“Val, your cheesecake is addictive,” I said.
“Why, thank you, sis.”
I sipped my chardonnay, patting my belly. My family was gathered at my oldest sister’s house for Friday dinner. We’d just had dessert, and we were sitting in the living room. As we often did lately, we talked about weddings. The wedding season was open.
My brother Jace was getting married this coming August, and we’d just had a wedding three weeks ago. Val and Carter had discovered that she was three months pregnant at Christmas and decided to have a shotgun wedding mid-February.
I’d been ecstatic at the news. I knew how much my sister wanted a child. If I was honest, I wanted a new baby in the family too. I kissed the top of my niece Willow’s head in between braiding her hair. She was two and a half years old already, and I missed the days when she was tiny. My niece Evelyn, my sister Lori’s daughter, was still in her toddler days, but the more the merrier.
“So, Hailey, do you think you’ll bring anyone to the wedding?” Jace inquired.
I was the last single one among my siblings. Will was the only other who didn’t have plans for a wedding right now, though he was engaged to a kick-ass woman. I expected them to set the date soon.
I schooled my voice to sound serious. “Yes, I am.”
Jace and Will exchanged glances. Even Landon stood a bit straighter, zeroing in on me. Oh, brothers.
“Do we know him? Has to be serious if you think he’ll be around until August,” Will said.
“We need to give him the brother treatment first.” Jace was smiling, but I knew he was only semijoking.
When Landon casually said, “You could bring him by for dinner before the wedding,” I knew I had to fess up. I couldn’t help giving in to laughter.
“I was joking. Just wanted to ruffle your feathers a bit. I didn’t bring anyone to Val’s wedding. How could I have found someone already?”
Jace grinned. “Damn. You’re getting better and better at giving us shit.”
“Right. Oh, Val. Told you they’d buy it hook, line, and sinker.”
“True.”
“We should have bet on it.”
Val faked a shudder. “No can do, sister. You win all bets lately.”
Well, what could I say? She was right. My brothers’ habit of betting on anything had rubbed off on us. It was fun. Especially when I won.
Willow inspected her braid, then gave me a sloppy kiss on the cheek before running off to her mom. I’d noticed a gorgeous flower girl outfit a few days ago that would fit Willow perfectly.
I didn’t mind going solo to my siblings’ weddings.
They were an excellent opportunity to meet and scout eligible bachelors. I’d scored dates at both Landon’s and Lori’s weddings. They hadn’t amounted to much. I hadn’t brought either to the weekly Friday dinner, but you never know when you might meet the right person. I was animated at the thought of Jace’s wedding.
I became a little melancholic after I left my sister’s house. Mom and Dad would have loved all these weddings. They passed away when I was eleven. Landon and Val raised the bunch of us, and they’d been the best parental figures one could hope for, but even at twenty-nine, I missed my parents terribly, especially during weddings.
When I arrived home, I sat on the couch, ready for a date with my favorite show on Netflix. Oh, yeah. Nothing like some sexy lawyers to end the week on a high note.
I also took the phone out of my bag, intending to check for any urgent calls or messages.
This was the only downside to my job. Scandals could break out at any time, and timely action was crucial. But, to be honest, my old job as a business consultant had required me to work late into the night. At least this career was fun.
I had a message from an unknown number.
Unknown: We started off on the wrong foot. Could we have a do-over?
Hailey: Who is this?
Only after pressing Send did I see that I had a missed call as well as a voice mail from the same unknown number.