t you ask him?” Anne replied.
I pressed my thumb on my glass, looking down into my drink. “We never make plans beyond one or two weeks, and the wedding is still pretty far away.”
“I’ll have a word with my brother,” Anne said sternly.
“No, no, no. Please don’t. We’re just taking things as they come. And I like that.”
Isabelle held up her glass. “Let’s celebrate life and not overthinking happiness. It’s simple, and most of the time, we just complicate it with our overthinking.”
“Hear, hear,” I said.
While planning an array of activities for Heather’s bachelorette party, we proceeded to bring out all the nail polish we could find and promptly discovered that it was a terrible idea to paint toes when you were light-headed.
We didn’t even have enough wine to get tipsy, but our decision-making power wasn’t too sharp. Also, Mom didn’t have any nail polish remover. Ah, such was life. Sometimes it gave you lemons, and if you were a Winchester, you turned that into multicolored toes.
It was past two o’clock in the morning by the time we called it a night. Isabelle and Josie left, but Anne stayed with us.
The girls fell asleep almost the minute we stretched on the mattress, but I was staring at the ceiling as bits and pieces of our conversation swam in my mind. Once Rob came back from LA, I was going to ask him to Heather and Ryker’s wedding. I wanted us there together. My heart rate sped up as I saw us attending all sorts of family events and Ballroom Galas together. I could imagine myself introducing him to donors as my boyfriend.
Holy shit, and I’d thought I didn’t have a romantic bone in my body? I’d just discovered all of them.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Skye
The rest of the week was insane. With new designs coming in, Tess and I didn’t know our asses from our elbows most days. When we weren’t packing online orders, we were attending to customers in the store. We started our days early, and by the time evening rolled in, we barely had enough energy to go home. At least Mom’s eyesight had improved considerably. On Thursday, the doctor gave her the all-clear. The infection was gone. Mom declared she didn’t need babysitting anymore.
On Friday, my body began to show signs of overworking. While I was arranging a new display, crouched to put on fluffy slippers on our mannequin, ass in the air, head down, my vision faded at the corners. I leaned against the window display for support, straightening up.
“What’s wrong?” Tess asked, instantly at my side, helping me up.
“Just... balance issues. My vision went dark for a bit.”
“Did you eat today?”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe you didn’t have enough water. Go sit down, I’ll finish up here.”
I did as she said, massaging my temples. I only needed a few minutes to recover, then decided to drink a big glass of water, just to be on the safe side. The last thing Tess and I needed was one of us to be sick. We’d fall so far behind on our to-do list that I shuddered just thinking about it. I felt as good as new after yet another glass of water, and just as I was preparing to get back to work, Rob called.
And just like that, the corners of my mouth lifted in a grin. Ah, I should have him call me more often if this was how my body reacted. My heartbeat accelerated. Oh yeah. There was the dose of energy I needed for the rest of the day.
“Hey, you!” I greeted.
“Hey. How is your day going?”
“Bah! It’s a good thing you’ll be gone this week.”
“Why?”
“I have so much to do that you wouldn’t even get laid.”
His laugh brightened my spirits; I totally loved this man. “I can always make that a priority.”
“Aha!”
“Don’t tempt me. I can make that happen even from LA.”
God, I missed him. “And how would you do that exactly?” I teased.
“Flying in, surprising you in the night.”
Hmmm... that was a thought. Suddenly, the urge to see him hit me hard. To stroke that chiseled jaw and jump his bones.
“Where are you now?” he asked.
“In the back, stuffing boxes for some online orders. Well, cheating, actually, and just looking in a mirror at my hair.”
“Imagine I’m there with you.”
His voice was so sensual and rich that I had no problem doing just that. It was as if he was just behind me, whispering in my ear.
“Rob...,” I whispered, half admonishing him, half urging him to go on.
“Skye,” he answered playfully. How he could pack so much sensuality in one syllable, I had no idea, but he did it in spades. “Imagine I’m kissing the back of your neck.”
The hair at the nape of my neck stood on end. Goose bumps formed on my shoulders. I let out a quick breath.
If he was here, he’d raise his gaze, looking at me in the mirror. I could practically see the wolfish glint in his eyes... and shuddered.
“What else?” I asked.
“I’d boss you into taking some time off to relax.”
I laughed, because I could imagine him doing just that.
“I miss you,” I said. My stomach immediately rolled.
“I miss you too. But it looks like I’ll have to be here another week.”
“Oh?” I just wanted to cry. My emotions were just going every which way these days.
“The person I’d been hoping to promote doesn’t actually want the job. We’re sorting through other applicants now.”
“Oh, wow.”
“Anyway, have to go. Next applicant’s here. Just wanted to hear your voice for a bit. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I sighed deeply, pressing my palm against my sternum. I felt as if something heavy was suddenly pressing me. I couldn’t believe I was so emotional just because he’d come back a few days later than planned. This was very unlike me. Was it just the stress and exhaustion of the week catching up to me?
I had no idea what to make of it but hoped customers w
ouldn’t notice.
Tess did the second I returned to the front though. She gave me a speculative glance while tending to a customer, but the second the woman was out the door, Tess pointed at me, a crease between her eyebrows.
“What’s with the mopey face?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m emotional but don’t get why.”
Tess closed the distance to me, placing her forearms on my shoulders.
“I think we’re both tired. You know what helps with that?”
“Ice cream?” I suggested.
Tess laughed. “Great minds think alike. I’ll go get us some. You want your usual?”
“Hmmm, actually no. I’m in the mood for some blueberry and lemon.”
“You’re exchanging caramel for lemon? Who are you and what have you done to my sister?”
“Hey, I feel like being adventurous today.”
“You still have time to change your mind. Just send me a message,” she said before leaving the store.
Eating ice cream with my sister was one of the finer pleasures in life. I was already rubbing my stomach while watching Tess cross the road.
We both devoured it like we were competing in a who-eats-faster show. We hadn’t turned the sign to Closed, so we were just keeping our fingers crossed that no customers came in.
“Sneaky ice cream tastes even better,” I said.
“I agree. How’s the lemon?”
I grinned. “Lemon-y. Reminds me of dishwasher soap, but I like it.” I yawned, suddenly feeling not only relaxed but also sleepy.
“I’m all over the place today.”
“Maybe it’s PMS,” she said.
“I don’t have PMS though.” I’d never had mood swings, cravings, pain, extra tiredness, or any symptoms.
In a conspiratorial whisper, she said, “Things change as you get older, just saying.”
“Hey, I’m not old. You’re old.” I pinched her arm. She giggled, pinching me right back. I’d always teased her for being older. When we were teenagers, my favorite tactic to annoy her was to point out imaginary wrinkles. But maybe she was right. Come to think of it, I was a few days late.
“I’ve always had a regulated cycle since being on the pill,” I said out loud.
Tess cocked a brow. “I think you forgot half the sentence. What do you mean?”