“Yep. Okay.”
“Mama asked me to come to dinner. Should I come see you today?”
“For really?”
I chuckle. I’m not a total prick, I just play one in the press. “Yes, really…”
My voice trails off as smoke curls into the air ahead. Traffic comes to a dead stop, and a white SUV swerves, nearly avoiding sideswiping the seawall to my right.
“Love you, Lily Billy. I’ll see everyone tonight.”
“Five!” Natalya calls out before the call disconnects.
Five. Sure. If I can get out of this traffic.
The cars inch forward, and that’s when I see it—a teal Saab on the side of the road, smoke pouring from the hood. The paint’s faded, one hubcap’s missing, and honestly, I don’t know how the thing is on the road.
Then I see her.
Izzy’s standing on the passenger side of the car, arms crossed, scowling at the hood and smoke. Her hair’s in a ponytail, and there’s another woman beside her—younger, with similar features. A sister, maybe?
I somehow manage to wedge myself in front of the Saab, flick my hazards on, and kill the engine, ignoring the way my hands have suddenly grown cold. A brisk sea breeze sweeps off the ocean through my windows.
“Well this is one way to get my attention, Sinclair.”
Izzy spins, stumbles, and falls back against the boulders piled beside the sea wall. I catch the exact moment she recognizes me—her blue eyes widen before narrowing into a glare that could strip paint.
She mumbles something under her breath, then grimaces.
“Was cleared to drive this morning,” I add, because I can tell she’s about to bring up the concussion. Ethan drove Betty up from Boston yesterday. “I was heading back?—”
The last time I saw her, she was tucked under a blanket and a little nicer. Pretty sure she’s considering pushing me into oncoming traffic right now, cute ponytail and all.
“Iz, is that…” The younger woman steps between us, her brown eyes going comically wide. “Oh my god, it’s true? You’re dating Jack Murphy?”
“No,” Izzy says quickly.
“Yes,” I say at the same time.
Izzy’s face grows bright red, and I’m trying really hard not to enjoy this as much as I am.
I swear her left eye twitches before she hangs her head, hands on her hips. She swings her attention toward her sister but waves her arms toward me. “We’re dating. Riley, Jack. Jack, this is my sister Riley.”
“Wait, what?” Riley’s eyebrows shoot up.
“Ignore her.” I lean against the Saab, then immediately think better of it. The metal’s hot enough to burn my palms. “Your sister gets weird when she’s flustered.” I cross my arms, grinning. “It’s cute, actually. In a deeply unfair way.”
“It’s the smoke inhalation,” Izzy shoots back.
I glance at the car, still breathing smoke. “We shouldn’t stay here. Not safe with traffic. I’ll give you a lift. Where were you heading?”
“Riley is practicing for her driver’s test. We weren’t going anywhere special.”
“Holy shit, is that a G-Wagon?” Riley’s eyes widen, her smile identical to Izzy’s. “This is like, I don’t even know how much this costs.”
“Too much,” Izzy mutters.
I unlock the doors with a soft beep. “Hop in.”
