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“Want to get Mexican? I’m pretty sure the Cantina would deliver over here.” I could go for something spicy and crunchy. And really, tacos were never wrong.
“Works for me. I have their app.” Jenna tapped on her phone. “Why’s Kayla mad at you?”
“Cody and I are dating.”
Jenna looked up. “Yeah? Congrats. He’s hot. Seems nice. Has obviously been smitten with you at least since I came on the scene.”
“What? I mean yeah, that’s what he said, but I never saw it.” I shook my head. “How did you?”
Jenna shrugged. She tapped at her phone, then handed it to me. “Choose what you want and add it to the order, then give the phone to Kayla. You can just shoot me some cash whenever.”
I frowned as I scrolled the menu looking for what I wanted. I considered myself a pretty observant person, and I hadn’t picked up on Cody’s interest even when I’d been hoping for it. Well, whatever. We were together now, so it didn’t matter.
I added my meal and passed the phone to Kayla. “What does Noah think about the house? Cody’s stuck on how big it is.”
Jenna nodded. “I can see that. That’s one of Noah’s worries, too. It’s a lot. But even if he bought it, we finished the reno, and he sold it he’d come out ahead. They’re asking almost six mil now, and they’ll probably get close to that, unfinished. I’d say when it’s all complete? Noah could resell for twice that. And since he could pay cash, it’s not like he has to worry about interest and fees. It’s a lot lower risk for him. Or, he decides he loves it and moves in. Either way, he wins. And I win, too, I guess. Assuming he lets me do the reno.”
That was an interesting way to look at it. It wasn’t as if Noah didn’t have options for living space, either. He could buy something else. He could probably move in with Cody in Cody’s townhouse. Or he could go back to a longer-term lease on his apartment instead of being month-to-month like he was now.
“Here.” Kayla gave Jenna her phone back. “You have a money app preference?”
“Nope. I use them all. You’ve got my email address. It’ll work for whichever.”
Right. I should send her my portion too. If I waited, I’d forget. I pulled up the only one I had installed and sent her enough to cover my food plus some of the tip and delivery fees. I didn’t love how much extra those added to an order, but I also didn’t want to run out and get it myself. Convenience had a cost.
“Would Noah be able to live there after you got some of the rooms done?” Kayla set her phone aside.
“Up to him. Living in a reno is an experience. It’s doable. I’m not sure he’d like it.” Jenna put her phone away. “Food’s gonna be about a half hour.”
Kayla and Jenna continued chatting about the townhouse, renovation ideas, and Jenna’s hope that Noah would get excited about the idea. I listened with half an ear, but I couldn’t stop myself from worrying about Cody.
How were the guys handling things?
Austin…well, he was honestly the least of my worries. I could handle my brother, if it came to that. But the rest of the guys? They saw me as their baby sister, but they didn’t actually have the experience of mebeingtheir sister to know my wrath if they damaged my relationship with Cody.
And all of this was ridiculous. I was a grown woman and completely capable of making my own choices.
And I chose Cody.
19
CODY
I’d never wondered what it would be like to have the majority of the guys some degree of annoyed with me. I honestly hadn’t ever expected to be in the situation. Of all of them, Austin was the most okay with things. I guess that shouldn’t have surprised me, since he’d essentially given me permission in the spring.
He just wished I’d gone about it differently.
Maybe, in hindsight, I did, too. At this point, I didn’t feel like I could let anyone know that, though. It was a moot point, anyway. Megan and I had done what had seemed reasonable at the time. For reasons that were still solid. Ish.
I blew out a breath and stared at the boxes of invitations to the gala that were taking up the empty space of my office. They were stuffed and sealed, thanks to several evenings with Megan’s help. We might have gotten them handled faster if we were just friends, but I couldn’t regret that, either.
Hearing a knock on my door, I looked over and lifted my eyebrows. “Noah? What can I help you with?”
“I was thinking I could help you.”
I blinked. That wasn’t something I expected him to offer. “With…?”
He shrugged and tucked his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know. The invitations? Anything else you need help with?”
