this house that seemed to be in tip-top condition. Now the bathroom was illuminated with the glow of two high-end sconces he’d splurged on for Liv.
By some weird cosmic snap of timing, a FaceTime call flashed up on Trent’s phone screen. It was Liv. He ducked out of the bathroom and into the hallway before answering so she wouldn’t see any of his work.
“Hello from New York.” Liv’s face was half covered by a wool hat, and her cheeks and nose were pink. When she breathed, puffs of cold air made wispy clouds of condensation come out of her mouth.
“Hello from…your house.” He grinned.
“So it’s true, then—you’re squatting.” She shook her head, laughing.
“Who spilled the beans?”
“Nick. He’s got a big mouth.” She laughed and fogged the screen for a moment. “You could have given me a heads-up! I told you I had a guest coming to stay and she might not be comfortable having my big brother there.”
Trent did his best to keep a straight face. He wasn’t about to tell Liv what had been going on between him and Cora—they were both consenting adults able to make their own decisions—and for some reason, putting it out in the open felt dangerous. Like speaking the words aloud would make it all feel even more real.
“I offered her to stay at Adam and Soraya’s, but she didn’t mind having a roommate.” Yeah…roommate. “And I wasn’t fully aware you had a guest coming to stay.”
“You mean the group text, email, and Facebook post updates weren’t enough?” Liv huffed.
“C’mon Liv, you know I don’t go on Facebook. Or check my email.”
“Or read group chat messages.” She rolled her eyes and laughed. “My dear brother, you’re incorrigible. Besides, why aren’t you staying with Hale anymore?”
“Long story, but it starts with A.”
“Aaah, lovely Aimee.” She giggled and clamped a gloved hand over her mouth. “My God, it’s cold here. I don’t think I’ve ever been so bloody freezing in all my life.”
“So how is it? New York, I mean.”
“Magical.” His sister sighed. “And manic.”
“And the internship?”
A strange look passed over her face. “Not what I expected. But that’s a story for when I get home. In the meantime, I wanted to make sure you weren’t planning on staying at my place forever. Cora might be fine with a roommate, but I’m not.”
His sister was only half teasing. As the baby of the family, she’d always craved independence. It couldn’t have been easy having four big brothers watching over her at all times.
Adam always helped her with her homework and made sure she wore sunscreen before going outside. Nick had taught her to swing a cricket bat and pushed her hard to pursue her dreams. Jace had been there when she’d needed peace from the rest of the family. And Trent had been the fun brother, always ready to hoist her up onto a flying fox or encouraging her to do a wheelie on her bike.
Liv loved them all with the ferocity of a lion, but she craved the ability to forge her own path. And while she was hacking away the jungle leaves of life, pressing forward no matter what, Trent was still standing at the fringe, watching as everyone raced ahead of him.
“Nick told me you still haven’t started work on your place,” Liv added. “I’d hoped without me being home to distract you, maybe you’d be getting a move on that project.”
Trent glanced at the newly decorated bathroom. “I’ve got lots to keep me busy.”
“Doing stuff for other people?”
Instead of making him feel better, her comment stuck like a thorn under his skin. He was trying to help her, trying to make her life easier because she was his little sister. “I really wish Nick would stop discussing my life decisions with everyone.”
“Ah, don’t get your jocks in a twist. You know what Nick is like—standing still is the worst thing in the world. He gave me a hard time for coming to New York for an unpaid internship when I could have been on the hunt for a full-time position back home.”
Trent frowned. “I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah, he thinks I’m letting corporate sharks take advantage of me.” She shrugged. “But I’ve always wanted to come here and see more of the world, so it served my purpose. I’ll find something when I come home, no worries.”
Trent had always appreciated his sister’s positive, optimistic outlook on the world. She was a good influence like that.