“I texted James to be prepared for an impromptu meeting with River... the Byrne’s, rather, Saturday morning.”
I should have let Dad kill him. Know when to shut the fuck up, brother. Seriously. “Great, Pat.” Please let that be the end of Chatty Patty.
“By the way, Dad, thanks for the save back at Triskelion. I felt horrible that I asked about their parents.” Remembering their sad faces squeezed his chest all over again.
“They’re good girls,” was all his dad said.
“I wishwe could call Mom and Dad. They wouldn’t believe us,” River spoke from behind Raven. Her sisters were chilling in her bed while she packed things from her closet. They decided to do it tonight instead of tomorrow so they could concentrate on work.
She and her sisters had been switching positions in each other’s rooms to multitask, discussing the day and packing for the O’Faolains. Just thinking about that sent swarms of butterflies through her stomach. Raven wouldn’t relax until they were officially hired for the job. Barring another catastrophe, it seemed a sure thing.
Rowan pulled Raven from her thoughts. “I would like to believe they know,” she said softly in answer to River.
Missing our parents every day was natural. Thinking of them every day was healing. Becoming sad every day was dangerous. They discussed this often. They had seen a therapist individually and together for a year and knew what problems to look for in themselves and each other.
Determined to lift the mood, Raven said, “Well, Row, if they know specifics like that in heaven, then they know that their youngest daughter, screeching like a banshee, tore her panties off and walked around three grown men au naturale.”
River burst out laughing. “Oh my God, Rave, I’m literally dying. I may pee myself,” she squealed.
“You are an absolutely horrible older sister!” Rowan started lobbing pillows into Raven’s closet. She was laughing now too. “I’ve considered hypnotherapy to erase the whole morning from my memory,” Rowan managed to sound traumatized, but her eyes were glowing with mirth.
At this point, it was laugh at it or cry.
River asked, “Hey, sis, are you packing any sexy nighties while you’re in there? The way you were making eyes at Bran, I’m surprised the man didn’t have ocular hickies.”
Raven stuck her head out and stared at both sisters. “In all seriousness, was I obvious?” Putting her fingers to her eyes, she massaged gently. If only it would massage away the embarrassment— From. The. Whole. Morning.
“You know I have no experience with men. I mean, none of us do, but God, I’d die if I thought he noticed me noticing him...” As she trailed off, she uncovered her eyes and saw both sisters watching her.
“Come sit on the bed with us,” River offered.
“It wasn’t obvious. Truly,” Rowan added. “But, sis, you realizehenever stopped staring atyou, right?”
Raven popped up and straddled her sister’s lap, holding her shoulders down with her hands. “Don’t play with me, Rowan. You’ll regret it.” Raven tried an unblinking stare.
River laughed, “She’s not lying. He’s way into you.” Thoughtfully she added, “It will make this job slightly tricky if we’re all not careful.”
And damn, if River wasn’t spot on. This was not a job to screw up by fraternizing with the client. Double damn.
“You mean because Playboy Patrick O’Faolain acted like a blushing nincompoop if you so much as glanced in his direction, River?” Rowan asked, still pinned to the bed.
“No way!” River knocked her older sister off her youngest, taking her place. Except she grabbed her shoulders and started bouncing Rowan up and down.
“It’s true!” she screamed while laughing.
“Oh my, I’m exhausted,” River said, hauling herself off Rowan before collapsing beside her.
They all lay in silence for a minute. It was true Irish luck that they’d landed this job. Raven was still shocked. They all were. Perhaps even the O’Faolains were, she mused.
“One last thing before we go to bed,” River started. “Raven, you’re right. None of us has any experience with men. I know wechose to wait. We put school first, and then we put work first,” she paused, adding, “but don’t you guys think it’s about time we got some experience? Like, put ourselves out there? Not on a street corner or anything, but accepted a few dates here and there?”
Surprising her older sisters, Rowan was the first to respond. “Yes. I say hell yes, actually. We need to make our love lives a priority. Raven?”
“You guys are right. I mean, I’m not adding a stripper pole downstairs, but... I may add that black and nude nighty I bought last time we went shopping in OKC.”
Her sisters lay on Raven’s bed for a while longer in silence. Possibly doing what she was, considering what it would be like to let a man into their lives. What it would mean, and how it would change things.
6
