Page 155 of The Maxwell Brothers

“What do you mean?”

“That you’re used to having shitty luck.”

I shrugged, realizing that might be true. I was overly cautious. “Hey, luck is always changing. I mean, I did buy the house of my dreams.”

“I can’t wait to see it. Did you find a construction crew?”

“None I can afford. I’m going to figure out how to do some of the stuff myself.”

Her eyes bulged. “But you’re terrible at it. And I’m worse. But I’ll help you in any way I can.”

“Thanks.”

“Did you manage to get ahold of Jared? There has to be a way to legally force him to deposit your paychecks in your bank account.”

“I’m looking into getting a lawyer to send him a letter. That asshole thinks he can push me around.”

“Or I could loan you some money until?—”

“That’s a firm no.” Emma was always there for me, as I was for her, but this was my problem to deal with.

“You only took the job at Jared’s to help me with my college loans. So it’s only fair?—”

“You don’t owe me anything, Emma. You’re my little sister, and I wanted to help out any way I could. Let’s change the subject.”

“Okay. Tyler. Tell me about him.” She grinned.

“He’s sexy and amazing, and I haven’t met anyone who can melt my defenses faster than him. And that’s so scary.”

“Good scary, right?”

“I think so. I hope so.” I finished the last sip of my latte, pondering my next words. “I know so little about him.”

But despite knowing so little, he made me feelsomuch. When he showed up at my apartment after I was almost mugged, he genuinely wanted to be there for me. His sincerity and protectiveness were something I’d longed for… probably most ofmy life. But I cautioned myself to be careful. This was probably just a fleeting moment with a wonderful man, and then it would be over. Could I handle that?

Emma pointed at me. “Awww, sis. Whether you want to admit it or not, you’re smitten. Or at the very least on your merry way to being smitten with Tyler Maxwell.”

“Shush. Don’t say that out loud. You’re putting all sorts of ideas in my mind.”

“What are little sisters for?”

I laughed, stealing her cup of coffee from the table and taking a sip.

“Hey, why did you do that?” she protested.

“You snooze, you lose.”

We bickered about the coffee for about ten more minutes before it was time for me to leave.

After bidding her goodbye, I took a train directly to the state park. I was traveling separately from the group because they'd already arrived a few hours earlier. From the train station, I took a prebooked transfer to our cabin, looking out curiously on the way.

I sighed when I got out of the car in front of thehugeB&B. My God, it looked so gorgeous, even better than in pictures. I walked up the front porch, inspecting my surroundings. The A-frame was made from wood logs that had darkened already. There were two swings on the porch with folded gray blankets on them and a swinging armchair. Laughter and the occasional shriek filled the air. I couldn’t see the kids, but I suspected they were in the backyard; the property was narrow in the front, but I remembered seeing a huge yard in the back in photos.

The front door swung open when I arrived in front of it. Tyler stood before me, tall and impossibly handsome.

“Hey. How did you know I was here?”

“One of the kids saw the cab pull up. Welcome.”