“Did you stay out all night?”
Faith’s voice chimes from her bedroom as I pass her door, and my feet stop, backtracking until I can make out my sister’s profile.
I lean against the door frame, folding my arms over my chest as I watch her for a beat. She’s raiding her wardrobe, throwing every stitch of clothing inside of it onto her bed with a look of determination plastered to her face.
“Sure did. Not that it’s any of your business, Pest.”
She takes a second to shoot me evil eyes before returning to her clothes.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for something.”
I roll my eyes at her abstruse remark, stepping farther into the room to see the mess of discarded clothing is even bigger on the opposite side of the bed.
“You better not think you’re bringing this much crap into my apartment in September.”
But rather than answer, her movements still before she gasps in delighted triumph. “Found it!”
I focus on a microscopic black handkerchief in her hands, my brow puckering in a deep frown. “And what’sitexactly? Dental floss?”
It’s her turn to roll her eyes as she opens the material in her hands, and it takes me several solid blinks before I realize it’s not a handkerchief or even dental floss.
“Have youwornthat?”
My tone is incredulous as my eyes move from the bittiest little black crop top I’ve ever seen up to her guileless ones.
“It’s fashionable, Fordy. I’m sure Emmy has worn similar.”
“Emerson is a grown-ass woman?—”
She cuts me off with a dangerous tilt of her chin. “I’ma grown-ass woman, or did that go unnoticed?”
I clench my jaw, trying again. “What I mean is, Emerson is a grown-ass woman who can make those kinds of decisions, but you…”
She looks at me expectantly, raising one eyebrow as though ready to do battle, until I trail off, realizing belatedly how flat my excuse is about to fall.
I sigh wearily, my shoulders falling forward in defeat. “You’re my sister, Faith. It’s my job to protect you, you know?”
Her eyes soften before she closes the distance between us, tossing the top onto the pile on her bed so she can hug me around my waist. With her head pressed to my chest, my arms encircle her shoulders, and we stand like that for a beat until Faith breaks the silence.
“Your heart is in the right place, Fordy. But your little sisters have done a lot of growing up in the time since you left.”
Her words make my chest ache, even as I feel the truth of them in my bones when she pulls out of my arms, eyeing me reproachfully. “And I’m wearing that dental floss tonight when we go to Rebels.”
I snort a laugh as I ruffle her hair, laughing harder when she jumps back. “Okay, you wear that dental floss.” Her smile is as shit-eating as they come until I continue. “’Cause you’re not going near Rebels.”
“You can’t stop me?—”
“True, true.Ican’t, but as soon as I let the staff know you’re underage, they’ll kick you out.” A deep frown creases her forehead, and I chuckle internally at the consternation in her big brown eyes. “Or is a grown-ass woman like you forgetting you’re not even twenty yet?”
Leaving Faith to mutter her complaints in relative peace, I continue toward the kitchen, stopping short when I spot Fallon at the griddle.
“Mornin’”
She doesn’t so much as glance around, her eyes laser-focused on the job at hand, but that doesn’t deter me.
“I’m going to Rebels for open mic night later with Emmy and Lissie. Planning on asking Sully and a few of the hands to come along, too, if you wanna join?—”
