Page 64 of Love Me

I stepped aside for her to come in.

She walked in with a large bag hanging off her shoulder. She took in my living room quickly, then spun to face me. “I ran to Maranda’s salon after Knox called offering me the front desk position. I start Monday!”

“He did?” I gaped as I shut the front door. “Congratulations!”

Beaming, she pulled a bottle of vodka and a bottle of cranberry juice from her bag. “Want to add a little celebration to our girls’ night?”

“Sure.” I took the vodka and juice from her. Heading to the kitchen, I jiggled the vodka. “How’d you get this?”

Following me, she said, “My cousin got it for me.”

I put the vodka in the freezer and juice in the fridge. “Maranda?”

“No. I have another cousin who turned twenty-one a couple months ago. She needed help sewing a tear in her costume for some college party she’s going to this weekend, and in exchange, I had her buy the vodka.”

“Speaking of sewing and costumes, how’s yours coming along?”

“I finished it and Ethan’s today.”

I went back to the cookies and began transferring them from the tray to a cooling rack. “Mermaids, right?”

She smiled. “I’m going as an evil siren version of Ariel, and instead of falling in love with the prince, I drown him.”

I chuckled. “Let me guess, Ethan is the prince you drown?”

“Duh,” she said, and we both laughed. “What are the guys going as?”

I shrugged. “They wouldn’t tell me. They want it to be a surprise.”

She scrunched her nose. “Lame.”

Thunder boomed outside.

“It looked like it was going to rain when I was driving over here,” Isabelle said, sounding excited, and rushed to look out the sliding glass door that led to the backyard. “I love it when it rains.”

“It rarely happens here.”

“That’s why it’s exciting, and the rain makes everything smell good, too.” She put her hand up to the glass and took in my backyard. “If it ever rains during the day, you could sit on that swing with a good book and just relax to the sounds and smells.”

“I need to finish putting it together first.”

“What do you mean? It’s already built.”

I walked over to the glass door and looked out at my patio. Sure enough, it was assembled. I flipped on the outside light before unlocking the door and stepping out onto the patio. It wasn’t raining yet, but the wind was picking up and another clack of thunder rumbled.

I took a seat on the swing and smiled as it swayed perfectly.

Isabelle took a seat next to me. “I take it that you didn’t put it together.”

I shook my head. “I’m pretty sure Knox did, with the help of one or all of his brothers.”

“What if I make us some cocktails and we swing for a little bit until the rain comes?”

I nodded. I liked that idea. The cookies needed a little more time to cool and I wasn’t ready to walk away from what I felt swinging in my new swing.

* * *

We moved my coffee table off to the side and made a picnic with blankets and pillows on the floor in front of the TV.