I place my palm on my stomach. “What’s a girl have to do to get a drink in this place?”
Maddie immediately snaps into hostess mode, and the next thing I know, the women are swallowing Hailey and me up, dragging us toward the house while they ask questions about the move and our jobs.
While Hailey attempts to answer the question of where her ideas come from, I do a quick scan of the other small groups of people loitering around the backyard.
Where is Charlie?
How can I prove to him that I’m cool if he’s nowhere to be found?
Then I walk into the kitchen, and my entire body goes into overdrive.
My heart starts pounding.
He’s standing there, in profile, wearing jeans and a T-shirt, talking to Sam Roberts, his hip cocked against the counter.
His head shoots in my direction. Those midnight eyes lock in on me.
I freeze.
There’s no air left in the room.
A hush that falls over the kitchen.
Oh my god, I’m nervous. I never get nervous.
My mouth is dry.
His gaze roams over my chest, hips, and legs before sliding back up to meet my eyes.
Beads of sweat break out at the base of my spine.
He gives me the slightest of nods. “Jessica.”
My body takes my name on his lips as approval.
I nod back. “Charlie.”
I feel…tongue-tied.
I can’t think of one thing to say.
My mind is a complete blank.
My mind is never blank.
His attention shifts to my sister. “You must be Hailey.”
I suck air into my burning lungs.
“And you must be the sheriff,” she says.
“Charlie.” He turns to face the group of women, leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms. “It’s a party, so there’s no reason to be formal.”
Maddie walks to the huge island centered in the middle of the room and raises a big bottle of tequila into the air. “Every good party starts with shots.”
There’s movement around the kitchen as Ryder and the rest of the guys come in from outside, followed by a few more partygoers I haven’t been introduced to yet.
Maddie starts lining up tiny glasses on the expensive-looking marble countertop as we gather around.