Page 133 of Under the Influence

“Yes. She is.”

“And you are inviting Corinne Clark over here for dinner, sneaking her into your room at night and watching movies?”

“We’re just friends,” I defend, knowing it’s a lie. Sort of.

“You need to post on social media that you and Avery broke up.”

“I know. We’re planning to, just waiting on a game plan from Lindsay. People aren’t stupid, though. We haven’t posted anything together in weeks.”

She grabs my arm, squeezing it reassuringly, “I know you are afraid that people will be mad at you for calling it off, but it’s going to be a lot worse if something comes out and it looks like you are cheating.”

I give her a side-eye, “We’re just friends, mom. I promise, besides Cori and Nash are… well something.”

“Oh, Carson…” she trails off. “That’s messy. Especially considering a few weeks ago you said that you didn’t want to stay away from her.”

“I like her,” I admit. “But not enough to ruin my friendship with Nash. He is borderline obsessed with her, so I told him I would back off. Besides, I need to focus on baseball anyway.”

“Just be careful,” she warns. “I would hate for anything to come between you and Nash, especially a girl. You have been friends forever, and he’s part of this family. If you have feelings for her, you need to tell him the truth.”

“It’s fine, Ma. I promise it’s not a big deal.”

She walks across the kitchen, tossing an Amazon package across the island at me, “Interesting choice of costume.”

I sigh, “I promise it’s just a few friends. No alcohol.”

She stares at me for a second, “Carson.”

“Mom, please, I promise I’ll clean up after. No alcohol, no drugs, no sex. It’s just a costume party.”

“Well, I want to be pissed that you planned a house party with us out of town, but I’m glad you didn’t lie about it.”

“It’s gonna be like 15 people, tops.”

“I trust you. Don’t give me a reason not to. Do you understand?”

I nod, and she continues, “I’ll have eyes on the house, so don’t even think about doing something you shouldn’t be.”

She gives me the mom stare that makes me a little afraid and finishes, “I’ll order food for you guys and have it delivered tomorrow afternoon, maybe some decorations.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

She kisses my head, grabbing her carry-on suitcase by the handle. “We’ll be back on Monday. Dad cleared his schedule because I have meetings in the morning, so we’ll be home around dinner. If you need anything, call Judson.”

I follow her to the door, waving at my dad as they drive away. I grab the Amazon package off the counter and head up to my room. Motion from the window next door catches my eye, and I watch as Cori slips her shirt over her head. I don’t even try to hide. I can’t. I just stand there in awe.

Her eyes find mine at the exact time I’m blinded by headlights turning into my driveway.

Nash.

Talk about perfect timing.

CHAPTER

THIRTY-NINE

NASH

After sitting in my Jeep for a few minutes, thinking about what my mom said to me earlier, I cut the ignition.