“While you look amazing...” She studies my face. “You seem upset, Win. Is everything all right?”
I wish I could tell her the truth. Because I have no doubt she’d understand.
But, right now, I need help with…
“Hunter Storm is my boss.”
Peyton’s eyes go wide. “What—”
“And my new housemate. All in one.”
“Holy shit.”
“I know.”
She reaches behind her cash register, grabs her purse, and slips her arm through mine. “This kind of problem requires alcohol to sort out. Let’s go to The Riverway.”
* * *
“Wow,” I say as Peyton leads me up the stairs inside The Riverway and over to a free set of couches positioned around a gas fireplace. “This place is gorgeous.”
Music drifts up from Jackson Square, and Peyton and I settle across from each other on a couch.
“Blaire owns this place, right?” I ask Peyton.
Blaire is Peyton’s sister-in-law. She’s married to Peyton’s brother, Oliver, another classmate from my childhood that I grew up with.
Peyton slips off her shoes and tucks her feet underneath her on the couch. “She does. I can’t believe you’ve never been here.”
“I haven’t been back since Blaire returned to New Orleans,” I remind her. “I only met her the one time you all came to see me in New York.”
“I know. I just always remember you here.” She laughs. “I sound like a grandmother or something.”
I understand what she means. Time seems to stop when you’re at home.
Blaire approaches us with a smile. She’s a tall redhead with a killer style. Today, she’s wearing a flared black skirt and classy silk top. She’s totally Oliver’s type, and I love that they found each other.
I don’t know her well, but Blaire surprises me with a warm hug. “Welcome home,” she says to me.
“Thank you.”
She studies my face. “If you’re feeling anything close to what I was when I returned home, you may not be as excited as we all are that you’re here.”
I laugh. “It’s been an adjustment, that’s for sure.”
“Take your time adjusting,” she advises me. “It’s different for everyone.”
“Winter’s got a boy problem already,” Peyton says to her.
Blaire sits down on the adjacent couch. “Tell me. I’m a bartender. I can help.”
I throw up my hands. “I don’t think anyone can help me with Hunter Storm.”
Blaire’s eyes widen. “Hunter Storm, the star of the New Orleans Fire? I’ve met him through Oliver. They don’t hang out a lot, but you all grew up together, right?”
“We did,” I say. “He and I were pretty close.”
Peyton snorts. “That’s an understatement. Those two were so into each other. I still can’t believe you never dated.”
