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“Well, how’d it go?” Everleigh asks as she counts money from the cash register.
“I start Monday.”
She looks up at me. “Did you see Gemma?”
“Yep. Apparently, she had no idea her dad was interviewing me.”
She averts her eyes and purses her lips. “Oh, really? I must’ve forgotten to mention that detail.” She closes the register, then hangs the dresses in her hands on a rack.
“Oh, right. Even though you have an impeccable memory and can remember exact conversations from twenty years ago. I’m sure you just…forgot.”
Everleigh rolls her eyes. “I have selective memory.” Even though she’s younger, she often tries to keep me in line as though she’smybig sister.
“Well, tell me how it went.” She puts her hands on her hips.
“More awkward than when you tried stealing a box of condoms from the store when you were thirteen.” I chuckle at the memory. She was embarrassed the sheriff called and begged me not to tell our grandparents.
“Tyler!” She grabs a balled-up piece of paper and throws it at me. “That was a dare!”
“And you’re lucky Father Tim was there shopping and talked the owners out of pressing charges.”
Everleigh blushes, then buries her face in her hands before meeting my eyes. “Ah, I almost forgot that part.”
“Well, times that by two, and that’s how awkward our interaction was. And now I’m going to see her every day.” I lean against the wall, crossing my arms over my chest.
“I’m surprised my phone isn’t blowing up yet, though she might never talk to me again for not warning her.” Everleigh bites into her lower lip, then waves it off. “She’ll get over it.”
I snort. “She blurted out that she was engaged.”
“It’s not like you can miss the massive rock on her finger.” She moves around the store, and I follow her. She stops and hands me a few shirts. “Make yourself useful and hang these on the back wall.”
“I don’t work for you.” I smirk.
She turns and glares. “You’re living in my condo rent-free. Shut up and use your height to hang those up so I don’t have to use my extension pole.”
I nearly choke. “Your stripper pole?”
“Goddammit, Tyler.” Everleigh bursts out laughing, then walks to the corner of the shop. “Anextensionpole. It’s a garment hook or hanger retriever for clothes that are high up.”
“From now on, I’d go with one of those names instead.”
“You haven’t changed a bit.” She hands me the pole.
“What’s that mean?” I’m more different than she’ll ever realize.
“Means you’re still my annoying big brother.” She points at the wall. “Now put them up there for me, would ya?” She grins, then pats my arm before walking away.
Once I’m done figuring out which shirt goes where and how to balance the hangers properly on this stupid retriever pole, I do exactly what she asked. When I’m finished, I find Everleigh on the other side of the store.
“Gemma said they picked a date for the wedding. When is it?”
“March thirteenth.”
Only seven months away.
“They were engaged a long time before setting one.”
Everleigh nods. “Mm-hmm. He proposed early on, like he wanted to claim her and for everyone to know she was his but wasn’t in a rush to actually get married.”
