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“Lancaster,” she offers. “It’s about two hours from here.”
“When I lived in Germany, I got to spend the weekend at a farm for a school project. I learned how to milk a cow.”
“You lived in Germany?” Shannon interjects, her voice reaching a higher octave.
“My dad was stationed at Panzer Kaserne when I was in middle school. We lived there for a few years.”
“So, you’re an army brat?” She shifts her hands to her hips and leans closer. “I had no idea.”
I shake my head. “Nope. Marine Corps. My dad is a retired Colonel. He’s an electrical engineer by trade. Now, he works for Lockheed Martin out in Southern California. That’s where my family lives… for now.”
I never knew when I would move next. It’s nice to finally have a place to call home. But how long will Calabasas be home for us? It’s hard to say with my dad. He has this constant restlessness that makes me wonder if he’ll one day take a job halfway around the world and expect all of us to move with him.
“Oh, that’s cool,” Shannon coos.
Not really. Moving every time you make a new friend or get comfortable at a school is far from fun.
“I bet you’ve lived in a ton of places,” she adds.
I nod, not wanting to get into too much detail about the many lives of Taylor Bradshaw.
“My dad’s company does some contract work with Lockheed,” Jamie chimes, tipping the cup to his mouth. “We also consult with the government on artificial intelligence software. It’s one of my dad’s areas of expertise.”
“Now that’s cool,” I say, impressed. “Are you guys working on any VR stuff?”
“VR?” Jemma says, confused.
“Virtual reality,” I correct. “It’s the hot new thing in tech. Right now, it’s on the expensive side, but once the tech companies figure out how to sell it to consumers at a cheaper price, it will be everywhere.”
“What she said,” Jamie says with a chuckle. He turns to face me, a bright smile on his handsome face. “Nice to know I’m not the only one around here who’s into tech.”
I return his gesture and then take another sip of beer.
Just an observation, but why are all of Drake’s friends hot? Even the nerdy tech guy has it going on. For real, Jamie’s body is ripped with muscle. He has eyes so pretty they look like shards of blue glass. And those long, dark lashes…
Why do men always have eyelashes women would kill for? It drives me crazy when I have to curl mine to make them look only a fraction as decent as Drake’s.
“Hey, J,” Preston says from behind me. “Drake needs your help with the music. He says the iPad’s skipping.”
I was wondering what happened to the music, though it doesn’t matter with how loud everyone is speaking inside the house.
Jamie groans in frustration.
I bet he has to do all of the tech stuff in this house. From what I can tell, the entire place is wired for audio, and even video, judging by how many monitors and screens are on the walls.
“I’ll be right back,” Jamie says to Shannon, and then rushes into the dining room.
Less than a minute later, an upbeat rock song blares through the speakers fixed in the corners of the rooms.
Shannon taps me on the elbow. “Wanna dance?”
I look over at Jemma, who nods, and then returns the gesture when my eyes meet Shannon’s. Bex stays in the kitchen with Preston. Nothing and no one is going to get her in the living room with sweaty bodies pressed up against hers. Once was enough for Bex. She hates dancing, so not like I expect her to come with us.
Bex raises her beer as I leave, and I promise to find her in a little while. I’m sure she’ll disappear with Preston by the time I get back. His eyes are lidded, his mouth curving up into one of his sexy smirks as he rakes over Bex’s body. Yep, she won’t be here much longer. Preston, no doubt, has plans to drag Bex up to his bedroom any second.
Following behind Shannon and Jemma, I search for Drake in the crowded space. There’s no sign of him. A pain shoots up my side as if someone has dug a knife into my kidney. The thought of him doing anything with those girls makes me so angry I could scream.
Where the fuck is he?
Trying to play off my irritation, I form a circle with Shannon and Jemma and sway my hips to the music. They’re having fun, letting loose as they throw their hands in the air, while I’m miserable over here. I guess I should have known this wouldn’t work out with Drake. Maybe the virgin thing was a lie after all.
Somewhat deflated, I pound the rest of my beer, too annoyed to bother keeping pace with the girls. They look like they’re having fun, while I’m only pretending. So, I slip through the living room then dining room and back into the kitchen for another beer. And that’s where I find Drake…
