Chapter 1
Ian
My brother’s engagement party was in full swing, and my whole family was attending. Since we were four siblings and had a huge extended family, it turned out to be quite a large event. We liked to celebrate everything in style.
I couldn't believe how much had changed in my family lately. I was happy for my brother and sisters for finding their better halves, but none of this was for me. I was single and happy. Of course they gave me crap, calling me a player and all that, but I owned up to it without any shame.
“Leaving already?” my sister Isabelle asked me as I made my way toward the door. She’d offered to host our brother’s engagement party at the huge house she and her fiancé bought in Tarrytown, just an hour outside of New York.
“Yeah, I promised Henry that I’d pick up Ellie from the airport.” The younger sister of my best friend was moving to the city. Of course, I’d help any of my friends, but I immediately offered to help Ellie settle in. A detail no one needed to know.
"I still think he's hiding something,” my other sister, Josie, noted. Damn, she was good. Being a lawyer, she naturally suspected things. She also liked to poke her nose everywhere.
“Do I smell some guilt?” Isabelle added with a questioning look.
“No, you don't. That's just your overactive imagination," I said.
My brother, Dylan, grabbed my shoulder. "I like that you're sticking to your guns."
I remained silent, but that didn’t deter Isabelle. Did I mention I have a nosy family?
“I still think he has the hots for Ellie.”
“She’s just the younger sister of my best friend; that’s it," I repeated, as much for them as for myself. Yes, Ellie was hot—but she was Henry’s sister, and that was that.
"Yeah. Keep saying that. Maybe you will believe it eventually," Josie said. “Who knows, maybe by the time the next wedding rolls around, you’ll show up with a date named Ellie.”
I shook my head. God, they were brutal. “I already warned Isabelle’s wedding planner that I’m coming alone and that she shouldn’t add anyone to my table, especially not any single ladies. So if you had any matchmaking plans in mind, forget it.”
Isabelle pressed her lips together, holding up her palms. “I don’t have any plans whatsoever. I promise.”
I laughed, leaving them to their machinations, and moved on to bid my parents goodbye.
They’d flown to New York for the engagement party.
They lived in Montana and only came to the Big Apple for special events.
Although, since Josie had given them a granddaughter, they’d been visiting more often.
And once Isabelle announced she was pregnant too, I was sure they’d visit even more frequently.
I kissed Mom’s cheek and shook Dad’s hand.
“Ian, we still have to talk about you paying for the flights,” he said sternly.
My parents were proud and didn’t like us kids pitching in where we could.
But they’d taken care of us all our lives, and so my siblings and I all agreed we’d try to lighten the burden when they retired by helping out with the little things.
Besides, they wouldn’t even be in New York if it wasn’t for us kids—so that was another reason why my brother, sisters, and I footed the bill.
“We’ll talk about it later,” I replied, winking. My parents were stubborn, but so was I. I was set on this.
“Don’t think this conversation is over, young man,” Mom said.
Her stern tone took me right back to my childhood days, when I got myself (and my siblings) in trouble and Mom knew exactly who was responsible.
I hadn’t been able to help myself. I was known as the troublemaker of the small town we grew up in.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” I winked at her too before heading out to the driveway. I got in my Tesla and drove directly to JFK. I had about an hour to get there, according to my GPS. And an hour to not think about Ellie.
My sisters were not entirely wrong with their speculations.
Henry and I had been best friends since our college days in DC.
Ellie was six years younger than us, and at eighteen, that seemed like a huge age difference.
And the couple of times I saw her back then, she was a timid girl—and I wasn't even paying that kind of attention to her. She’d been just my best friend’s younger sister.
All that changed two years ago. Ellie was twenty-one and I was twenty-seven when we spent three weeks in Lake Tahoe with Henry and a group of friends.
She was so damn gorgeous that I couldn’t look away from her.
Henry made me promise not to flirt with his sister.
He knew me well, since we played with the same deck of cards, so to speak—if I had a younger sister, she’d be off-limits to Henry too.
I’d agreed without a second thought and had even given him shit for warning me off.
The joke was on me, because I spent those three weeks fighting myself and my instincts.
That was two years ago. Then just a few weeks ago, he called to ask me to get his sister situated with her move and reminded me again that Ellie was totally off-limits. I told him I had excellent self-restraint these days.
It turned out I didn’t. I saw her the first time two weeks ago when she came in for an interview. I kept myself in check. Barely.
But I was determined to be on my best behavior.
On the drive from Tarrytown to JFK, I checked her flight on my phone. She was coming in from Miami, and it looked like it was on time.
When I arrived at the airport, I parked in short-term parking and checked the flight app again; the plane had landed two minutes ago. Hopping out of my car, I dashed to the main entrance and patrolled the waiting area, glancing at the arrival doors every time they opened.
About forty minutes later, Ellie walked out.
She was pushing a cart filled with five huge bags.
I could barely see her behind them, but as soon as she saw me, she was smiling from ear to ear.
Damn, damn, damn. Keep eye contact, Ian.
Don’t look at that long brown hair that reaches to her waist .
Or her huge round eyes almost as dark as her hair. Eyes up, Ian.
Way to go, asshole . Ten seconds in, and I was checking her out. Ellie Cavanaugh was testing my self-control already.
"Only five bags, huh?" I teased her.
"Hey, I love clothes," she said with a shrug. "Most of the time, I'm in my kitchen uniform. So when I'm not working, I like to dress up."
She looked gorgeous in her jeans shorts that showed off her perfect ass and a simple yellow top that molded to her curves.
She was no taller than five foot two, tiny compared to my six feet.
I could scoop her up with one arm, she was just that petite.
I shook my head. What was I thinking? I nudged her aside and began pushing the cart and reminded myself— No touching.
No thoughts about touching or anything else either. She is off-limits .
"So gallant. Thank you for pushing my baggage cart," she said.
"How was your flight?"
"Uneventful. I just read a book. Thanks for picking me up. You know it's not necessary, right?"
"Of course it is. How else are you going to carry all your five bags?"
She grinned, and I barely restrained from leaning in closer. I was in deep shit for sure. "That's true.”
“Besides, I promised Henry I'd help you settle in." That’s right. Talking about her brother should make me stop this nonsense.
"Oh, my brother… always so overprotective, but he means well. I think he hopes you’re just going to slip into his shoes and play the big brother role."
“Yes, he does,” I agreed. “And I promised him I’d do just that.”
The corners of Ellie’s mouth twitched. She nudged my arm with her shoulder. “A word of warning: he’s going to ask for a report from time to time.”
I frowned. “No, he won’t. He’s not like that.” What, she was trying to press my buttons?
“He is when it comes to me.”
“Well yeah, but I know Henry.”
“True, and he knows you.” She burst out laughing, averting her gaze as we walked to the parking lot.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’ll tell you on the condition that you don’t indulge his overprotective urges and tell him to mind his own business when he asks about me.”
I considered this for a few moments and put myself in Henry’s shoes.
Dylan and I had lived in DC for a long time.
But before moving here in New York, I constantly checked on my sisters.
I didn’t exactly want a report, but I understood where he was coming from.
I knew that Ellie had lived in other states too, where Henry didn’t have friends, but in New York, he might want me to be his eyes and ears.
“Okay, I take back the deal,” she quipped, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers.
“Why?”
“You took too long to think. So that means you agree with Henry.”
“Sort of.”
“Ha! I knew it.”
She was a spitfire, and I liked it a little too much. She wasn’t the shy kid I remembered. I leaned in closer to her ear and whispered, “That doesn’t mean we can’t make a deal.”
She swallowed hard, turning to look at me. She looked at my mouth only for a split second, but I caught her.
“I’ll think about it,” she said slowly as I pointed to my car.
I loaded three of her bags in the trunk and stuffed the other two on the back seat.
She was putting her address in the GPS when I sat behind the wheel.
Her apartment was in the Columbus Circle area, a good hour away from the airport if traffic was good.
On the drive, she shared some more information about the restaurant where she was starting on Monday.
"Are you excited?" I asked her, glancing over her way, noticing how happy she looked.