The snicker she tried to hold back burst free, and they all dissolved into giggles. “I missed you guys,” April said a moment later, the fading laughter leaving her feeling tired but content, like a good stretch after a long night’s sleep. “You need to catch me up on everything that’s happened since I saw you last.”
“Honestly? Not much.” Izzy grimaced. “Work has been non-stop for me; the council’s obsessed with renovating the town at the moment. There’s more to be done than prettying up the streets, in my opinion, but trying to tell them that falls on deaf ears.”
Em reached up and patted Izzy’s leg, as if to cut off an incoming tirade she’d heard too many times before. “Yes, yes, woe is you—tell her about the promotion.”
April clapped her hands together excitedly. “You got promoted? Oh my gosh—congrats, Iz!”
Izzy blushed, her white skin taking on a hue that could only be described as rosy. “Thank you. It’s why I’ve been so busy—they were testing me before offering the job, I think. But you’re now looking at thenew assistant to the mayor of Magnolia Springs.” Izzy blushed a little more as she said it, but April could feel the pride underpinning her words.
April leaned in and hugged her friend, a quick squeeze so as not to dislodge the tubs of ice cream in their laps. “And you?” April pinned Emma with a look. “What’s new in your life?”
Emma shrugged. “Same old. Although, I am flying to Milan this summer for a campaign.”
Milan. April hadn’t been any farther than Vermont. “That’s amazing. Maybe we’ll fly out and join you.”
Em squealed. “Yes! Definitely. That would be so fun.” She beamed and April couldn’t help but smile back. It was part of what got Em so many modeling gigs, she was sure—nobody could resist that infectious grin. Well, that and Emma was gorgeous with her umber skin, explosion of freckles, and bouncy coiled curls a few shades darker than her complexion. “Girls’ trip,” she crowed. “It’s been too long. What was the one we did last? Atlantic City?”
“Atlantic City, Milan.” Izzy held up her hands as if weighing the two destinations. “Well, as long as I’m with you guys, I know I’ll have a good time.”
“Who’s going where?”
April looked up and toward the doorway where her brother stood. “Hey. Didn’t hear you come in.”
Noah grinned as he walked in and peered at the different ice-cream flavors, sizing them up. His smile dropped when their mom looked pointedly at his work boots andhe toed them off before kissing her on the cheek. “I’m not surprised. Is there a reason you’ve got this thing blaring out? Need max volume to daydream about Heath?”
Izzy blushed and Emma shot him a wink. “Damn right. Don’t be jealous, Noah. There’s still room in our lives for you.”
April rolled her eyes. For as long as she could remember, Emma had been an incorrigible flirt—a trait that wasn’t held back by Noah being April’s brother. After years as a teenager hearing the girls in her grade mooning over her brother, April was mostly immune to it.
“Working on a Sunday?” Changing the subject still seemed like a good idea, before the two of them started bickering.
“Just a couple odd jobs, nothing major.” Noah barely glanced her way, his eyes transfixed by the screen as Heath Ledger performed “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”. “So what’s going on here? Have I stumbled into some sacred girly ritual?”
“Yep.” Emma wiggled her fingers at him. “You arrived just in time for the sacrifice.”
The two sniped back and forth and April relaxed, letting the familiarity of it all wash over her as Izzy looked on with a fond smile. For all the flirting and arguing that Emma and Noah did, April was pretty sure that neither truly had any interest in the other.
“Did you stop by for anything in particular?” April interrupted, drawing the gaze of her brother away from Emma.
Noah raised a dark brow. “Wow. Back for two days and already ruling the roost? Can’t a guy just stop in to check on his two favorite girls?” When April remained stoic, he sighed. “I was hoping to talk to you about something, but it can wait.”
That sounded ominous. “Are you sure? I can—”
“I’m sure. So, do I need to clear every visit I plan to make with you beforehand, Bug? Or is this interrogation a one-off?”
April flipped him off, throwing her mom an apologetic look only to find her smiling.
“I think you’ll find thatIhandle the interrogations around here, and you couldn’t handle me, bud-dy,” Emma drawled and April tuned out Noah’s response as her phone vibrated in her sweatpants.
She retrieved it from her pocket and grimaced at Tyler’s name on the screen.
Ty:
It’s been two days, April. When are you coming home?