“Just a few days, I think. I just have to attend a couple of meetings and sign contracts for now.”
“Mi casa es tu casa.”
“Love you, sis.”
“Love you too. BE GOOD.”
“You first,” he cackled before ending the call. I rolled my eyes before reaching for my phone again to reread the messages, chewing on my thumbnail, then my lip. Ray was adorable. We probably had some leftover promo merch we could send him. Finn was sort of adorable too, I decided.
I sent a quick message to Lennon, asking them to see if they could dig something up from our basement storage.
Then I took a deep breath in an effort to calm down, set my phone onDo Not Disturb, unwrapped my sandwich, and tried to focus on the fact that in a few days, my favorite brother would arrive.
Chapter8
Casual Snooping: A Professional Assessment
Finn
“Here we are!” Enzo pulled into the driveway of a house that looked like it had been frozen in 1959. I climbed out of the passenger side of our rented Jeep, grateful to be on solid ground after Enzo’s enthusiastic interpretation of local traffic laws. He’d fit right in with the other drivers who treated every merge like a suggestion and every speed limit like a minimum—the exact kind of unpredictability that set my teeth on edge these days.
Most homes on the wide street sat far back from the curb, but this house and a few others—clean Mid-Century Modern ranches—were positioned closer to the street with the confidence of architecture that knew it was different.
I grabbed my overnight bag while Enzo bounced around to my side, radiating energy that usually meant trouble for me.
“What do you think?” his grin stretched impossibly wide, and I caught that familiar spark in his eyes—the one that meant I was about to discover what I’d really signed up for.
A pristine green Land Rover in the carport caught my attention immediately—I was pretty sure my mouth actually watered. “I thought you said you got us an Airbnb,” I responded, still studying the car. It was the kind of restored, maintained, obviously-loved vehicle that didn’t come with rental properties.
Enzo had pitched this whole trip during one of those conversations where he somehow made his suggestions sound like they’d been my ideas. And even though I knew precisely what he was doing, I still went along with it. Dom was filming on the east coast while Enzo was scheduled to meet with stunt crews inPark City about a ski documentary. Perfect timing, really, since I’d been going stir crazy in LA’s plastic fantastic wonderland—I missed the quiet peace of a carrier deck at night and stars that weren’t competing with billboard lights.
My medical discharge had made everything official three days ago, sealing the deal on what we’d all seen coming. The whole thing was like background noise I couldn’t tune out—constant and slightly irritating if I paid too close attention—reminding me I was permanently grounded.
“I said I got us a place to stay,” Enzo shouldered his bag. He headed for the bright burnt orange front door like he owned the place. Which, given his expression, he might.
“Whose house is this?” I hung back while he knocked some kind of familiar pattern instead of using the doorbell.
My heart beat an irregular pattern—the same as it did whenever I thought about Sasha. Which was considerably more often than seemed reasonable for someone I’d only spent a couple of days around and who was obviously taken.
Instead of answering like a normal person, Enzo hummed whatever song had been playing on the radio. I bounced on my feet, nervous energy mixing with anticipation.
Dom’s parting words echoed back: “Promise me you’ll be on your best behavior.” It should’ve been my first clue this wasn’t going to be the relaxing getaway I’d imagined.
A horn honked behind us, pulling me from my thoughts. I turned to see a tall, blond guy climbing out of an older Civic right as the front door opened.
“Sister!” Enzo launched forward, and I turned back just in time to watch him envelope Sasha in an over-enthusiastic hug. She put her arms around Enzo and nestled her chin against his shoulder.
My mouth went dry. She was as beautiful as I’d been trying to not remember—her dark pink hair pulled into a deliberately messy half bun and her oversized navy blue glasses somehow made her look both smart and approachable. The jealousy I felttook me by surprise—Enzo was her brother, and I had zero claim on her attention anyway.
The blond guy appeared next to me with a nod that said, “fellow bystander in the Enzo show,”which I appreciated.
“Oi, you’re not going to make us stand out here all day, are you?” he called out finally.
“Jason!” Enzo released Sasha and pivoted like he’d been waiting his whole life for this exact moment, throwing himself at the new arrival with equal enthusiasm.
I stood there, trying not to notice how Sasha’s gray sweater had slipped off one shoulder, revealing a lavender bra strap. Her dark green leggings and bare feet with bright pink toenails completed her casual put-together look. It was more attractive than any red-carpet outfit I’d seen while living with Dom and Enzo.
“Hi,” I managed, forcing my eyes back to her face and feeling heat creep up my neck. “Sorry, I feel like I’m crashin’ family time.”
