Is he flirting with me? Oh God, please don't be flirting with me. I can't handle a fucking man. It's bad enough that I have to deal with boys. Men are not on my resume.
Thankfully, Coop saves me.
"Hey, no nipples at dinner," he says, pointing at the man with the dancing pecs across the island.
I choke on the Red Bull I'm drinking, and Coop throws his arms in the air. "Arms up, Mom."
"Yeah, no nipples," Addie agrees, opening a container of rice.
Mateo licks orange sauce off his fingers, his eyes trained on me.
"You specifically said dinner table, and as far as I can tell, this is an island," he says to his sister and then winks.
Okay, he's most definitely flirting with me.
"Oh my God, new rule," Addie says, pointing at her brother and then at me. "No flirting at the island, and definitely no flirting with my best friend."
Warmth creeps up my cheeks. I'm fucking blushing.
Okay, so I'm lying to myself.
I know why his presence bothers me.
It's because my libido hates me.
I roll my eyes at him and grab a teriyaki stick from the bag.
"Only being friendly," Mateo says.
"Friendly, my ass," Addie groans and hands me a plate.
After dinner, we sit around a fire Addie and Coop built. The cool night air makes me look forward to more nights like this. Stars light the sky, and I bite back a smile—a memory of a night like this with my dad floating to the surface. We were camping and spent the whole day playing games, all three of us. Both my parents and me. Mom burnt the steaks and cried. Dad told her they were perfect. Then he built a fire, and Mom brought out s'mores supplies. We were so happy. It's one of my core childhood memories, and yet it's tainted by the days that followed.
"So, tell me what the fuck happened at work last night," Addie says, cutting off the memory before the darkness swallows me.
"The short version or the long version?" I ask.
"Whatever version involves you kicking Kevin in the balls."
"Unfortunately, neither."
Mateo lumbers out of the house, surprisingly quick compared to the last time.
"What are we talking about?" he asks as he lowers himself into the chair beside me.
"Jade got fired this morning," Addie tells him as if it's her news to share.
"Dude," I say.
"It's Mateo," she says with a flip of her hand. "And besides, if anyone is going to love a good Kevin story, it's him."
I narrow my eyes at her, and she only shrugs.
"Share the tea, Jade, and I'll share mine," he says conspiratorially.
Cooper groans. "Dude, no."
"What?" Mateo asks. He turns his attention from me to Coop and then to Addie, before settling back on Coop. "What did I do?"
