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Yes. What I was wearing had to be better than my mother’s closet.
“Maybe the Lius won’t notice?” Mrs. Russo added.
Wait, she knew about this thing with the Lius too?
“Oh, they’ll notice,” Mom said as she eyed my outfit and then my hair.
I didn’t look that bad. Maybe not my best, but definitely not my worst. I liked to think these leggings did wonders for my butt.
“Well, it’s too late now. Just promise to smile and not say anything sarcastic,” Mom said with a resigned sigh. She put a bowl of salad in my hands and pushed me toward the dining room.
Why was it too late? And who was I supposed to smile at?
I entered the dining room and a smirking Alex was the first person I saw. To his left sat Jordan with Jake, one of the twins, on his lap. But it was the duo to Alex’s right that caught my eye . . . and my breath.
The most beautiful males to ever grace the earth. And there were two of them. In my parents’ dining room. Could I have been any more blessed?
Until I remembered what my sister, aunts, and mom had been warning me. I was in a workout outfit, while they wore button-up shirts, sleeves rolled to show off muscular forearms. I cringed as I compared my messy, tiny ponytail to their gorgeous but easy quiffs, the thickness and pure blackness of their hair irresistible. One of them even had a perfect five o’clock shadow. I was such a sucker for a five o’clock shadow.
Wait, so the Lius were men? Not sisters? Why were we competing with . . . oh. I finally understood. This had been a set up. I wanted to be angry, but the pure gloriousness of these male specimens kept me from feeling anything other than bliss.
As the brothers smiled, I swore angels sang. This was too much.
“Do you want to set the salad down?” Alex teased, knowing very well I’d all but forgotten it in my hands.
Suddenly Carlie appeared beside me, a bowl of pasta salad in her hands.
“And don’t worry about coming back. We’ve got the kitchen covered,” my mom called out. I would bet my last paycheck that she had just shoved Carlie into the room beside me.
I set down the salad slowly as if I had all the time in the world. Yes, I had just been in awe of the beauty in the room and had stared for far too long, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t play it cool now.
Carlie dropped her bowl on the table beside mine.
Alex and Jordan grinned up at us, knowing Carlie would be too tongue-tied to do any introductions and it would cause an awkward situation. My brothers, even as grown men, lived for awkward situations. Especially ones that involved their sisters.
I don’t know how they found wives to put up with them. Speaking of which, where were my sisters-in-law?
But I didn’t have time to dwell on them now. I had a job to do: eliminate the awkwardness. All I had to do was introduce myself. I’d encountered the most vile of men today, so I could totally take down my juvenile brothers.
However, one of the Lius stood, beating me to it. He moved around the table, his brother just a step behind. They didn’t stop until they stood in front of me and Carlie, flashing matching, dizzying smiles at us.
“Damon Liu. We just moved in next door,” the first man said, offering his hand. I took it, his warm but firm handshake sending shivers up my spine. A handshake shouldn’t have this kind of power.
“Jaxon,” the second brother, the one without the five o’clock shadow, said just as smoothly and I shook his hand as well.
“We also have the misfortune of working with this clown,” Damon said, pointing toward Alex.
They were firefighters too? And Damon knew how to put down my brother? Be still my heart.
The group laughed as Alex sputtered in protest and soon the dining room began to fill. Mom and Dad had a giant table, but it wasn’t nearly big enough to fit us all. I was about to go back into the kitchen, where the barstools at the island would seat a few of us, when Mom blocked me in from behind.
“Dinner is ready,” she said even though it was completely unnecessary. Dad had just come in with the steaks and burgers. I swore the poor man was shaking even in his gigantic puffer jacket. But he wore a wide smile on his face.
The aunts filled the table with the rest of the fare and I wondered if we should have invited more people. The amount of food could have fed the entire block, not just my parents’ closest neighbors.
“Gorgeous, right?” Mrs. Russo whispered. She grinned and nudged my arm as she passed me to set buns and rolls on the table.
Sure, the guys were stunningly attractive, but that didn’t mean much. Now that the initial shock of handsomeness had worn off, I felt a lot more like myself. The self that wasn’t into dating men who were way more beautiful than she was. The self who wasn’t all that into dating at all. Most men couldn’t handle the hours my job demanded. And if that wasn’t a problem, my job itself was—I put myself in danger daily. Not to mention that I could probably kick their butts. Granted, judging by the way the Lius could barely contain their muscles in their shirts, I wouldn’t have worry about that last part.
