Page 1 of Liam
CHAPTER1
Nylah Walker adjusted the collar of her crisp white shirt, her gaze moving over her reflection in the mirror. As uniforms went, this one wasn’t terrible. At least she got to pair the shirt with high-waisted black pants and not some uncomfortably tight skirt.
Heck, she’d even go so far as to say this outfit was cute…kind of.
She shifted her attention to the small clock on the bedside table. Okay. Time to go.
Nerves rattled inside her belly. Her first event in the new town, Cradle Mountain. The job wasn’t optimal. There were few shifts at the event center, and only weekend work. But she’d just arrived in Idaho two days ago, so it was lucky she’d found anything. Tonight, she was working an engagement party.
She couldn’t help smiling. Because not only was this a new town, it was her first time living anywhere other than Misty Peak, the town where she’d grown up. The first time living anywhere without family watching over her every move.
They did it with love, but God, she craved a bit of independence. A bit of freedom.
Almost on cue, her phone rang. One side of her mouth lifted when she saw Cody’s name pop up on the screen.
With a sigh, she lifted the cell. “Got nothing better to do on a Saturday night than call your big sister?”
They were twins, but her father had let slip that she was born seventeen minutes before Cody…and she wasn’t going to let him forget it.
He chuckled. “I’m on break at the bar and had a wild urge to talk to someone who’d chew my ass out.”
The bar—their father’s bar. The one she’d worked at her entire adult life. The one everyone had assumed she’d take over after he died.
Her lips twitched. “Kayden could have done that in person.”
“Ah, but Kayden’s out rescuing some sad soul from the forest.”
Oh, she could just imagine. Misty Peak was in Tennessee, with the beautiful Smoky Mountains running through it. Her oldest brother was a former military pararescueman, which made him perfect to work in search and rescue. Except, of course, he chewed out every unlucky soul who came across his path.
Nylah looked out her condo window at the woods beside the apartment building. It was a bottom-floor condo in a group of twelve. The living room only had a view of the parking lot, but at least the place was different. New. Two things she desperately needed. “Well, I’m sorry to tell you that I’m just heading out, so I don’t have time to do much ass-chewing.”
“Exploring Cradle Mountain?”
“Actually, I got a job.”
Her brother whistled. “Already?”
“Don’t sound so surprised.”
“I’m not. I’m happy for you. What’s the job?”
“Working at an event center. It’s not ideal, but…”
“That’s great, Ny. You deserve to be happy, and I hope you find that there.”
Her heart softened. God, she loved her brother. All of her brothers. Yes, they were suffocating at times, but it was because they loved her.
“When will Paisley be getting home and joining you?”
The condo was her best friend’s place, and the entire reason Nylah moved was because Paisley was away for work and the condo was currently empty. “Her retreat goes for a couple months, so not for a while.”
Her friend was a Pilates and yoga instructor. She was away running a retreat in Bali right now.
“You sure you’re okay out there by yourself?”
She rolled her eyes. There was the brother she was so used to. She’d like to blame his protective nature on his time in Delta Force, but that would be inaccurate. All her brothers had been like that since the day they were born.
“Yes. I’m great, Cody. You take care of Dad’s bar, okay?”
