Page 40 of For the First Time
Another moment of silence.Then, “Yes, right.The beta sister.Sorry about that, Eve.I guess I sometimes forget since Chloe and Beatrice are so close in age.”
We were all only a year or so apart, not that I corrected her.“No worries.I was just calling since I had a moment.I wanted to speak with you about the anniversary party?”
“I’m pretty sure Chloe’s parents were going to hire someone.I think I can get you their number if you needed something?”
“They actually asked me to help.I usually do most of the party planning for my parents.”
“How sweet!I didn’t know that.”
Pretty sure she should’ve.I’d planned their five-year anniversary, and Beatrice’s five years, as well as my parents’ fortieth, and basically every big birthday party for the last six years.“Well, I just needed to know what venue you wanted booked for the event and which day, that way I could start ordering everything.”
She hummed, the sound noncommittal.“I’m not sure we’ve made any decisions yet.”
I had been laying out all the innards of the wrap on the tortilla, only to stop at her words, staring down at the lunch that simply needed to be rolled up and then it would be done.So simple.One step.
“A lot of the venues are going to be busy during the winter months,” I reminded her.“My moms made it sound like you all had already picked a place.”
“We had one in mind.I can’t remember the name exactly.Something ballroom.Maybe the butterfly ballroom?”
“The Monarch ballroom would be nice.”It was in a really elegant hotel in the rich part of the city.The part that I never even bothered to go shopping in because a simple skirt would set me back nearly a hundred dollars.It was mostly just for tourists and such.“What made you hesitant to pick it?”
“I can’t remember.Maybe we hadn’t settled on a date yet?Or maybe it was before we had the other tours, so we wanted to wait and see the other venues but never got back to the butterfly ballroom?Something like that.”
“Monarch,” I corrected.I forced myself to finish wrapping the lunch even though I was starting to regret this call.“All right.Well, if you approve the Monarch ballroom, I can call them.Just tell me what day you’ve decided, and if you have any back-up dates in case it’s taken.”
“Sure, I’ll speak with the rest of the pack and get back to you.Thanks for checking in, Eve.I’ll make sure to call you in the next week or so when we figure everything out.Bye now.”
Then she hung up.
I dropped my phone onto the counter, just sort of staring at it.Was it me or was Rosalie ...rude?To be fair, I had called her in the middle of the day, so she was probably busy.Not that she’d said as much.
It didn’t really sound like she was invested in this anniversary party.Or was I just crazy?
I couldn’t pinpoint the reason why our conversation felt weird, except for the fact that it did.Which probably just meant I was hungry or something.
The sound of the front door opening told me someone was home, and since there wasn’t any sound of boots banging against the doorframe, I knew it was Oaks.
“How’s it going, darlin?”He wrapped his arms around me from the back, pressing his face into the crook of my neck, most likely trying to get a hint of my scent.His fingers came up to pet the necklace around my throat, a new habit he’d formed since I’d started wearing it.
It was better than Atlas’s habit, which was covering my neck in bites that left little red marks—not that I would actually ever complain about the marks.I loved every little type of claiming.Physical or jewelry.
I tilted my head to the side, offering more of my body to Oaks’s attentions.“Good.I have a wrap for you for lunch and I made some popcorn to go with it.Plain and caramel.Although the caramel still needs another five or so minutes to cool.And I refilled the sodas for you.I put them in the fridge so they’d be cold, but you should have some water, too.I can put some strawberries in it if you don’t want the tap water flavor.Or maybe cucumber water?”
“I’ll pass on the fancy water.But I do promise to drink some if you actually tell me howyouare, not just how work is going.”
Moving my workstation deeper onto the countertop, I turned around, wrapping my arms around Oaks’s neck.I pulled him down for a kiss, one that was slow and easy.When I pulled back, I let my body sag against his, letting him hold me.
“I’m good,” I finally told him.“Really good.I like this normal.”Even with the stress of the investigation just simmering in the background, it wasn’t enough to taint the joy of a new relationship.
“I do, too.Which is why ...I want you to start spending nights here.”
I huffed out a laugh at the startling rush of words from Oaks.
“A sleepover, huh?”
“I was thinking, why go home, Monday through Friday.Just stay here.Really, it would make it simpler so that way I didn’t have to pick you up each morning and you’d get to sleep in.Just think of that.A few more minutes of sleep each night.Not to mention the money you’d save on gas since you wouldn’t have to drive so far, so often.”
“Very ecological and economical,” I agreed, working to keep my lips from pulling up and into a smile.“I think, maybe, though, we should start with Friday and Saturday nights.Ease into the whole, sleepover thing.”
