I wiped the sweat from my brow as I stared around the house. We were finally down to the finishing touches.

It was one of the largest projects my company had ever taken on, and if I was being honest, it had scared me shitless when the client had decided to go with my company, a company that had far less experience than the competition, but they fell in love with my plan.

And I couldn’t fuck this up.

There was too much riding on this project. Too much opportunity that would come from it.

“Knock knock.” I heard my sister’s voice before I could see her.

“In here,” I yelled out as I watched her step over tools on her way to me.

“Do I need a hard hat?”

“Considering the walls are up”—I looked around the room at the finished walls—“I would say no.”

She cocked her hip and rested her hand there. “Damn. I would have looked really cute in one.”

I rolled my eyes at her then pulled her into a hug. She cringed at my sweat, but I didn’t allow her to pull away from me.

“What do you think?”

She looked around the room as she wiped off her arm, and I tried to see it through her eyes. I tried to take it in as if I hadn’t spent hundreds of hours working on it.

“Seriously, Mason.” She turned to me. “It’s phenomenal.”

My chest bloomed with pride. “Thank you.”

“Well, let’s go. Give me a tour.”

I took her around, room by room, showing her what we had done. Pointing out all of my favorite details.

When we got to the master bathroom, she sat down on the toilet and looked around. “No offense, but I kind of can’t believe you did all this.”

I huffed as I crossed my arms, and she held her hands up defensively.

“It’s not that you did it. It’s just that I can’t believe I know someone who is capable of doing all this.”

“Thank you for your backhanded compliment, Livy.”

“You’re welcome.” She grinned then she narrowed her eyes at me. “Since we’re in here all alone, I think it’s time we had a talk.”

“A talk about what?” I knew exactly what she wanted to talk about. My sister was sweet and sassy as hell, and if there was one thing I could count on her for, it was that she would always be nosy when it came to me.

“Staci.”

“Ah.” I rubbed the back of my neck, and I could feel the stress that had been building there. Stress that hadn’t been there until the other night at the bar. The night that Staci went rigid as if I had done something wrong. Something that I had absolutely no idea what I did. One minute she was fine. The next, I could see it in her eyes. Her urge to run. To get away from me.

“What are your intentions with my best friend?” She crossed her arms and attempted to look intimidating.

“Shouldn’t you be asking her what her intentions with your brother are? Plus, I didn’t put you through this when we were in the opposite position.”

“I have talked to her about her intentions, but you’re the one I’m worried about. I’m not sure you have the best motives.” She stood and made her way over to me.

“What did Staci say her intentions were?” I tried to ask the question casually, but I knew it sounded anything but. Because I couldn’t figure the girl out if my life depended on it.

Livy narrowed her eyes farther. “She tells me that you two made a deal to be ‘friends’.” She actually did air quotes with her fingers when she said the word friends.

“We did.” I nodded. “We’re friends.”

“I call bullshit.”

I grinned at my ballbuster sister. “Why can’t Staci and I be friends?”

“You have seen her, right?” She waved her hand in the air. “Staci is a freaking babe. There is no way you can just be her friend and not want to get in her pants.” She stared back at me as she ran her fingers over the counter. “Again.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to get in her pants. I just said that we were friends.”

She watched me, and I could feel her assessing my every word.

“I’ll ask you again. What are your intentions with my best friend?”

“Honestly?” I scratched at my beard that I hadn’t shaved in several days.

Her face softened a bit, and she nodded her head.

“I’m trying to be her friend while simultaneously trying to not be friend-zoned. I’m trying my damnedest not to freak her out while she figures out that she wants to be more than my friend.” It was the first time I had said those words, even to myself. It may have been the first time I really realized what the hell I was actually doing.

And it knocked the damn wind out of me.

I didn’t do relationships. I didn’t, but I was willing to try. For her.

“I knew it.” She smiled, a huge smile, and I couldn’t stop my own smile from taking over my face.

“You’re not going to tell her, are you?”

“Are you kidding me?” She drummed her fingers together like she was some sort of evil witch. “I’m going to be the best wing woman you’ve ever had.”

She put her hand out toward me waiting for me to put my hand over hers. “Go team Maci on one?”

“Maci?” I looked at my lunatic sister.

“Yeah. You know. Mason and Staci. Or we could do Stason, but that’s a little weird.”

“You’re a little weird.” I pointed out the obvious.

“Yes, but aren’t you glad I’m on your team. Your love team.” She made a heart with her hands and moved it back in forth from her chest.

I just walked away while shaking my head. She was right though, having her on my team was like having a trick play that Staci wouldn’t see coming.