"Who was that?" Nora asks from the doorway of the supply room.

I'm still glancing out the window at Juniper in her bright orange outfit, who's now arguing with her friends by her car, her face flushed from our exchange.

"Who was who?" I respond.

Nora smirks and steps closer, her brown eyes fixed on me. "The girl you were teasing like you're a 12-year-old middle schooler who has a crush."

"I wasn't teasing her," I protest looking back at her, though she clearly doesn't buy it.

"Uh, yes you were," she retorts, looking out the window as their car pulls away from the shop, "so who is she?"

"What makes you think I know her?"

Nora pins me with a knowing stare. "Wells, you don't just talk with anyone like that. You barely ever interact with customers."

"Well, that's because I don't like most customers," I murmur.

"Is she a crazy ex? Is she stocking you? Oh my god. Did she just get out of prison? Is that why she was wearing so much orange?"

I chuckle. "No, she's one of my co-workers."

She raises an eyebrow, her smirk growing. "I thought I was your co-worker."

"No, Nora, you're my nosy little sister who can't mind her own business," I tease, tousling her brown hair playfully as I walk past her. "We work at the Seattle Sun Times together."

Nora's eyes light up with mischief. "Oh, I see. A little office romance then," she says, wiggling her eyebrows up and down. I immediately start shaking my head.

"Nope, I actually don't like her. At all."

Nora looks surprised. "What? Why? She's cute."

She is very cute. However, I'd never confess that to my sister because she is a notorious meddler. She'd never let go of the topic of Juniper if I did. Besides, Juniper is already in a relationship, so discussing it is pointless, even though, yes, she is undoubtedly attractive. But also, just as equally annoying, and I really should stop picturing her in my head now.

"Nah," I reply, shaking my head as I keep myself occupied with cleaning the espresso machine.

She walks over to me, casually leaning against the counter to get a good look at my face. Her eyes scrunch as she studies me intently.

"What is it, Nora?" I ask, pausing in my task and turning to face her.

She pokes a playful finger into my chest. "You like her, Wells."

I laugh, attempting to brush off her comment. "I don't like her. We practically hate each other," I retort, tossing the rag over my shoulder. "Besides, she has a boyfriend."

"Boyfriends aren't permanent," she states.

This one seems pretty permanent to me.

Nora persists, "How long has she been dating this boyfriend of hers, like three months? You could always just woo her out of it."

I shoot her a disapproving look. "Don't say 'woo her,' it's just weird."

She rolls her eyes at my response. "Whatever. You know what I mean. Win her over. Impress her. Get her attention," she clarifies, "Come on Wells! It's been so long since you were with Emilia and –"

I grunt, not wanting her to finish that sentence. "She's been with him for a couple of years now. It's very permanent." And they just moved in together.

Nora narrows her eyes at me. "And how would you know that?"

I lean in a bit closer, my lips pursed. "Everyone knows. She's dating Beckett Moore."

Nora's eyes widen in surprise. "Oh shit, really? Like the college football player?"

I nod my head.

"The one that didn't make it to the NFL?"

I nod my head again.

"The guy that every girl had a crush on like three years ago?"

I roll my eyes, acknowledging the truth behind her statement, and nod once more.

"Wow. Good for her," she says, pondering it for a moment as she grabs another box of cups from the supply room. "He's hot."

I playfully warn her. "Hey, watch it, or I'm going to tell Liam." She chuckles in response handing the box to me.

"But, I always thought Beckett Moore was always like a player, though."

"I wouldn't know, Nora. Like I said, I'm not friends with her," I remark, opening the box of cups and stacking them next to the espresso machine. "I'm pretty sure she hates me just as much. And I mean, she's terrible at her job, doesn't like writing anything unless it's something she actually finds interesting, which really isn't much."

And that's why I keep getting reassigned to all her articles.

Nora narrows her eyes at me again, studying me as I continue to put the cups away. She seems on the verge of saying something more, but just as she opens her mouth, the bell above the coffee shop door jingles as it swings open, and she decides to let the topic drop.

We both turn our heads to see Liam, my best friend from high school and now my sister's boyfriend, walking in. My sister's face immediately lights up with a bright smile, and she can't contain her excitement.

She swiftly walks around the coffee bar and wraps her arms around Liam's neck. He leans in affectionately, meeting her enthusiasm with a passionate kiss.

"Okay, alright," I interject, tossing the rag playfully at them both in an attempt to break up their moment. "I get it, I think you've made your point."

"Sorry," Liam says, finally releasing Nora from their embrace.

I'm not sure if I'll ever fully adjust to the idea of my best friend being in a romantic relationship with my little sister. To be honest, it was a bit of a shock when I first found out a couple of months ago. I suppose it's better than my sister dating some loser. At least I know Liam is a good guy with a good job.

Liam turns to my sister and asks, "Ready to head out?"

She responds, "Yeah, just let me grab my bag from the back."

Liam strolls up to the counter and greets me. "Hey."

"Hey," I reply.

He leans against the counter and asks, "You coming out with us next weekend?"

"Oh yeah, it's '90s night. You better come," Nora interjects as she passes by.

With a hint of reluctance, I nod my head in agreement. "Yeah, I'm still going out."

"Oh, good, because I invited my friend, Roxy," she says briskly, then heads into the supply closet.

"What? Who?"

Nora raises her voice from the back, saying, "You know, my friend Roxanna. The one from Montana!"

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "You invited her?" I briefly hesitate and then firmly shake my head. "No, I'm not going anymore."

"Wells! She likes you! She thinks you're funny. And since you refuse to go out and date anyone else anymore, I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands."

"No, Nora, you're not taking anything in your hands," I say, glancing over at Liam, who gives me a noncommittal shrug. "And I wasn't even trying to be funny."

Nora emerges from the supply room with her bag, saying, "Why can't you just give it a try?"

"Because she weirds me out. She has five animal heads hanging in her apartment."

"She's from Montana, Wells!" My sister exclaims. "She hunts. Her family lives out in the middle of nowhere. It's just what they do."

"Do you know that the last time you invited her to hang out, she went into a detailed explanation of how to gut a fish and then smoke it?"

She tries to suppress a laugh, but it escapes. "No, she didn't"

"Oh, she did, Nora," I say, my tone dead serious as I recall the moment. "For a full 45 minutes."

She laughs, her eyes sparkling.

"It's not the hunting itself that bothers me; it's her intense obsession with it," I add

"Oh come on, Wells, just give her one more chance," she pleads, her tone earnest. "I promise she's not that bad once you get to know her."

Liam chimes in now, "She's right, you know. She's not that bad, and you haven't really been out with anyone since Emilia."

"That's what I said!" Nora exclaims as she jumps up slightly and turns toward me. I roll my eyes at them both.

"He's right, though, you know, Wells," she continues, scrunching her nose. "I know things ended a bit weird between you guys, but I haven't seen you go on any dates since."

"That's because you live three hours away," I mumble, shaking my head. "And things didn't end weird between us."

"Wells you were engaged and you just stopped talking to her.  That's weird! Don't think that I didn't hear the convers–" she says.

"Fine, I'll go," I cut her off with a resigned sigh, leaning against the counter. "But Roxy better not tell me how to gut a deer this time."

Nora grins in victory. "Alright, next weekend then. Don't you dare forget."

"How could I ever forget Roxanna from Montana?" I quip, eliciting a chuckle from Liam and a playful glare from Nora.

She turns and heads towards the door, grabbing Liam's hand. "I'm going to go make out with your best friend in his truck now."

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