Noah watched Olive stride toward the car she’d nearly crashed into him moments earlier. He prided himself on adapting to unexpected, unpredictable situations—but his judgment always went haywire around her. Or maybe it was the way her dress clung to her stunning, curvy figure, scrambling every logical thought in his head.
Olive Porter had undeniably grown into a beautiful, confident woman.
He forced himself to refocus. His family needed him right now, and the last thing he could afford was a distraction. Unfortunately, the biggest distraction of his life was currently heaving a large duffel bag out of her car trunk—and turning straight toward Katie’s house.
“What are you doing?”
Olive didn’t answer, staggering slightly under the heavy weight of her bag. Noah stepped forward without thinking, took the duffel from her hands, and slung it over his shoulder.
“I didn’t ask for your help,” she snapped.
Typical. The old Olive would’ve rather collapsed than accept a favor from him. But he didn’t know the new Olive at all. She’d vanished from his life when he’d needed her most, and he’d long since moved on—or at least, he’d tried to.
They engaged in a silent tug-of-war over the duffel bag. “Why are you heading for my mom’s house like you’re planning to stay?” Noah pressed.
“Because I am,” she panted, struggling to steady her balance. “Let go.”
Noah released the bag instantly, and she stumbled backward, nearly falling flat on her rear. “Sorry,” he muttered quickly.
She shot him a blazing, irritated look. “Katie insisted I stay here.”
Noah had zero desire to share a roof with this woman. He’d once given her his whole heart, and she’d shattered it completely. “Terrible idea.”
“You think?” Olive sighed heavily. “Gram’s renting out her spare rooms. And this is Katie’s house now, remember? For the record, I originally planned to book a hotel.”
Noah tilted his head back with a groan and stared up at the sky. After Katie married Joe and welcomed their son Joey, the couple had built their mother a brand-new apartment above the garage. Freed from the responsibilities of the main house, their mom had spent her days traveling with friends and enjoying retirement. She’d even been on a month-long trip to Portugal when Noah and Joe got into their devastating car accident. She’d rushed home immediately, marking the first time in years the whole family had been back together in Sunrise Cove.
Noah was the one who’d been away the longest. He owned a home on the south shore, a small studio apartment in Yosemite, and frequently worked out of the National Park Service headquarters in D.C. Joe, whose rank and workload were far lighter than Noah’s, either crashed on Noah’s Yosemite couch or commuted from Sunrise Cove whenever he had free time.
Olive eyed him suspiciously. “Where are you staying?”
Noah’s gaze darted to the living room window, where Katie was pressed up against the glass, blatantly spying on them. She winced the second she was caught and quickly yanked the blinds shut.
Olive huffed a laugh beside him. “Busybody.”
“Wait here a second,” Noah said, striding up the front porch steps.
Holmes the hound jolted awake with a loud snort, his long ears rumpled and messy. At the sight of Noah, he tilted his head back and let out a warm, mournful yet joyful howl, his tail thumping wildly against the floor.
Noah smiled and crouched down to pet the old dog. Holmes had earned his name because, much like Sherlock, he could sniff out anything—mostly food, but it still counted. The seventy-pound hound had a belly that dragged the floor, ears that dangled past his paws, a constant drooling habit, and gas powerful enough to clear a room. Left alone, he’d howl so loud the windows rattled. His eyesight had faded with age, but his loyalty to his family was unshakable. He’d even fallen into a months-long depression earlier that year after the family’s fifteen-year-old cat, Sassy Pants, passed away.
Noah rubbed his belly gently. “I’ll be right back,” he promised, standing up to grab the door handle—only to collide with Olive reaching for the same spot.
He glanced at her dryly. “Still terrible at following directions, I see.”
“And you’re still just as bossy as ever,” she retorted. She turned to Holmes, giving him a softer, sweeter smile than she’d ever offered Noah. “Hey, boy.” Neither of them released the door handle, sparking another quiet struggle. They were still jostling for control when the door swung open suddenly, sending both of them tumbling inside the house.
Olive jumped to her feet so fast she nearly stumbled again. Noah took his time standing, ignoring the sharp, throbbing pain in his leg and masking any sign of weakness from view.
Katie clapped her hands in pure delight. “I’ve been waiting for this day for years.”
Noah straightened his posture. “So you admit this was all planned.”
Katie pressed her lips tightly together. Everyone knew she was the worst liar alive; whenever she was cornered, she’d clamp her mouth shut to keep the truth from spilling out.
Olive stepped around Noah and pulled Katie into a hug. As always, Katie froze completely at physical contact, going rigid as a corpse. Her phone and glasses slipped from her hands and clattered to the floor. “My phone. My glasses,” she said flatly, waiting impatiently for the hug to end.
Amused, Olive pulled back. “Sorry, it’s been too long.”
“It’s never too long for hugs,” Katie argued.
Olive laughed. “Fair enough. How’s this?” She leaned in and planted a loud, playful kiss on Katie’s cheek.
Katie squirmed in disgust. “Worse. So much worse.”
Noah fixed his sister with a long, serious stare.
“Look,” Katie said softly, her tone shifting. “My husband’s in a coma, my son’s growing up without his dad, and I’m barely holding my life together. On the outside, I look calm and collected, but inside I’m a total mess. Cut me some slack for wanting my brother and my best friend under the same roof. Don’t be mad at me.”
“We’re not mad,” Olive said immediately, squeezing Katie’s hand.
Noah couldn’t be mad—not when he was the reason Joe was lying unconscious in a hospital bed. He’d been trained in evasive driving. He should’ve controlled the car. He should’ve seen the accident coming. Instead, he’d been bickering with Joe over music choices. “Whatever you need,” he told Katie quietly. “I’m here for you.”
Olive nodded in agreement. “What he said.”
“What I need,” Katie said, voice thick with exhaustion, “is for the two people I love most to help me take care of Joey and be here for Joe.”
“Done,” Olive replied without hesitation.
“It won’t be easy,” Katie warned. “Just today, I said four things I never imagined I’d have to say. ‘Sorry I flushed your poop before you said goodbye.’ ‘If you stick your hands down your pants, you have to wash them with soap.’ And don’t forget ‘Don’t lick the dog’ and ‘Who ate the stick of butter I left on the counter?’ For the record, if Joey says he needs to go potty today, run—don’t walk.”
Olive covered her mouth, equal parts horrified and amused.
Katie pointed at her sharply, and Olive quickly composed herself.
Noah turned back to the door to grab Olive’s duffel bag, desperate to escape instead of staying trapped in the awkward tension. He craved nothing more than to jump in his truck and drive far away—all the way across the country, if possible.
“Wait—where are you going?” Katie demanded in her classic overbearing sister tone.
“Relax.”
Katie narrowed her eyes and turned to Olive. “Did you hear him? He said ‘relax’ like he’s the star of his own true-crime special.”
Noah rolled his eyes and dropped the duffel bag at Olive’s feet. “I’m heading to the hospital to sit with Joe for a while.” He planned to sit by his brother-in-law’s bed, hold his hand, and beg him to wake up.
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