“It has its moments, though I’d rather be singing on stages.”
“Ah, so you’re a singer. Care to serenade me with something?” Drew asked.
“Only if you enjoy opera,” Anna said, giggling.
“Opera? You sing opera?” Drew asked. “That takes some serious chops. I’m impressed.”
“I do. It was what I wanted to do with my life once upon a time.”
“What made you become a lawyer?” Drew asked.
“My parents,” was all Anna said.
I rubbed my hand up and down Hailey’s arm. I could feel her body heating up with her protective instincts. I wanted her to know that Anna was in good company. If anything, she was in the presence of three people who’d pursued their dreams no matter what others thought about them. The three of us had battled the family tensions, gone against the grain, and busted up stereotypes to get where we all were now. We could rub off on her and really show Anna that it could work.
But most of all, I wanted Hailey to be all right. I wanted her to give Anna and Drew the space to bloom whatever it was that was growing between them. Drew was a good man who had a solid head on his shoulders. He didn’t do long-term relationships much, but it didn’t seem to me like Anna was looking for something long-term. Any woman who was on his arm was treated with kindness and respect. He wouldn’t take advantage of her sister like most men would.
“Ah, seems we all sort of have that family tension in common,” Drew said, grinning.
“I could think of some other tension that’s more pleasant than familial ones,” Anna said.
I watched Hailey’s eyes widen as she threw her gaze up at me. I bit back my chuckle, trying my best not to intervene. Drew and Anna were complete opposites. Drew was sitting there in board shorts and a T-shirt while Anna was sitting there in a pencil skirt and her blouse tucked in. Drew was covered in tattoos and Anna’s skin was smooth as stone. Drew was a blue-collar worker who surfed in his spare time, and Anna was a white-collar worker who sang opera, of all things.
I couldn’t have physically drawn two more opposite people if I’d been inspired to try.
“Oh, really?” Drew asked. “And what sort of tensions would those be?”
I watched as Drew’s finger reached out for Anna’s pinky. I felt Hailey lurch, wanting to intervene before anything else happened. I dipped my lips down to her ear, catching her before she could ruin anything. Something told me Anna needed this. A man like Drew who could show her, if only for a few days, what it felt like to live a life on her terms.
“Drew’s a good guy. Let’s see how this plays out,” I said.
I gave her a light kiss on the shell of her ear, and I felt her automatically sink into me. The sun dipped quickly below the skyline, and nighttime soon blanketed the entire park. People around us were beginning to settle down for the impending fireworks with their lemonades and their funnel cakes. The band hired to play in the park all afternoon was winding down their last song while people took their places in their fold-out chairs. The talking started to die down, and the ocean breeze kicked up. Soon, our hair was being tossed and whipped around while the salted air bathed our skin.
I looked over and saw Anna tucked closely underneath Drew’s arm. His cheek was pressed into her forehead as they chatted with one another, and all I could do was smile. It was the first time I’d ever seen Drew look that peaceful with another woman, and I was happy for him. He was a go-getter who always had energy and always wanted to take them to do things. Dinner and a movie was never his go-to date. He wanted to take them to do something exciting. Teaching them how to surf. Convincing them to go parasailing. Hell, he even tried to convince one girl to go skydiving with him.
On the first damn date.
I’d never seen him this peaceful with a woman at his side, and it was a nice view to watch.
“You know those guys on the site? The ones working at the gallery?” Hailey asked.
“Yep. They’re called the construction crew, Hailey,” Anna said as she turned her gaze toward her sister.
“Shut up,” she said, giggling. “Only two of them are employed by Bryan’s company.”
“Oh, yeah. I saw that in the contract somewhere. You dip into the homeless community, right?” Anna asked.
“It’s not really a big deal,” I said.
“It is, though,” Hailey said. “He has a passion for it. He does it with all his jobs. You know sometimes, whenever he’s building homes and stuff, he’ll give one of the homes he builds to the homeless person working on the site for him.”
“Hailey, they don’t need to know all this,” I said.
“Wait, are you serious? Does your company absorb the cost or something?” Anna asked.
“I guess so. He’s a regular knight in tattooed armor,” Hailey said.
“Well, now I’m glad I fronted you all that money for the place,” Anna said. “I like supporting people with those kinds of morals. Business today is so cutthroat. It’s nice Hailey was able to find someone to help her whose ethics and morals line up with hers.”