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“I don’t know why you two can’t get along,” she exhales. “But now that you know he’ll be here this summer, I’ll tell you the same thing Cruz’s father is planning to tell him.”
“What’s that,” I let out a little laugh. “That we need to get along or we’re grounded?”
“No,” she shakes her head. “That from now on, we do things as a family. That means no more separate holidays or vacations as we’ve been doing the past few years. The door will be open to both of you, but you’re old enough now to make your own decisions. The choice is yours as to whether you want to put aside your differences, or not.”
Wow. NowthatI wasn’t expecting.
I wondered if she would feel the same way if she knew Cruz and Ihadput our differences aside once, and in fact, came to like one another so much, that we fucked like rabbits every night, sometimes all night, while she and his father were sleeping. Then, like a bad dream, he pulled the carpet out from under me, and just moments ago, I saw him again, the guy who broke my heart. I wondered if she’d be asking us to walk through open doors together if she knew allthat.
“I won’t cause any problems,” I say simply.
She looks at me, arching a skeptical brow. “Do you mean it?”
“Yes, ma’am.” This summer was about restoring dignity to my Daddy’s name. That’s it. Nothing more.
She grins and shakes her head. “I’m sorry I kept it from you, sugar. But in my defense, when you decided not to go to Europe for the summer, I guess I just didn’t want anything to ruin our last few months together.”
My heart can’t help but swell with love for her. Honestly, the idea of spending more time with both her and Jenica was a bonus to coming here, and not going to Europe for the summer.
Closing the space between us, I push up on my toes and give her a kiss on the cheek. “Love you, Momma. Gotta run.”
She smiles wistfully and tucks her long blonde hair behind one ear. “Will you be home for dinner?”
“Depends,” I reply with a shrug. “Will All American be there?”
“No,” she replies, then adds without missing a beat. “Thought I’d spring that on you tomorrow.”
“Good one,” I laugh.
I reach for her hand and give it a squeeze. “I promise, I will make sure we get plenty of time together this summer. Okay?”
She squeezes my hand back and gives me a soft smile. “Okay.”
“Now…” I let go of her hand and spin on my heel, waving over my shoulder as I walk away. “I have to go. See you later. Don’t wait up!”
“Love you,” she calls out. “Be good.”
“I will!”
When I make it to my car, there’s a flier on my windshield. It’s a missing persons bulletin for a girl, not much older than me. I fold it up and stick it in my back pocket, making a mental note to ask Jenica about it, then reach into my front pocket, grab my keys, and unlock the driver side door with the remote entry.
After hopping in, I lift the center console and grab my sunglasses, which are stashed next to my wallet, then rifle through the tapes until I find what I’m looking for. Popping in Nirvana’sBleach,I wait for the first song to start playing, and when I hear the dramatic bass, followed by the perfect strain of Kurt Cobain’s vocals, I crank up the volume.
As I pull out of the parking space, and make my way down the street, I forget all about Cruz, and remember what this summer is all about—clearing my Daddy’s name. Everything else is just a distraction. An unwelcome one at that.
Chapter 3
Cruz
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“Bro…” Jake plops down next to me on the couch. “I still can’t believe you have a sister.”
“Step,” I correct, kicking one foot up on the coffee table in front of us and checking out the view. Like most of the houses on the beach, the entire back wall is floor to ceiling windows, making it seem like the water is going to crash right through the glass every time a wave comes in.
“I mean, I get it.” He turns and drapes one arm along the back. “Stepfamilies come with baggage. But dude, you never said a word about having a sister to even me. Your brother from another.”
I know he meant for it to sound light-hearted, but I can tell Jake’s bummed I kept this from him. The bond between pitcher and catcher was sacred. There was shit he’d told me that he hadn’t anyone else.
