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He looked worried. “Do you want us to stay here? We could just have a quiet night in.”
I shook my head. “No. Go have fun with Jeremy’s fancy friends. I’m going to order Chinese, make popcorn, and watchNew Year’s Rockin’ Eveuntil the ball drops. I’ll be fine.”
“It’s just Evan and Raphael,” he countered. “They’re not fancy.”
“Oh. You mean the principal cellist for the New York Philharmonic and the high-powered lawyer with the multi-million-dollar apartment on Central Park West? Nah, they’re not fancy at all.”
“They’re good people,” Sean said in their defense.
“I know they are. I’m just messing with you,” I said. “But seriously, I’ll be fine.”
“But…”
I grabbed his shoulders and steered him toward the door. “Go get your man and have fun in the City. I’m sure traffic will be horrible.”
He checked his smartwatch. “Which is why we’re leaving at one. I’d better get going. Tony will pick us up soon at the front of the hotel.”
“I can’t believe you’re staying in the hotel. I could have waited a couple of days to move in, you know.”
Sean shrugged. “It was just for a couple of days. We’re staying in Jeremy’s apartment from tonight until we move into the house.”
“You’d better go,” I said.
He gave me a quick hug. “Happy New Year, Liam.”
“Happy New Year,” I replied.
“I’ll text you tonight,” he said.
“I’ll probably be asleep.” I shoved him lightly. “Would you go already?”
After I shut the door on my brother’s back, I got down to the task of unpacking my boxes. I didn’t have a lot of stuff, so it didn’t take long to put everything away. My mother had surprised me with a new set of pots and pans and given me a whole stack of cookbooks.
Once it was all put away to my satisfaction, I stood in the middle of the small living room, surveying my new kingdom. The cottage was small but warm and cozy. The open-plan living room and kitchen made it feel bigger. The front bay window let in a lot of light. The short hallway led to a big bedroom. The best feature, though, was the extra-large bathroom. Sean had opened the wall to what was once a small second bedroom and expanded the bathroom into it. Taking showers in there would be glorious.
I had a sudden urge to call Marco to tell him all about my new place. I pushed it aside. I was sure he had his own thing going on New Year’s Eve. I hadn’t seen him much since Sean and Jeremy’s engagement. He’d made a brief appearance at the Christmas Eve party at Moonlight, where I’d given him a diecast model of his 1965 Mustang, and he’d given me a star chart of the constellations on the day I was born. After that, all I’d heard from him was a Merry Christmas text the next day.
I made a late lunch, then got out my guitar and started to play. It felt good to sink into my music. My therapist had been right. It was therapeutic. I thought about Marco and his cars and played “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman.
As if my thoughts had conjured him, my phone chimed with a text message. I picked it up, and sure enough, it was from Marco.
Marco: Hey, Liam. What’s up? Tony told me he drove Sean and Jeremy to the City, but you stayed home. Everything ok?
I rolled my eyes. I was surrounded by overprotective papa bears.
Me: I’m fine. I wasn’t in the mood for a big, fancy party.
Marco: Where are you now? At your mom’s place?
Me: Nope. Sean moved out of the cottage early so I could move in. I’m here enjoying my new space.
There was a pause while the dots danced on the screen. Finally, Marco replied.
Marco: Why didn’t you call me to help?
Huh. Marco seemed…hurt? That surprised me.
Me: There wasn’t much to move. Sean left all his furniture, and I don’t have a lot of stuff. I think Sean wanted some brotherly bonding time.
