Page 46 of Made for Mayhem

And maybe I always would.

11

Emmy’s kitchen was bright and wild—magenta cabinets, hand-painted mugs, mismatched dishes—but it was the island that stopped me short.

Three neat pyramids of subs sat on a massive platter: ham, turkey, and a third no one seemed interested in. A basket of chips, a tray of fruit, another of cookies, and a case of Gatorade rounded it out.

“That is a lot of sandwiches,” I murmured to Junie.

Apparently, the teenagers disagreed.

Miles dove in first, stacking three ham sandwiches onto his plate.

Molly swooped in after him and yanked one away. “Yeah, no.”

Delgado reached over them, grabbing two sandwiches. “Turkey’s mine.”

Jace nodded toward the untouched pile. “Veggie. Any takers?”

“No one wants that.” Miles cringed.

Delgado went in for a third sandwich, one already shoved in his mouth chipmunk-style, and Beckett narrowed his eyes. Delgado grinned, lifted his shirt, and flexed. “You don’t get this body by holding back.”

Molly smacked him in the stomach. “Good thing you’ve got brawn, Delgado. Brains were clearly out of stock.”

The kid doubled over, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Junie sat in the middle of the chaos, perched on a stool with her ham sandwich clutched in both hands. She beamed up at Jace, who split a cookie in half for them to share, looking content.

Across the room, Beckett leaned against the counter behind Emmy, arms wrapped around her waist, chin resting on her head as she talked to Ty about summer practice schedules.

I hovered at the edge of the room, acutely aware that I didn’t fit here.

This wasn’t what I’d pictured when I imagined Junie in Colorado. In my head, it had been quiet. Temporary. Just the two of us, keeping our heads down, surviving one day at a time.

But this was loud. Crowded. Full.

And my sister⁠—

Not now.

As if sensing I needed rescuing, Emmy appeared beside me. “I hope you like Diet Coke. There might be some Topo Chico, or you’re welcome to a Gatorade.”

I took the can out of her hand and cracked it open. “I’ll take a fridge cigarette any day.”

“I knew I liked you.” She touched the rim of her can to mine in a toast. “Are you doing okay after today?”

“Yes?” I said, the answer sounding as shaky as I felt. “No. I don’t know.”

Emmy nodded, then took a sip of her Diet Coke, not forcing the conversation. We stood together and watched the kids huddled around the table, doing anything to make Junie smile.

“Delgado almost got fired when he found out Junie was here today,” she said after a minute. “Miles had to talk him out of bailing on his delivery shift.”

I blinked, staring at the goofy kid who had pretended to faint on the floor. Junie sat there and grinned down at him, giggling around a cookie.

“He was going to ditch work?”

She glanced over at me. “He and Miles both. That niece of yours has half the team wrapped around her finger. It’s a little terrifying, honestly.”