“Hey, mush,” she said, focusing her attention on her little brother.
“I hate it when you call me that.” Andy swatted her hand away from his hair the second she made contact with him. “Don’t do that.”
She fought the sigh. “I’m excited to be here. I brought you a few things.”
“I told you not to.” The words were barely a breath. Oh, how she’d missed this hostility.
“Andy, don’t be a dickwad. Give your sister a hug and bring her bags in.” The deep command instantly got a response. Thin arms halfheartedly wrapped around her for less than a second, and then Andy was pulling away and grabbing one of her bags.
“You don’t need—”
“He does.” Will cut in, scooping up the other bag and her carry-on. “It’s his job to support and care for the women in his life—especially his family.”
Unsure of how to respond, she silently followed the two up the path. The landscaping was minimal. It was mostly stone, as were half the houses around the bay. Four steps, and they were on the porch. The real wood of the planks was impressive. Natural boards like this were rarely seen anymore, and the stain brought out the grain in each one beautifully. The mahogany door was heavy solid wood. One of her favorite styles, especially with the black wrought-iron hardware.
And the—
She stopped her thoughts. Nervous energy caused her to home in on details, especially design, but she hoped to avoid rambling like a moron about his house. Will’s perception of her wasn’t great, and she didn’t need to wear on his nerves the second she stepped foot in his home. She simply shut the door and moved into a large living room, trying like heck not to notice the wide plank knotted wood floors or high ceilings. Her brother was halfway up the stairs to the right when Will called over his shoulder.
“We’ll put your stuff in your room, and then we’ll get ready to eat.” The heavy thunk of Will’s Timberland boots echoed around them as they climbed the steps.
Her fingers trailed lightly along the dark wood railing. Craftsman style shone in every detail of the house.
“This is my room.” Will tipped his head to a closed door on the left the second they were up the stairs. “And Andy’s here.” This time, he stopped for her to look through the open doorway. She’d seen the bunk beds and a desk on FaceTime, but now that she’d seen the room in person, she was shocked by how much of her brother’s stuff was already here. The posters and pictures that had hung on his wall at home were on display, not to mention most of his knickknack crap on shelves and the desk. Trophies and medals lined the bookcases. “There’s a small bathroom connected to his room, so the one in the hall is all yours.” They moved farther down the narrow hallway, passing four other doors to the very end room. “I figured you’d like this one. It’s got the double bed.”
He moved into the room where Andy stood, and both men set her bags on the comforter. Will glanced around like he was doing one last check to make sure everything was in order. But the only chaos was her bags.
“Bathroom’s two doors down. We’ll give you some time to settle in. Dinner will be ready in a half hour.” Will led Andy out of the room and shut the door behind them.
When she was alone, Aly released her first good breath since the Uber had driven away. No way would this work if every cell in her body was clenched all day long. She lowered herself to the edge of the bed and took another breath to loosen the tightness in her chest. The room was cute. Pale green with light wood furniture and a paisley patterned comforter and drapes. Even a vase filled with daisies sat on the dresser.
After putting her clothes in the closet and dresser, then organizing her stuff in the mostly empty bathroom, she had no choice but to head downstairs and do her best to chill with the guys. The living room was empty, but she followed the sound of voices to the back of the house through a swing door into the kitchen.
Her mouth fell open before she could stop her reaction. For as tasteful and gorgeous as the rest of the house was, this kitchen was the polar opposite.
“He knows it’s butt ugly,” Andy said, watching her with a dull look on his face.
“Andy!” she sputtered.
Will chuckled. “It’s okay. He’s right. This room needs a complete overhaul. I just haven’t gotten around to it yet.”
The layout wasn’t bad. Even though he was cooking, the counters were bare except for a coffee pot. She liked the U-shaped counter with the center island, and there was plenty of room for the large table. The space just needed a facelift to bring it into the twenty-first century. She kept her criticism to herself.
“It smells really good in here.”
“That’s Will’s lasagna. Which he says is too much work to have for a daily meal.” Andy rolled his eyes.
Will whacked him playfully with a towel. “I said too much work for a weekly meal. I’ll make this every day when pigs fly, dude.”
Andy’s mouth lifted into a small grin, and Aly’s heart stopped. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen a smile on his face.
“So what was Michigan?” Will asked, casually tossing the dish towel over his shoulder.
“Lansing. Although it should be Detroit because who’s ever heard of Lansing?” Andy answered, even though Will had moved to the far side of the kitchen and was pulling white dinner plates out of a cabinet. “Oregon is Salem, and that’s the last one.” Andy slammed his notebook shut. “Food time.”
“Food time,” Will agreed with a nod as he dropped the plates and silverware onto the table. “Make it look good.”
“It’s a waste of time. We’re going to use the silverware in, like, two minutes, so who cares if the fork is to the right or left or tossed in a pile?”