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My body tenses so hard, I almost drop the phone again.
Of course… Financify was where Annie used to work. This job title must’ve been the promotion Annie was working for.
“Whoa, buddy. You drunk or something?” Luke, the one out of the two of us who isactuallydrunk, tipsily reaches for his phone. “Aren’t you excited?”
I blink hard a couple times. “That’s Annie’s ex. Justin.”
Luke’s eyebrows raise in surprise. He looks at the photo on his screen again and smirks. “This guy?! You’rewaybetter looking than this guy.”
Despite myself, I laugh. “You’re just saying that because we look so alike.”
“‘Course I am. Consider yourself lucky that you took after me in the looks department. And Annie’s ex or no Annie’s ex, it doesn’t matter. We could be up against Bill Gates or Elon Musk, for all I care. We’veearnedthis. We deserve that funding, and we’re getting that funding. Okay?”
I feel myself relax, feel the tension slide away.
Luke’s right. It doesn’t matter who we’re up against. And it certainly doesn’t matter who Annie dated in the past. It’s irrelevant.
What matters isnow. Things change.
And, like that Aiden guy said, it’sgoodthat things change.
Having Annie in my life is the best change that’s occurred for me in years.
I glance at the now-dark sky and smile. “Hey Lukey, I’ll be right back.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “You’re so obvious, you know that?”
“How do you mean?”
Luke holds up a hand. Though with the swaying, his palm smacks unceremoniously into my chest. “Leave. And don’t come back.”
“Excuse me?”
“I know you’d rather go see Annie.” He winks. “I’drather you go see Annie.”
And then, because people change and things change, I give my brother an impromptu hug.
For a moment, he freezes. A hugger, I am not.
But after he recovers from the shock, he hugs me back with a fierceness that warms my heart.
37
ANNIE
“Wowee,” I say aloud as I flop on the massive bed in my room on the third floor of the ranch house.
Truly, I’ve never seen anything like this. I have no idea if other ranches are posh, but this one sure is. The room Liam booked for me is positively palatial, with a plush, four-poster bed, a vintage chandelier and two overflowing vasefuls of freshly-cut wildflowers on the dresser. I feel like a tiny human ant standing in the middle of the room.
But the best part is the large, cushioned bay window seat overlooking the stately home’s gardens—complete with a weeping willow with a rope swing tied to one extended limb—and the paddocks where the horses graze. AKA, the nicest place in the world to curl up and read a good book. Which I plan to take do first thing tomorrow morning.
Right now, I’m so tired, all I want to do is be in bed.
When Liam and I arrived at the venue earlier this afternoon, we went straight to the meet-and-greet Welcome barbecue with the friends and family of the bride and groom (except Liam’s folks—I have yet to meet them). It was so wonderful to meet so many people who know and love Liam—hear his aunt Tracey recount stories of his T-ball days, laugh with his childhood neighbor about the time Liam tried to adopt a duckling he found in the pond at the local park.
It was beyond lovely to see Liam smiling and relaxed and happy. He put his arm around me every time he introduced me to someone—always as his date, never as his employee. I can’t even begin to describe the warm, glowing feeling when he did that. Like this was all just… right.
Eventually—too soon—Liam was off to throw an ax or something (it sounded sexy enough that I wanted to spy, but I was told it was strictly boys-only). So, I decided to put this amazing room to full use (seriously, the man spoiled me. He insisted that all guests have a room this nice, but I’m not sure I believe him. It would be so Liam to act like he didn’t go the extra mile).
