Page 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Emerson

I could smell him everywhere, in every room.

There wasn’t much here but his cologne permeated the entire space.

It hit me the moment we entered. But the comforting reminder of how amazing he smells was nothing like the coldness of the apartment.

It appeared unlived in; stark white walls, no accents or colorful art.

There weren’t even any throw pillows on his couch.

“He is in desperate need of some color in his life.”

“And that is where you come in,” Liz says as she grabs hold of my shoulder and leans in to kiss my cheek.

“Stop it.” I smack at her hand making her laugh.

“I’ve been dying to either get ahold of this place or any other. He just kept telling me this isn’t where he wants to stay. But he is even worse at house shopping. Which is top priority while I am here. I refuse to leave unless he has an accepted offer on the perfect place.”

And I’m here to tag along. It all seems so strange.

“Shew.” Alizabeth barges into the bathroom right behind me and flips on the shower. Spinning around she sits back on the edge and her shoulders sagged.

“Where is everyone at?” I ask, peeking outside the bathroom and down the hall.

“They left,” she adds with a huff. “I swear I could feel the anger rolling off Kelton through the phone.”

I told her it wasn’t a good idea to have anyone here without talking to him first.

“The minute he heard that Mark and Mason where here he assumed I’d let Libby come too. Please.” She rolls her eyes. “Like I’d ever do that. That bitch is toxic with a capital T. She oozes bullshit, and I know better.”

I want to laugh, because Liz, I love her to death, but she is so dramatic at times. She always speaks a mile a minute when she is mad, happy, or tired. It’s always hard to get a word in so most days I don’t even try.

“I can see it now, she’d be here taking selfies and posting about her dating Kelton, the rumors would spread and his agent and publicist would be hot on his ass.

I’d be disowned and he’d be buddies with Brigette instead of me.

Could you imagine my stuck-up sister talking with him til four in the morning.

” She laughs. “Brigette wouldn’t dare be up past nine.

Her perfect husband would lose his shit if his dainty little proper wife wasn’t tucked in safe and up before sunrise with his Betty homemaker breakfast all out for him before he leaves for the office. ”

She takes a deep breath.

“I think he’s mad at me.” She finally sighs and looks down at her lap.

She may act all tough but there isn’t anything that bothers her more than the idea that she doesn’t have her big brother in her corner.

Truth is, he can be madder than he’s ever been and he’d never turn his back on her.

She is and will always be his baby sis, she is protected, even if she somehow messes up.

“He’s not mad,” I tell her sitting down at her side. “So he may be irritated, but I think we both know by the time he gets home and sees you, it will all fade. Besides he’ll be too happy we found him a house.”

“The perfect house,” she adds with a laugh, trying her best to hold back the tears I know she wants to shed.

“You take a shower, I’ll go text the realtor and find out where we should meet him.”

“He’s picking us up in forty-five minutes.” She stands and starts to pull off her shirt. Lifting it over her head she tosses it to the floor. “We can leave the rental here and maybe when Kelton gets back in town later we can have him come pick us up.”

“We have the rental,” I tell her, feeling like it’d be better to have a barrier against him and I for as long as I possibly can.

“But we both hate driving, it’s unfamiliar territory and him picking us up will give me the opportunity to force him to look at the house we find for him.

” She shrugs. “Whether he likes it or not, he has to have the final say. He is the one who will be living here not me. All I need is the perfect guest room. One that does not have a clear view of the pool, hot tub, or the back deck. Because there is no way I want to wake up in the morning while staying over for a visit to find my brother buck ass naked drinking his morning coffee.”

“Excuse me?”

“It was one of his few requests. He wants a place far enough away from neighbors that if he wants to walk outside nude and take a dip in his pool he can without it ending up as nationwide news on TMZ.”

I laugh, then cover my mouth. She smiles and suddenly my head has tiny dancing naked Keltons in it.

I’m already a mess, this is not going to go smooth. I can feel it now!