Page 17 of Finding You
“Oh please, Declan, don’t be too effusive with your praise.”
“She is awesome,” declared Nora. “An ass-kicking corporate lawyer who looks like Charlize Theron. She is amazing.”
Liam and Callum exchanged bewildered looks. “Then she is definitely not dating you.”
“Unless she has a weakness for man buns and dirty boots.” Liam laughed. Little prick.
I turned and shot Callum a glare. “Pipe down, Fabio. We all know you are jealous of my luscious locks. Not all of us iron our underwear.” Callum was as clean-cut and image conscious as you could get. Liam and I had a lot of fun over the years teasing him about his vanity. In college, he had done a bit of modeling, and we never let him live it down. Tonight he was wearing a dress shirt and slacks and really fancy-looking shoes. We were both tall, with dark hair and blue eyes, but the similarities ended there. It was like we inhabited different worlds.
“Be careful,” I continued. “Wouldn’t want you to mess up those fancy red shoes.”
“They are not red,” he huffed. “They are oxblood. And they match my belt.” I rolled my eyes.
Nora jumped in. “I like your shoes, Cal. Very on trend.”
Callum straightened his collar. “Thanks, Nora.”
“So let’s circle back to this beautiful neighbor, shall we?” Cece said. I adored the girl, but I wish she would let this go. When she showed up here last summer she was all quiet and shy. Since getting with Liam she seemed to have no problem busting my balls as much as the rest of them. I suppose it’s a good thing. She would fit right in with us Quinns.
“Is she going to be your date for our engagement party?” My parents and Cece’s mother were throwing a huge engagement party for the happy couple in a few weeks. My mom had been stressing about me bringing a date, which I generally ignored.
“I don’t know. Haven’t asked her.” I stared into my beer.
“Ask her, dumbass. Your mom is already threatening to set you up on another blind date,” Trent interjected.
“What? How do you know that?”
Trent shrugged. “We talk a lot. And she’s worried about you being lonely up in the big house by yourself.” Trent grew up in foster care and had a really difficult childhood. Since grade school, my parents had always taken an interest in him and helped him out. My mother, especially, had a soft spot for Trent. We joked that he was her favorite son, and he adored her back, always stopping by, helping out around the house, and generally being a model son. Sadly, I was not remotely surprised she was talking to him about this.
I shot Trent a glare. He put his hands up. “Dude, I’m just the messenger. Take it up with her, she’s your mom. Plus, what’s the big deal if you bring her?”
“Yes.” Liam poured another round of beers. “Let’s discuss. So are you actually planning to date the beautiful neighbor? Or is she just another one of your tourist flings?”
I curled my fist and tried to suppress a growl. “She’s not like that, Liam.”
“Like what?”
I didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t one of my flings. My dating preferences were well known to my brothers at this point in my life. And I wasn’t ashamed to say that I enjoyed the company of ladies now and again. And I happened to prefer tourists who would eventually leave, therefore sparing me any need to end things myself. But Astrid was in a different universe than those girls. I didn’t have the words to explain it, but she occupied a completely different place in my mind.
“Just shut up. She’s a nice person. Don’t talk about her like that. Actually, don’t fucking talk about her at all.”
I prayed this conversation would end soon. I didn’t want to fight with my brothers, but the way they were asking questions was making my blood pressure rise.
There was a moment of awkward silence.
“I invited her to join our coven.”
“Nora,” Cece sighed, “for the last time we are not converting to Wicca. But good work. Is she going to join Monday breakfast?”
“Yup.” The girls high-fived, and I had no idea what the hell they were talking about. I just knew I had to get out of this conversation as fast as possible. I was so confused. Astrid was cool and undeniably gorgeous, but what could I possibly do about it? There was no way she could be interested in a guy like me. Right?
9
DECLAN
It had been a long,weird week. Work had been frustrating, and I had been sleeping poorly. And something was up with Callum. We were so close, most days I could read him easily. But something had changed and I had to admit I was a bit worried about him. He wasn’t looking or acting like himself. Normally he was the open book in our relationship, but he wasn’t saying anything. I would have to team up with Liam to get to the bottom of this.
I got another text from my mom about Bumble. I honestly didn’t even know what it was, but I already hated the word. Bumble. It sounded like a fuck-up, like something went wrong. Like “I caught the pass and then bumbled.” Or “I drank too much at the holiday party and bumbled in the cab on the way home.” I didn’t care how many times Mom texted, there was no way I was joining that dumbass app. I didn’t want a girlfriend. And if at some point I did, I would go find one the old-fashioned way.
