Page 30 of So Wrong, It's Wright
“I appreciate that.”
“Well, seeing my big brother happy means a lot to me. I don’t want to do anything to make your life harder,” she says, lifting her glass of wine with a smile. “So we should toast: to your future happiness. My all of your surprises be well received.”
I grin as I tap my glass to hers. “They will. It’s one thing I’m certain of.”
* * *
A high-pitched squealcuts through the din when we walk intoBanked Up, the bar Darren’s cousin, Banks, owns in the city’s financial district. He's got the perfect name for it himself, and I like the play on words he's gone with for the bar’s name too. Then I like how he's gone one step further and decked the place out so it looks like a nightclub and a Bank got married and their offspring was this bar. There’s an open vault door showcasing the liquor, and the bar itself is a row of tellers that call you up one at a time. It’s there, handing out paper tickets, that we find Tahlia doing her impression of an excited siren.
The moment she sees me, she abandons her post and makes her way through the crowd at top speed, running and leaping into my arms and peppering my face with kisses. “I can't believe it's you. You're here. I missed you,” she says in between lip smacks.
I laugh and hold her tight, kissing her right back as I do a slow spin, just relishing in this awesome moment. Being with her feels like coming home. “Hey, tiny,” I say, slowly lowering her to her feet. “You are just a sight for sore eyes.”
She runs her hand over my chest, her fingers tucking beneath my suit jacket before they move to my tie. “What did you do? Come straight here from work?”
“Pretty much,” I say with a laugh. “Although I did make a stop first.” I turn to my sister and gesture for her to come forward. “Tahlia, I'd like you to meet my little sister, Isla.”
“Oh! You're the one from the Facebook photo,” Tahlia says. “Wow. You're even prettier in real life than you are in pictures. It's so lovely to meet you. And you're so tall!” Tahlia’s arms go wide as her eyes travel up to my sister’s face.
“It's nice to meet you too, Tahlia.” Isla leans forward and embraces her. “Ash has told me so much about you, and I just had to meet you for myself.”
“Oh, gosh. And here I am making a hyperactive first impression. I'm so sorry. It's just that I haven't seen Ash in weeks and the last time we tried meeting the same city it didn't go so well.”
Isla laughs and shakes her head. “It's perfectly fine. I get it. And honestly, any woman who can make my brother fly out to New York on the regular is fine by me. Be as hyperactive as you like.”
“And who's this, then?” a man who I’m guessing is Banks, asks as he approaches us. It's obvious just by his smile that he and Darren are related, but where Darren is fine-boned and rather lithe with his movements, Banks is tall, broad and has a masculine elegance that only someone who knows his worth can exude.
“This,” Tahlia starts, placing her hand on the center of my belly. “Is my man, Ash. Ash, this is Banks. He's Darren’s cousin, and he owns this place, so that also makes him my boss.” Banks and I exchange pleasantries and shake hands cordially before Tahlia moves onto introducing Isla. “And this is Ash’s sister, Isla. We just met. But if Ash is anything to go by, she should be a sweetheart.”
Isla giggles at Tahlia’s summation, then flicks her long dark hair over her shoulder, holding her hand out to shake Banks’s. “Sweetheart is not a term used to describe me often,” she says with a slight flutter of her lashes that both Tahlia and I clock since we exchange a knowing glance.
Banks’s brows lift as he tilts his head in interest. “What word would you use to describe yourself instead?”
“Oh, that’s something you’ll have to learn for yourself, Mr. Banks,” she says.
“No Mister,” he says. “Just Banks.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Banks. Your bar is... spectacular.” She flutters her lashes again then looks around, nodding her approval.
“Why, thank you. Maybe you could come by one afternoon before we open and I can show you around when the bar isn’t as busy?”
“I’d love that. Are you coming with us to see the drag show tonight? Ash mentioned Darren is your cousin.”
“He is. And since I haven’t been to one of his Coco shows for some time, I think I’d really enjoy that.”
While they’re busy making eyes at each other, Tahlia bounces on her toes and looks up at me. “We're going to see a Coco show tonight? I haven't been to one since before the wedding.”
“I hope you don’t mind that I made plans for us. Well, technically, it was Darren who did the planning. He played eyes on the ground for me to make sure we didn't repeat the mistakes of our last trip to see each other.”
“Well, that explains why he’s been so cagey lately. I thought he was mad with me about something, but he was probably just afraid he’d slip up and ruin the surprise.”
“Seems he did well based on your reaction when I walked in.” She hugs her arms around my middle.
“He did amazing.”
“He's also organized for the whole gang to get together tonight, so I hope you’re up for that.”
“Absolutely. How long do I have you for, though? We may have to slip away early.”
