Say You're Mine - Layla Hagen Page 0,3

wrapped around my fingers.

“That’s a boring deal,” she countered.

I burst out laughing. “Okay, then tell me what works for you.”

“I do want to talk to you, but nothing as elaborate as an interview. Just to get a feeling for everything and see if this job is the right fit for me.”

“The right fit for you? You’re testing us?”

“No, just you for now. The rest didn’t seem to even want to look at me.”

“I like you, Isabelle. No one’s given us as much shit in years as you did in a few minutes.”

She blinked, her teasing smile fading slightly. “I’m not giving you shit. I’m sorry if it came across that way. But I am self-employed and run my own show, so I don’t take on jobs likely to cause me a headache.”

Which was when I realized this was her way of doing things: very direct and honest. She had zero tolerance for bullshit or bad attitudes, and why should she do otherwise? This was a job to her, her livelihood. I was so used to people fawning over us that this felt surreal.

“No one’s going to give you a headache. I’ll take care of that.”

Her eyes widened, and a slight blush crept onto her cheeks. It gave me immense pleasure that I’d managed to rattle her the way she’d done me this whole morning.

“Okay. I’ll join you.” She looked as if she wanted to add something else, but Sasha entered the room.

“Sorry it took me so long,” she exclaimed. She probably took a lot of flak from the guys, but Sasha was tough. I was sure she held her own.

“Good news. I’ve convinced Isabelle here to join us for bowling and drinks,” I said without taking my eyes off Isabelle. She fidgeted in her spot.

“Oh, perfect,” Sasha exclaimed. “I kind of feared the guys had already scared you away.”

“Brayden can be very persuasive,” Isabelle said.

“I promised it’ll be worth her while, and I’ll make good on it.”

Something told me Isabelle Gallagher was a challenge unlike anything I’d ever encountered. And I couldn’t wait to get closer to her.

Chapter Two

Isabelle

“I still can’t believe we’re all finally living in the same city,” I told my brothers, taking a slice of scalding hot pizza from the carton. We’d talked about having dinner together before I agreed to meet GreenFire tonight, and I hadn’t wanted to cancel on them. We had to be really quick. “Now I can fuss around you and annoy you face-to-face, not just over the phone.”

Dylan pulled me into a half hug, kissing the side of my head. “You’re never annoying.”

Ian laughed. “I’ll remind him he said that next time he says you fuss too much.”

“Yes, please do.” It had always been my dream to live in New York City. Our sister, Josie, moved here when she was still in high school, but I only made the move last year. And Ian and Dylan had only officially moved last week to open a subsidiary of their software company.

We were all sitting at the kitchen table in my apartment in the Bronx, enjoying three pizzas. Mine and Ian’s were with pepperoni, Dylan’s with salami, and it looked delicious.

“You want a slice, don’t you?” he asked with a laugh.

I grinned, nodding, and immediately took a piece. I couldn’t believe we were all together! Well, Josie wasn’t with us, because she’d given birth to the sweetest girl a few weeks ago. Sophie was absolutely adorable, and I was trying my best not to annoy my sis with too many calls or visits. I saw them last week at the Fourth of July celebration at their house, and although I’d love to see Sophie daily, I knew they needed their space too. Ever since I moved to New York, I was more protective of my sister than ever, even though she was older than me. I had no idea if it was because she was a mom now or because we’d spent so many years apart, but I wanted to pamper her all the time. So did her husband, Hunter.

I was also close to Hunter’s family, the Winchester gang. His cousins had become very good friends of mine too: Skye, Tess, Ryker and especially Cole. He was married to my best friend, Laney. All of them treated me like I was one of their own, and I was super grateful for that, buuut I couldn’t deny that having my own brothers in New York made my heart happy in ways nothing else did.

I kept