sounded at the door. I jumped—it had been a while since I’d had a visitor.
“Coming!” I called out as I headed to the door. I wasn’t expecting anyone, and none of Jude’s or my friends lived close enough to make the drive this late at night just to say hi.
“Come on already! Put a robe on, and get one of your asses to the door!” a familiar voice yelled on the other side of the door. “I’m developing crow’s-feet out here.”
I was smiling when I opened the door. “Hey, India.”
“Hey, girl,” she said, propping a hand on her hip. “What took you so long?” She peered over my shoulder.
“He’s not here,” I said. “But if he was you would have been waiting a lot longer than you were. A lot longer.”
I matched my straight face to India’s, waiting for one of us to crack. She did first.
The corner of her mouth moved. “There’s my girl. Now get your bony ass over here and give me some sugar.”
Laughing, I wrapped my arms around her. She was in platforms, so she was freakishly tall—so tall her chin fit over my head.
“This is a surprise,” I said, motioning her into the apartment.
India sauntered in, peeking into the bedroom like she didn’t believe Jude wasn’t in there. “A good or a bad surprise?”
“When it comes to you, Indie,” I said, walking into the kitchen, “the best kind of surprise.”
She winked. “Yeah. I’m pretty great, aren’t I?”
“Like you and half the male population on the eastern seaboard aren’t aware of that,” I teased, filling the kettle with water. “You want some tea?”
“Only if you’ve got the kind I like.” Dropping her purse on the dining table, she took a seat.
I rolled my eyes as I thumbed through my tea stash. “Will this do, Your Highness?” I asked, waving the packet in the air.
India inspected it before nodding. “Perfect.”
I turned on a burner and set the kettle on it. “So predictable,” I chided.
“Come on, Lucy. You know my rule. I take my tea the way I like my men.”
“Dark and strong,” I murmured, giving her a look.
“Yeah, well, at least I don’t take my tea green and earthy like you,” she shot back. “I mean, what does that say about Jude?”
“I sure have missed you, Indie,” I said.
“Of course you have,” she said, checking her phone. “What’s not to miss?”
Indie and I could go another five rounds easy, but I had to get to bed sometime tonight, and, judging from the way she was dressed, she had plans to dance the night away at some club.
“Not to sound rude, because you know I love me a piece of the India pie, but what are you doing here?” I asked, dropping the teabags into a couple of cups. India was a big-city girl. She dodged being in the suburbs like it spelled social ruin.
She lifted a shoulder while texting a quick message. “My brother’s up here for work, and one of his old college lacrosse teammates working for him is hot. And single. And Puerto Rican.” She waggled her eyebrows at me, her eyes sparkling.
“Of course it would be a man who would lure you to the ’burbs. Not your roommate two years running and good friend.” I tapped my finger on the counter, knowing it was useless to try to make India feel guilty. It wasn’t in her DNA.
“Baby girl, no man or friend could get me to the ’burbs singlehandedly,” she said, “but a smokin’-hot man and a snarky good friend could.”
At least I was half the reason she was here.
“How long are you in town?” I asked, guessing she’d be on the red-eye back to Miami in the morning.
“A few weeks or so. Anton is managing a new call center branch here in town, and as the lowly second-born, my job is to stay out of the way and pretend to look busy.” She made a whoop-dee-doo twirl with her finger.
“If you’re going into the family biz, why are you majoring in music?” The teapot started whistling, so I turned off the burner and reached for a hot pad.
“I’m majoring in music because that’s what
“Coming!” I called out as I headed to the door. I wasn’t expecting anyone, and none of Jude’s or my friends lived close enough to make the drive this late at night just to say hi.
“Come on already! Put a robe on, and get one of your asses to the door!” a familiar voice yelled on the other side of the door. “I’m developing crow’s-feet out here.”
I was smiling when I opened the door. “Hey, India.”
“Hey, girl,” she said, propping a hand on her hip. “What took you so long?” She peered over my shoulder.
“He’s not here,” I said. “But if he was you would have been waiting a lot longer than you were. A lot longer.”
I matched my straight face to India’s, waiting for one of us to crack. She did first.
The corner of her mouth moved. “There’s my girl. Now get your bony ass over here and give me some sugar.”
Laughing, I wrapped my arms around her. She was in platforms, so she was freakishly tall—so tall her chin fit over my head.
“This is a surprise,” I said, motioning her into the apartment.
India sauntered in, peeking into the bedroom like she didn’t believe Jude wasn’t in there. “A good or a bad surprise?”
“When it comes to you, Indie,” I said, walking into the kitchen, “the best kind of surprise.”
She winked. “Yeah. I’m pretty great, aren’t I?”
“Like you and half the male population on the eastern seaboard aren’t aware of that,” I teased, filling the kettle with water. “You want some tea?”
“Only if you’ve got the kind I like.” Dropping her purse on the dining table, she took a seat.
I rolled my eyes as I thumbed through my tea stash. “Will this do, Your Highness?” I asked, waving the packet in the air.
India inspected it before nodding. “Perfect.”
I turned on a burner and set the kettle on it. “So predictable,” I chided.
“Come on, Lucy. You know my rule. I take my tea the way I like my men.”
“Dark and strong,” I murmured, giving her a look.
“Yeah, well, at least I don’t take my tea green and earthy like you,” she shot back. “I mean, what does that say about Jude?”
“I sure have missed you, Indie,” I said.
“Of course you have,” she said, checking her phone. “What’s not to miss?”
Indie and I could go another five rounds easy, but I had to get to bed sometime tonight, and, judging from the way she was dressed, she had plans to dance the night away at some club.
“Not to sound rude, because you know I love me a piece of the India pie, but what are you doing here?” I asked, dropping the teabags into a couple of cups. India was a big-city girl. She dodged being in the suburbs like it spelled social ruin.
She lifted a shoulder while texting a quick message. “My brother’s up here for work, and one of his old college lacrosse teammates working for him is hot. And single. And Puerto Rican.” She waggled her eyebrows at me, her eyes sparkling.
“Of course it would be a man who would lure you to the ’burbs. Not your roommate two years running and good friend.” I tapped my finger on the counter, knowing it was useless to try to make India feel guilty. It wasn’t in her DNA.
“Baby girl, no man or friend could get me to the ’burbs singlehandedly,” she said, “but a smokin’-hot man and a snarky good friend could.”
At least I was half the reason she was here.
“How long are you in town?” I asked, guessing she’d be on the red-eye back to Miami in the morning.
“A few weeks or so. Anton is managing a new call center branch here in town, and as the lowly second-born, my job is to stay out of the way and pretend to look busy.” She made a whoop-dee-doo twirl with her finger.
“If you’re going into the family biz, why are you majoring in music?” The teapot started whistling, so I turned off the burner and reached for a hot pad.
“I’m majoring in music because that’s what
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