Cassie grinned and leaned closer. “I dated a girl over summer. They don’t know about it. Pussy is good.” She waggled her eyebrows. “I’m seeing some boy from school, but it ain’t happening. Maybe I’m gay like you.”
Cody needed to get on whatever she was on because what the ever-loving fuck was happening? “That’s good?”
She laughed and walked inside The Daily Grind, smiling at some girl behind the counter, then in a loud voice that Cody was certain could be heard in the next state, proclaimed, “This is Cody. My brother. He’s back!”
Cody ducked his head and breathed deeply, then lifted it and smiled at the stunned faces staring at him. And he knew some of them, too. Great. Awesome. Fanfuckingtastic. “Hi.” Facing the girl behind the counter who stared at him open-mouthed, he sighed. “Get whatever Cassie wants and I’ll have a filter.”
“Henny! You have any of that cake in?”
“Orange cheesecake?” Henny’s eyes softened when she looked at Cassie and Cody wondered if she was the girl from summer.
“Yeah. You got some?”
“We do and er Cody? What about you?” Henny’s wide green eyes flickered to his, then back to Cassie.
“I’ll just take a coffee. The largest you have.” Cassie disappeared, leaving Cody alone at the counter and he shook his head at the changes in his sister. He didn’t know this version of her at all. Steak. He would cook steak tonight. Maybe chocolate cake too. TJ liked that.
“You’re Cody.”
“The one and only.”
Henny smiled. “She talks about you all the time.”
She did? “She does?”
“You’re her big brother who left and never came back. Until now. She’s so happy you’re back.”
“At least one of them is,” Cody muttered.
“We can’t pick our families.” Henny grimaced and placed a tray with Cassie’s cake on it.
“No, we can’t, and we can’t pick who we like either.”
Cody let Henny finish making their drinks, then took the tray over to the table where Cassie sat. He nodded to a few people who murmured his name, then sat opposite her and stared. Cassie shrugged and took her drink and cheesecake.
“Where did you stay?”
So they were doing it there in the middle of a shop where lots of people would listen and no doubt tell everyone he had returned. Cody actually liked that. Saved him having to do it. “I bummed about for a year or so, then lived on a ranch for three more years.”
“You did? What was it like? Better than living with them, right?”
“Does everyone know you don’t like Cass and Emily?”
“It’s like one of those open secrets no one talks about.” She shrugged and ate some cheesecake, moaning far too loud for Cody’s liking. “This is so good. You should try yours.”
“They fucked up with both their kids.” Cody shook his head and leaned back in his chair, staring out of the window.
“Some people just shouldn’t have kids, but we’re here, so fuck ‘em.” Cody blinked. “What did you do on the ranch?”
“Recovered.”
Cassie frowned. “Huh?”
Looking back at Cassie, he said, “I wasn’t in a good place when I left here, and I went downhill after I left.”
“You left because of them. We all know it.”
“I left because I’m gay and Cass wanted to send me to one of those places where they convince you you’re not. I refused, so I left. The next year of my life was fucked up and then Mama and Jed found me, and I stayed with them.”
