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“Oh, I don’t believe that,” she says and rolls her eyes in Jack’s direction. “But I’m sure he says nice things about most of us. And please, call me Carolyn.”
I didn’t even notice he had joined us. Wow. Jack definitely isn’t lacking in the looks department. His build is slightly bigger than Gavin’s and, like their sister, he has dark hair and smoldering brown eyes. They must take after their dad.
I laugh as Jack whines, “Mom! Quit playing favorites!”
She chuckles as she takes both Gavin and me by the elbow and walks us toward the house. She stops when we reach Jack and pats him gently on the cheek. “Oh, Jackie. You know you’re my favorite.”
Jack beams until she leans over and whispers into my ear, “He’s so sensitive. Sometimes I have to stroke the poor boy’s ego.” Considering Jack is standing right next to us, she obviously intended to be heard.
Gavin claps his brother on the back. “Tough break, dude. Time to play second fiddle for a couple days.”
“Asshat,” Jack grumbles.
“Dickhead,” Gavin retorts.
“Boys!” his mom scolds. “Language!”
I laugh. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”
Gavin winks at me in response.
Jack glares at him and throws his arm around my shoulder. “Welcome to California, Kat. It’s going to be so nice getting to know you.”
“Uh…” I stammer.
Gavin picks his brother’s heavy arm off my shoulders and pulls me into him. “Keep your hands to yourself, Jack Off.”
Jack punches Gavin playfully on the arm. “Just giving her options, Bro.”
Gavin punches him back. “She doesn’t want options.”
Carolyn takes my arm and pulls me through the door. “Ignore them, Kat. They always act like children when a pretty lady is around.” She looks over her shoulder. “Gavin, why don’t you show Kat to your room so she can get settled? I have you two in the guest suite.”
“Kat, my apartment is only a few minutes away if you want to shack up with a real man,” Jack offers. “Just go down the Excelsior, take a right, and I’m one block away.”
“What’s the Excelsior?” I ask out of curiosity.
Gavin rolls his eyes. “Kat, don’t encourage him. It’s the large staircase to the left of the house. It leads into the downtown area. We can head down there in the morning and walk around the shops.”
Jack smirks. “Bro, it looks like Gorgeous here does want options.”
Gavin shoves him to the side and catches up with me. “C’mon, Kat, let’s go get settled in our room.”
Now that I’m no longer distracted by their sibling rivalry, I actually take a look at the inside of the house. “Wow,” I say. “This is incredible.”
I’m guessing this is the main level because it’s an open floorplan showcasing a gourmet eat-in kitchen, a dining room, and a large living area with double doors framing the San Francisco skyline off in the distance. The entire space is decorated in shades of white, gray, and beige with red and dark blue accent pieces. The ceilings have to be at least twenty feet high.
“Is that a library?” I point to the sunken room off to the side that features a large stone fireplace and floor-to-ceiling bookcases.
“It is,” Carolyn confirms. “It was always Gavin’s favorite room in the house.”
“I can see why.” I’ve never seen anything this nice in my entire life. I honestly only thought it existed on those home improvement shows. I can’t fathom actually spending your childhood here.
Gavin saves me from embarrassing myself with excessive gawking when he tugs on my hand. “C’mon Kat, the guest suite is downstairs.”
I clear my throat. “Okay.”
“Gavin,” his mother calls. “Your sister and father should be here shortly. Don’t take too long; dinner will be ready by seven.”
