“Thanks so much! I have to go share the news with Kaylee, but we’ll talk soon, okay?”
“Of course. Love you, and I’m proud of you,” he says.
“Love you too!” I disconnect the call and let out an excited scream. “We did it!”
Kaylee rounds the desk and gives me a hug. Then we’re jumping up and down like little kids who’ve been told they can go to the carnival.
“We should celebrate,” Kaylee says. “We’re going to be working hard this year, so let’s take advantage of our downtime while we can. Let’s have some fun.”
I nod. “Want to go to Midnight?” I suggest my brother Jack’s nightclub. He opened the club with his best friend, Lucas Carras, and another co-owner, Tristan Hayes, who’d inherited the building where the club, now a top luxury Miami night spot, is located.
“Yes. That’s perfect.” Kaylee’s eyes gleam with anticipation. “I wouldn’t mind a night staring at Tristan. The man is sex appeal personified.”
I hold back a snicker. Though she has a thing for Tristan, I reserve that description for Lucas Carras, the dark-haired, Greek god who is my brother’s bad boy best friend. The same man I’ve been warned away from since he was a troubled teen. But he’s a grown man now with a solid business and thanks to his relationship with Jack, we have a friendship of sorts. Which doesn’t mean I don’t fantasize about him. Because I do.
“I’d love to go home and change before we go. Do you want to meet up outside the club?” Kaylee asks.
I nod. “I could use some fixing up myself.” I don’t want to show up at the club with my makeup smudged and my hair a mess from running my fingers through it. Not to mention, I’m wearing my professional outfit, a sleeveless camisole and a fitted pencil skirt ending above the knee, covered with a lace cardigan. Definitely not a nightclub look.
I text my brother and let him know we’re coming by and to please reserve us a table. Then, Kaylee and I agree on a time to meet, and we each head home. In addition to showering, changing, and putting on makeup, I plan on eating some leftovers from last night so I don’t drink on an empty stomach.
A little while later, on a high and feeling pretty damn good, I see Kaylee standing outside the club and I join her. Thanks to me being Jack’s sister, we bypass the long line of people waiting to get in.
“Hi, James.” I smile at the bouncer.
“Hey, Rainey. Go ahead,” he says, gesturing for us to go inside.
Once in the club, low lighting surrounds us. Glass and chrome walls reflect the luxurious white leather seating, and the dance floor gleams with subtle uplighting. I’m so proud of Jack and all he’s accomplished with this place. My siblings and I all had the opportunity to work with the Thunder and made our decisions accordingly.
Jack and I are determined to make our own way while the twins work for the Thunder, under my dad. They’re being groomed to take over, and they each bring different personality aspects to the job. Hudson and Miles are perfectly suited to lead the Thunder when the time comes. Meanwhile, my dad isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Retirement is not in the near future.
I walk past the dance floor, which is empty. The DJ doesn’t start for another half hour, so people mill around, standing at tables and the bar, while a playlist booms from the speakers. As I head toward an empty space at the bar to order drinks, I’m feeling the music and I nod to the beat.
Once there, I turn to my friend. “What can I order for you?”
Kaylee pauses in thought. “A white Russian.”
I grin, knowing how she loves anything sweet. I plan to order a glass of chardonnay for myself when I hear my name being called.
I turn to see my brother striding toward me, a bottle of champagne in one hand.
“Hey, you two! I hear congratulations are in order,” Jack says, a smile on his face as he yanks me into an embrace. “Congrats, sis,” his voice whispers in my ear.
“Thanks,” I say, a lump rising in my throat. It’s one thing to accomplish my goal, yet another to know my brother is genuinely happy for me.
Jack and I have always been close. I adore all three of my loving,overprotectivemale siblings. You’d never know I was the oldest the way they carry on, especially when I was younger. Nobody was good enough for me and they let any potential boyfriends know it. Even when the twins were young, they thought it was their job to protect me. Whispered instructions from my father, no doubt.
Releasing me, Jack turns to Kaylee. “Congrats to you, too. It’s a huge get,” he says.
Her grin matches mine. “Thanks, Jack.” She pulls him into a sisterly hug. Kaylee and I have been friends since elementary school and Jack is like a brother to her, too.
“Now let’s head to your table and celebrate,” he says. “You two can order whatever you want on the house, but not before we toast your success.”
He holds up the champagne and tips his head toward the private, elevated platform area reserved for Jack, Lucas, Tristan, and their guests. VIP patrons have separate private areas they can rent that overlook the lower floor of the club, but this is the owners’ space.
I look up, surprised to see Tristan and Lucas already seated there. I thought it would just be us and Jack tonight.
“Oh!” Kaylee says, obviously pleased.
