Page 7 of The Four Leaf

Tommy, still sitting in his same spot, shifts and eyes me up and down. After a thoughtful pause, he turns back to my sister. “Be nice to your kid sister, Willy. And to be fair, I don’t think she’d be standing so straight if Adrian finally made a move.”

“Tommy!” my sister and I yell out in unison, but he merely shrugs.

Annoyed with both of them, I stomp off in the direction of the storage unit behind the bar. The entire time I work around my sister and the barbacks, I try to drown out my heart racing in my ears, and the memories of me and Adrian in the bathroom.

I empty out the four trash bins and replace the bags.He was just being friendly.

I fill up the two ice buckets and dump them into the reservoirs.He’s being a good friend and helping out.

I replenish the empty shelves, wipe down the counters, and haul the dishes to the back.He doesn’t look at you like that. He’s your best friend, for fuck’s sake.

Around the third tray of dishes I push into the washer, my sister appears in the back. She juts her thumb toward the door to the bar. “Parade’s about to start, so it’s quieted down. You’re off the hook.”

My shoulders fall in relief. “Oh, thank goodness. I was about two seconds away from collapsing.”

Willow grunts. “It wasn’t that bad.”

I wave my wrinkling fingers in her face. “I’m a hundred-year-old prune right now.”

She rolls her eyes, but a sincere smile curls her lips. “Seriously, though, thank you. I knew it’d get busy before the parade, but damn. I called in a few more people to help with the night shift.”

Yanking off my apron, I toss it to her. “Even better. I’m about to go upstairs and take the longest nap of my life.”

“So what should I tell Adrian?”

This stops me, and my pulse increases. “What do you mean?”

She shrugs. “He texted me that he’s about done with the list you gave him and wants to know if he can grab the key to the spare room, so he can shower before he meets you for drinks.”

I draw my lip through my teeth, debating how badly I want the nap. Finally, I decide against it and shake my head. “It’s fine. Go ahead and give it to him, and I’ll go fiddle around in the ballroom to get ready for Monday’s event.”

Her light brows furrow. “We have all weekend to worry about that.”

“Yeah, but I have nothing better to do.”

“How about taking a nap?”

“I don’t want to disturb–”

“Okay, stop with the bullshit.” My sister’s hands find her hips, and I internally groan, knowing a lecture is on the horizon. “He’s literally walked around half-naked before. Taken a shower at our place while we cooked breakfast. Changed his clothes as if we weren’t in the room. I mean, the list goes on. So why would you being in the same room while he showers be any different than any of those times?”

“It’s not.”

“Yet you’re acting weird about it. Did something happen?” Her voice is lower now, taking on a serious edge. “Spill it.”

Lying to my sister is futile, has been since I attempted to do so when pinky swearing in fifth grade. She says I have a tell, and has always been able to sniff out any crap I try to sell her.

Still, I try. “Nope.”

Willow’s lips lift into an eerie smile.Dammit.

“Try again, baby sister.”

“Why does it matter?”

“Because it’s about making a point.”

I mirror her stance and toss my hands on my hips. Can’t beat them, deflect. “And what point would that be?”

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