From the corner of my eye, I watched Elaina roll her eyes. She never particularly liked Tanja… and that was probably made worse by the fact that Tanja was kind of the reason that terrible photo of Elaina went viral after my bachelorette party.
Even still, Elaina gave Tanja a polite smile. “Just as well, I need to get back to work.” She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek, whispering, “Congratulations.”
She pulled away from the hug, hiking her purse higher onto her shoulder, and pointed at me and Tanja. “Don’t let her change your mind and convince you to buy a lounge chair or something stupid like those pears, okay? Take the loveseat back from mom and dad.”
I nodded… but secretly, I really wanted those pears.
8 Liam
I could sense triumph in the air.
And it smelled like puttanesca.
My twin sister, Addy sat at the kitchen island in my condo while I stood over the simmering white wine caper sauce. I dipped the wooden spoon into the sauce, and when I withdrew it, it was perfectly coated.
I grabbed a clean spoon and dipped it into the sauce, holding it up for her to taste. “Here,” I offered. “Try it.”
Addy was the hardest person in our family to please. She told it like it was and then some. But I could hear her stomach growl from across the room. She took the spoon from my hand and carefully placed it in her mouth, thinking as she swallowed. “Pretty damn good,” she said. “But it needs more lemon.”
I rolled my eyes. “You always say that. Not everyone has a love for lemons like you do.” Most people have a sweet tooth—Addy had a sour tooth.
“Fine. If you’re not going to add more lemon, then it’s good enough.”
There was a knock at the door, and I jerked my chin toward it. “That’s probably Finn and Neil with Mom.”
Ever since Mom’s diagnosis, we’d all been taking turns cooking for her. She claimed she didn’t need us checking in on her like that, but secretly, I think she liked it. Prior to her cancer diagnosis, it had been years since we’d had a family dinner that wasn’t on Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Addy took my cue and hopped to her feet to open the door. From down the hall, I heard some low murmurs… and they sure as hell didn’t sound like Mom. Or Neil. And then… laughter. Uncontrollable, belly-rumbling laughter that I recognized as Addy’s.
“Liam!” she called. “You better come see this for yourself!”
I turned off the heat on the sauce, which was basically done, and poured it over the spaghetti squash I had roasted earlier. Then, placing a lid over top to keep it warm, I wiped my hands on the apron and made my way across my condo.
Standing at my front door was Chloe. She was in pastel pink jeans and a white lacy top. God, she was cute. Was she always this cute? Or was my brain reacting differently ever since she kissed me in her foyer?
Her blond hair was smooth as silk and fell across one shoulder in a single, elegant wave. The curled edges of her hair brushed the tips of her nipple. As hard as I tried not to, my eyes dipped to her breasts, the nipples hard and piercing through the flimsy top she wore. Swallowing a curse, I blinked and tore my gaze away. It was nearly the end of summer and hotter than hell outside. Definitely no hint of a chill in the air –how could her nipples be so damn hard? Was it simply to torture me? “Uh… hi?”
Her brows ticked higher. “Was that a greeting or a question?”
Addy bit her bottom lip, the edge of her teeth hitting her lip ring as she glanced back and forth between us. “Both,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
She stepped to the side, holding her hands out like Vanna White. “Tada!”
Behind her, parked on the street was a rusty truck. A ripped blue and white awning billowed from the top of it in the summer breeze. “What the hell is that?”
“Our new… drumroll please… food truck!”
I blinked in shock, frozen in place until Neil’s voice cut through my haze.
“You’re starting a food truck?”
I tore my eyes away from the piece of shit parked in front of my condo to where Neil, Mom, and Finn were walking up my driveway. “No—”
“No?” Chloe’s hand clamped to her hip and she tapped her toe against my stone entryway.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I mean… yes, but I just didn’t know it was happening now. I thought we would talk through some things first. Create a budget. Save up to buy a truck—”
“Well, I couldn’t let this opportunity pass us by!” she cried, gesturing again at the piece of shit truck behind her.
“That’s an… opportunity?” I asked, pointing once more to the truck that looked like it belonged in a salvage yard.
“Yes!” she did a funky cheerleader-like hop that did crazy, gravity defying things to her breasts. This time, I groaned aloud.
“I’m sorry…” I said. “This is just a lot to take in right now. I was about to have dinner with my family, so if you want to—”
“Oh, I would love to join you!” She breezed past me into the house, not waiting for any of us to lead the way or even follow her.
I was going to say, If you want to discuss this later, I’ll call you, but Tasmanian Chloe strikes again.
Finn gave me a compassionate glance, and Mom smiled, pushing onto her toes to give me a kiss. “She’s a sweet girl,” Mom said. “And always a joy to spend a dinner with.”
“But… I didn’t invite her to join us,” I whispered.
Mom patted my cheek. “Well, maybe you should have. Let that be a lesson to you.”
Oh, it was a lesson all right. Never let Addy answer the door.
Speaking of the devil, Addy snickered and I flipped her
