“Yes, ma’am.”
“Did I tell you I love you?” Isabelle looked gorgeous, as usual. She had red fiery hair that reached to her waist. Her green eyes were vivid, and the mascara she wore brought them out nicely. She was wearing a white shirt with tiny black flowers and jeans. My friend looked impeccable even when she was at home, unpacking.
“This place is gorgeous.” The inside of the apartment was very cozy, with cream-colored walls and some old-school metal chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings.
“I know. I am so, so lucky. The old tenants even left some of their stuff here.”
She liked to mix and match styles and did so successfully. One of these days, I would ask her to give my apartment a makeover too.
Inside the living room, I was surprised to find her siblings there too. Well, I’d expected Josie to be here, but not Dylan and Ian, considering they didn’t live in New York.
“Look who’s here,” Isabelle exclaimed, grinning.
“Wow, I haven’t seen you in years. You guys look unchanged.” There was no other way to say it, the Gallagher brothers were hunks. They both had dirty-blond hair and some serious muscles. Ian’s eyes were blue, Dylan’s brown.
“We get better with age,” Dylan corrected.
“Like George Clooney,” I agreed.
Ian shuddered. “Pick someone younger, Ace.”
That had been his nickname for me growing up because I’d been a nerd. I hugged both of them and then Josie as well. She, too, looked just like I remembered her. Her brown hair was cut in a bob that brushed her neck in a straight, seductive line. She wasn’t wearing makeup. She and Isabelle had always been polar opposites. It was comforting to know that some things didn’t change.
I was closer to Ian and Dylan than Josie, because she’d left Montana when we were still kids. She’d gone to high school here in New York. Growing up, I used to pretend Ian and Dylan were my brothers. It came in very handy in certain situations—no one messed with me. They’d had my back and even volunteered to tell people I was their sister when the situation required it. We’d gone our separate ways in college. Isabelle and I went to Philadelphia, the guys went to Washington, DC, where they still lived.
“It’s good to see you, Laney,” Josie said. “These two came to help build the stuff Isabelle had in storage.”
“We’re staying until Sunday,” Ian explained. “We should be finished building everything by then.”
“We will be,” Josie said confidently. “Considering Hunter and all the Winchesters said they’ll help on Saturday.”
My stomach jolted at the mention of the Winchesters. It meant Cole was included.
“Okay, then. Put me to work.” Pointing to a stack of boxes from IKEA, I added, “I can start with that. I’m good at building IKEA stuff.”
“Good idea,” Dylan said. “Let’s you and I start on those nightstands.”
The two of us worked together while Josie, Isabelle, and Ian tackled the huge dresser.
“You’ve got skills, Ace,” he said on a wink.
“I had a great teacher.” He and Ian had come over to my parents’ house a lot, helping Dad with repairs. Dad always said that they were like the sons they’d never had. When Isabelle and I moved to our first shared apartment in Philly during college, her brothers had helped us build everything. I loved that they were here, celebrating this milestone with Isabelle.
After finishing the nightstands, we helped the rest of the group with the dresser. Hmm... it would be difficult to talk to Isabelle in private today, given all the commotion in the apartment, but I really needed her advice for tomorrow.
I seized the opportunity two hours later when we took a break. We were setting up the espresso machine in her kitchen, which was separated by a stack of boxes from the living room and the rest of the crew.
“I got a call from Cole before I came here,” I whispered as I dutifully read the instructions for starting the machine the first time.
“What did he want?”
“Umm... to go out.”
Isabelle gave me thumbs-up with both hands. “Yes! That’s why I like that guy. He knows a good thing when he sees it. What did you say?”
“I said yes. And now I’m terrified.”
“It’s time, Laney. You know it is.”