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“No fancy car service for me, Alcott.”
Right as we disconnected, the doorbell rang. Just in time. Tova said she’d keep the door open to make sure no one rang the bell, but doorbells were irresistible for kids.
I checked my notifications. Three missed calls and five emails. The texts were from Aggie. I was in the middle of reading them when I heard Ivy announce, “Welcome.”
I stilled and listened, loving the glimpse into their day. A small perk of a home office. I worked a lot, but I wouldn’t get these experiences if I had an office elsewhere.
“We have tea and juice for after our practice.” She sounded regal, like her mother. Instead of sadness, I found myself smiling.
They were all quiet, and I guessed Tova was talking. Moments later, there was a knock on the door.
“Yes?”
Tova poked her head in. She’d gathered her hair into a floppy bun on top of her head. This morning, she’d had it loose to caress her shoulders, and I acutely remembered how soft the strands had been against my bare chest.
I wanted to fuck her again.
I needed to sink inside of her and hear those little moans leaving her because of me.
We’d gone through three condoms like I was back in college. I thought I’d be stiff and sore, like I had run a 10K after taking a few years off, but all I could do as I lay alone in bed the morning after was remind myself that I had no more condoms and I sure as fuck wasn’t buying them within a hundred-mile radius of Buffalo Gully.
“Sorry about the doorbell.” Worry played over her delicate features.
“My call had just finished.”
She sagged against the frame. “Oh, thank goodness.”
Her concern bothered me. At first, her efforts didn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated, but it was more. And now that I knew her history, I wasn’t sure. “Tova, even if a kid went screaming through the house, I won’t lose my shit. I promise. It happens—as long as it doesn’t happen all the time. A random doorbell is life.”
“Thank you. It’s odd how old habits are popping up. Must be the house and having new people in my life.” Her smile was soft. “And I’m not used to such a chill guy.”
“I’m anything but chill.”
“You’re uptight about the right things.”
The men in her life had been shit. “Don’t worry about it. Even if I do get upset, I can just let it fester for a while before I cool off. Okay?”
“Okay.” Her nod made her decision to trust me visible. “I also wanted to make sure you were off the phone before I blared music and stomping filled the air.” Laughter filtered down the hallway, and my reality tilted. I was in a different world than the one I grew up in. My brothers fought. Aggie talked loudly in order to be heard. But laughter? Not as much after Mama left.
And before Meg died? The house was quiet. It was a place for us to catch our breath, recuperate from the office, and raise some kids. But we had kept to ourselves, and our social lives revolved around our respective jobs.
“Stomp away,” I assured her. I brandished my phone. “Also, my sister is wondering if you’d like to go out with her, Sutton, and Vienne to play darts.”
“Darts?”
I nodded, unsure what LA had for dive bars with dart machines. “It’s very low-key, and they play at a bar in town.”
“Oh.” Her luminous eyes blinked as she deliberated. “I’ve never played.”
“If you can throw a small object, you can play.” A smile tugged at my lips. “My sister’s asking you out.”
She returned my grin. “In that case, I could try darts. Why me?”
“Aggie is new to town too. Sutton as well. They might want to make some friends.” My smile widened. “Also, fair warning, my brothers have big mouths when it comes to all of our business.”
She glanced down the hall and stepped in farther. “She wants to find out what’s going on between us?”
“That’s not Aggie’s style, but I’m sure she’s heard all about the weekend and the sleepover. She won’t pester you over it. If she asked you out, then it’s because she wants to get to know you.”
