“Welcome,” I said, my voice muffled against her jacket.
“First she scolds me, then she drags me inside,” she remarked theatrically, stepping back with exaggerated care, one hand pressed to her chest as if wounded. “Honestly, my emotional health can’t take this abuse.”
“I’m going to kick your ass if you don’t get inside,” I said, smiling. We’d met in the first year of college and had stayed in touch, but our lives had taken us in different directions in the years since. When we were together though, it was like no time had passed.
“Talk about mixed messages,” Violet teased, freeing her long blonde hair from where it’d gotten stuck under the strap of her bag.
“We’d all miss it if she stopped.” The unmistakably familiar voice echoed from down the hallway.
My gaze snapped past Violet, sweeping the long stretch of tiled floor behind her. It was empty, aside from the flickering overhead lights casting uneven shadows along the walls.
I couldn’t see her, but I could hear the faint, steady rhythm of footsteps climbing higher, the sound thinning as it slipped between the floors of my four-story building.
Sienna appeared a moment later, her almond-shaped, honey-colored eyes meeting mine.
“There you are,” I exclaimed, rushing to meet her halfway down the hall. “I can’t believe you made it,” I added, excitement tangling in my chest.
“You need to tell your building manager to install an elevator,” she huffed, though her smile softened the complaint. “I hope this is a good surprise.”
Her gaze flicked briefly to Violet, lingering just long enough to tell me she hadn’t expected to see her here.
“Of course,” I said at the same moment Violet said, “Outside the office, we’re just a bunch of friends hanging out.”
Sienna nodded. As far as I knew, she hadn’t been back to see the good doctor since her failed second attempt. I didn’t blame her; therapy wasn’t for everyone, especially if you weren’t completely ready.
“Kristoff knows you’re in town?” I asked carefully. Sienna attended MIT, and although she used to pop to New York regularly, she rarely left the campus these days.
“Uh-oh…” She winced, then forced a light laugh. “Of course.”
He didn’t, then. And the quiet plea in her eyes made it clear that she was trusting me not to say a word.
I let out a worried breath.
“You shouldn’t be roaming the streets alone,” I scolded. “I don’t want anything happening to you.”
“I had an escort,” she rushed to say. “He’s scarier than anyone else on the street.”
I arched my eyebrow, waiting for an explanation, but it never came.
“Fine, but unless that scary escort actually comes to pick you up himself, you’re staying the night and I’m taking you back to campus tomorrow.” I ushered her inside. “Now, let’s get this party started.”
I led the way toward the living room, my step-niece’s hand in mine, and found a spot on the couch. The coffee table was already full of appetizers and drinks.
“Help yourself,” I said, taking a seat on the couch and watching Violet and Sienna grab refreshments.
A world map was sprawled across the wall to my right, its edges peppered with tiny pinholes and the odd dart scar. The amber floor lamps glinted off the metal tips of the darts, their shadows stretching like thin needles across the continents.
While Sienna helped herself to the food, Violet’s gaze kept drifting past the spread, flicking again and again toward the map and the cluster of darts mounted beside it. Even as she reached for a drink, her attention refused to stay put.
“So,” she said at last, sitting down on the loveseat, “what exactly is a dart party?” A grin tugged at her mouth. “I have to admit, your message piqued my curiosity.”
“Well, it’s a party where you throw a dart at a map and you hope it lands somewhere sunny and warm.”
“Never heard of it,” Violet said as she pulled her hair into a claw clip, exposing the light olive skin at her shoulders. “How come we’ve never had it before?”
I shrugged. “I only just found out about it myself.”
“How long will you be gone for?” Sienna questioned.
