“I’m proud of you, getting back on your feet again, Sis.”
“It’s just until I’ve saved for a rent deposit.”
“You get paid a pittance to work at the shelter. I play in a rock band and wallpaper living rooms. With my best mates. And despite Jase and Matt being at each other’s throats every day, it’s a fucking blessing. But you. You make a difference. People have somewhere to sleep tonight. Yeah, it’s summer, but come winter, people will survive the night because of you. It’s ridiculous how little you get paid given you were the only one of us clever enough to get a marketing degree. You’re overqualified. And I know you could be earning more doing something else. So, yeah. I’m sorry I was a grumpy bastard. You can stay here as long as you need.”
Izabel took in a deep breath. “Thanks, Luke.”
“No worries. Look, I’ve got to get ready to go. The band’ll be here soon.”
She knew better than to mix with them. The last time she had, it had nearly torn them apart. Hell, she’d nearly broken herself into pieces. Such a massive and reckless decision, one made of frustration and longing for Matt. Sure, alcohol had played a significant part. But, urgh, she wasn’t sure she could ever truly get over what had happened between her and Jase. It had been just before she’d met Harry. In fact, looking back, perhaps the reason Harry had looked so attractive was because he was the opposite of Jase. Clean-cut. Steady job as a financial advisor. Reliable, at least she’d once thought so. And it had been convenient. With Gemma, her best friend, dating Harry’s older brother, Ollie, it had been too good to be true.
But Jase. Of all people. She hadn’t been so drunk she didn’t know what she was doing. Nor had she been so impaired she hadn’t been able to give informed consent. She’d just been lonely. The kind of lonely that hurt deep in the pit of her stomach. And she’d seen Matt. With that girl. Another nameless woman he would not remember a week later. And she’d realised he’d never see her.
Urgh!
Clearly, she was a terrible judge of character. “I’m going to head to the shops. Want me to grab anything for you?”
“Juice. Milk. And some cereal for breakfast would be great. Something for me to take to the gig. Sandwiches or something I can eat on the way. Means I don’t need to go shopping until tomorrow.”
“Wait, didn’t you say you were in Tesco earlier?”
“I was, but I got distracted.” Luke laughed and winked.
“That’s gross.”
Izabel grabbed her purse from her bag and left the apartment building. It was a beautiful evening. The sun was still shining brightly, even though it was six o’clock, and the air was warm without being humid. A fat bumblebee crawled aimlessly on the hard paving stones. She grabbed a leaf, encouraging the bee onto it, and then moved it to the shade of one of the bushes dotted around the building.
Thankfully, the store wasn’t busy, and she grabbed everything she needed for a cheap and cheerful stir-fry, plus the things Luke had asked for.
As she approached the apartment building, her stomach flipped at the sight of Luke’s van parked outside. Guitarist Ben King sat in the driver’s seat. His navy-blue T-shirt pulled tight around his biceps as he waved in her direction. Alex, his younger brother and talented percussionist, tipped his chin in acknowledgement as he took a drag on his cigarette, making his already chiselled cheekbones even more defined.
Jase was thankfully nowhere to be seen, likely in the back. But Matt . . . he leaned against the redbrick gate post, one foot up against the wall, dark jeans hugging his hips. His unruly dark hair, fallen forward, hid his face as he studied his phone, which gave her an extra moment to look at him. There was something about his broad shoulders and arms covered in ink that sent shivers through her.
She’d had a childhood crush on him since the day her brother had brought him home from school, declaring Matt his best friend.
But Matt . . . had been unattainable. Even more so since the incident with Jase.
She shook her head at her own stupidity.
Over the past few months, she’d passed Matt occasionally in the hallway—his apartment was two floors above her brother’s. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered finding him making out with a band floozy in the entry hall. She’d watched him. Wishing it was her body pressed up against his, her hair his hand was tangled up in, and her mouth his was devouring.
His other hand had cupped the woman’s arse as tightly as his gaze had followed her, all hot and hungry.
As if he felt her studying him, he looked up. The flicker of a smile quickly smothered by his brooding stare.
“How all four of Rhoda Palmer’s grandkids ended up with such great hair is a mystery,” she said. “Curls for days on all of you. The Kings as blond as the Palmers dark. It’s so unfair.”
“Izabel,” he said gruffly as she approached him.
“Hey, Matt,” she said as brightly as she could muster. “How’s Nan? It’s been at least a month since I’ve seen her.”
“Still feisty. Sure she’d appreciate a visit. Especially if you take her some of that shortbread you make.” He looked utterly edible. The soft grey T-shirt hugged his broad chest and flat stomach with fabric so worn, it was one wear from falling apart. She itched to run her fingers over it.
His hazel eyes remained focused on her. When they were younger, when they were out in bars or whatever, he’d sometimes let her sit on his knee when there weren’t enough seats at their table. Having been so close to him she could savour the earthy scent of him, she knew those eyes had flecks of gold in them, how they crinkled at the corner when he grinned.
Damn, she’d been so stupid.
“Are you ready for tonight?” she asked, unable to come up with anything more original.
“Almost. Will be good to get through a soundcheck.”
Luke bounded out of the apartment building, and she reached into the bag and pulled out the items she’d got him for the ride. A bag of crisps and a ham with no mayo on white bread. “One most boring sandwich on the planet,” she said, handing the supplies to him as he passed her.
He brushed a quick kiss on her cheek. “Best sister ever.”
There was a flicker of a smile on Matt’s face again. A smile that would never quite bloom for her again.
“Let’s get going,” Jase said.
Izabel’s stomach turned at the sound of the voice.
Come on, babe. I’ll take care of you.
I’ll make sure you get home okay.
He might not notice you, but I do. I’ll treat you better than he would.
Urgh. Those words. She’d believed him. Heck, he’d believed them. Worse, he’d meant them, which had become clear in the stone-cold sober quiet of the morning. How had she found herself at such a weak point that his words had been able to override the knowledge it would ruin her chances with Matt forever?
Matt unfurled himself from the position against the wall and disappeared into the van without another word.
And Izabel followed his lead by hurrying into the safety of the apartment building.
She closed the door and leaned back against it, breathing a sigh of relief as the van’s engine roared to life and faded into the distance, taking a piece of her heart with her.