want to see, or deal with, people.
Especially the ones she was related to.
She stepped into the kitchen, yawning, but she stopped in the doorway, blinked rapidly and rubbed her eyes. She still didn’t believe what she saw.
Danny was at the stove. Cooking.
“What’s going on?”
“Hey,” he greeted her over his shoulder.
That didn’t answer her question. She wandered farther into the room. “What are you doing?”
There were voices coming from the dining room just through the doorway.
“Making dinner.”
“You’re making dinner?”
“Pasta.”
That was suspicious. “What kind?”
“Fettuccini with asparagus and salmon.” He gave her a cocky grin. “I’m a natural in the kitchen.”
“Lydia told you that?”
“Yep.”
Allie couldn’t believe that Lydia had been coaching her brothers to cook via Skype. “How would she know? She can’t smell it or taste it.”
“She just did. Said it was awesome.”
“She…” Allie’s attention was pulled from the fettuccini—that did look pretty good, especially considering she’d been asleep for a little over seven hours and was starving. “What do you mean she just did?”
“Like ten minutes ago.”
Allie’s gaze flew to the doorway leading to the dining room. “Lydia’s here?”
“Yeah, got here like a half hour ago.”
Allie headed for the dining room.
“Allie!” Devon was the first person she saw and the first to see her. Devon was out of her chair, a big red purse thrown over her shoulder, and at Allie’s side seemingly in milliseconds. She grabbed Allie by the arm and tugged her down the hallway to the bathroom.
“What are you doing?”
“This is why I’m here,” Devon said. She upended her purse on the countertop. Makeup, hair accessories and other items rolled, bounced and clattered on the Formica.
“To give me a makeover?”
Devon took her shoulders and turned her toward the mirror. “I figured you’d get out of bed, realize everyone was here, and you’d come running without realizing this.” She gestured toward Allie’s reflection.
Allie focused on her face. And winced.
“Ah.”
“Yeah.”
She’d gone straight to bed without taking her makeup off, brushing her hair or even changing out of her capris.
“Okay. Maybe I could freshen up.”
“Start with this.” Devon handed her a brand-new toothbrush, still in the package.
“You know,” Allie grumbled as she took the brush and opened it. “It’s a good thing we’re best friends. I don’t take that from just anyone.”
Devon hugged her around the shoulders. “I know.”
With Devon’s help and red purse, Allie was presentable within fifteen minutes.
“So what do you think of Lydia?” The girl hadn’t been very high on Allie’s list of Things To Worry About for the past several hours, but now she wondered how Lydia was doing.
“Charlie seemed to be expecting her because he was right there at the door and whisked her off to his bedroom.”
Allie sighed. “Great.”
“He’s twenty-five, hon,” Devon said, applying blush to Allie’s cheeks. “And they’ve obviously taken some time to get to know each other.”
“I know. And she’s probably twenty so it’s legal,” Allie said, trying to be glass half-full.
Devon laughed. “Josh asked Charlie about her. She’s twenty-two.”
“Oh.” That made Allie feel better. If she just ignored the fact that her brother and Lydia were probably in his bedroom having sex right now, she’d feel even better.
When she and Devon emerged, Allie had to take a deep breath. The dining room was full of people. Lydia and Charlie were sitting at one end of the table with Josh and, thankfully, they didn’t look particularly disheveled. Gavin sat at the other end, cradling a coffee cup in his hand and talking with Hayley Stone and Jackson Knight, Josh’s best man—who had his arm across the back of Hayley’s chair. Okay. That was weird. Gavin met her eyes and gave her a warm smile, but didn’t move otherwise. He didn’t rush to her side or ask how she was. He was just there and his smile told her he was fine. She didn’t have to rush to his side or ask how he was either.
She could concentrate on everyone else.
But looking around the room, no one seemed to need a thing. Devon had joined Josh, perching on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. Hayley and Jackson were laughing—and sitting really close. Charlie whispered something in Lydia’s ear that made her smile and blush. Danny had just carried another plate of pasta and a basket of garlic bread into the room.
Then things got really weird.
“We’re home!”
Allie swung toward her father’s booming voice. He and Sophie came through the kitchen with wide smiles and suitcases.
“Dad!” She went to him immediately. “Are you okay?”
Her dad dropped his suitcase and wrapped her in