Olivia’s gaze fell on a figure in a distinctive uniform climbing the steps to the porch.
“A cop? You brought me a cop?” she yelled over her shoulder in the direction of the kitchen. “What am I supposed to do with him?”
“A hug would be good,” he suggested, and removed his hat with a grin, revealing a familiar face.
“Jake?” Olivia’s eyes widened in surprise. She took in his short, blond hair and mischievous blue eyes, almost the exact same shade as his sister.
“Hello, Olive. It’s been a long time.” He grinned, holding out his arms. “How about that hug then?”
Without thinking she launched herself into his arms, not caring about the rain from his heavy jacket saturating her clothes.
Jake was only a year younger than Louisa, and when they were younger, the three of them had been inseparable. Over the years, she’d often wondered what had happened to them.
“You got so tall,” Olivia muttered as he gave her a squeeze and dropped her back on her feet.
“That tends to happen.” He tugged her long dark hair playfully. “What about you, pretty girl? You grew up nice too.”
“Nice?” Olivia’s brow quirked. “Really, Jake, stop with all the flattery. It’ll just go to a girl’s head.”
“Alright, beautiful.” He laughed, a deep rumble that warmed her stomach. “You mind if I come in? I’m getting a bit waterlogged out here.”
She stepped aside to allow him through and followed him inside, closing the door behind them. The last time she’d seen him, he’d been a scrawny kid with dirty blond hair and a missing front tooth. Now, the guy standing in her hallway was insanely hot. Not her kind of hot—he was still just Jake to her—but she could imagine he was never short of potential dates. He was tall and broad, and when he removed his jacket, she watched in interest as his muscles rippled beneath his shirt. Definitely not a scrawny kid anymore.
“What?” he asked as he turned back and caught her staring.
“Nothing.” She shook her head with a smile. “I just can’t believe you’re all grown up and a cop too.”
“Yeah, sorry about the uniform. I didn’t have time to change.”
“Come on, guys! I’m starving,” Louisa yelled from the kitchen. “I’m going to die if you don’t feed me soon.”
Jake rolled his eyes and Olivia chuckled. He dropped his arm around her shoulders, and they wandered toward the kitchen. “You remember the rule? Never come between Lou and her–”
“Food,” Olivia finished. “I see some things never change.”
“Hey, I heard that,” she replied. “I’ve just pulled a double shift, and I haven’t eaten since this morning.”
Louisa had removed her coat, revealing her scrubs with her plastic IDs still clipped to her waistband.
“Wow, you’re a doctor?” Olivia stated in surprise.
“That’s right.” Louisa continued, opening random cupboards. “Where are your wineglasses?”
“I have no idea.”
“Found them!” Louisa retrieved three beautiful blue stemmed glasses.
“You’re really a doctor?” Olivia repeated, barely glancing at the glasses as Louisa began to pour.
“Yes,” Louisa answered in amusement. “Emergency medicine. I work in the ER.”
“But that’s so…so…”
“Unexpected?” Louisa handed her a glass.
“I don’t know… I guess I don’t know what I expected,” Olivia concluded as she took a sip. “Last time I saw you, you wanted to be a rock star,” she added in amusement.
“Ah, yes. My third-grade ambition.” She laughed in remembrance. “Well, there was just one problem with that.”
