Page 28 of Breakaway Hearts

Julie abandons me for her siblings as soon as we get back and she sees the bouncy castle.

“I’m married. Happily,” Sarah is telling Carl when I hand her the bag and her keys.

“My sisters are off-limits,” I warn him, shaking my head at both Spring brothers having a thing for older women. Which I fully support, whatever makes them happy, just not my very taken sisters.

“How does it feel, being the ugly duckling?” He turns to me.

“You’re one to talk.”

“I’m the black sheep. Joey’s obviously the ugly one.” He’s teasing, but honestly, if Carl didn’t bleach his hair blonde – and play goalie – most of our audience wouldn’t have noticed a difference when Joey graduated.

“Where’s Tab?” Rachel asks when she sees me.

“Nice to see you too, sis.” I go over and hug her.

“I saw you last weekend. Tab hasn’t shown her face since we moved her in.”

“She’s rushing a sorority,” I explain.

“Tab?” Rachel’s husband, Nick, asks, nearly dropping the roll of tickets he was carrying.

Rachel, Sarah, and I look at him with raised eyebrows, in our best ‘choose your next words carefully’ way, but our intimidation fails as he laughs before raising his hands in surrender.

“Not that she couldn’t be the queen bee, but aren’t those mean girls?”

“Forgive him, he only went to pretend colleges, where the sororities were built with carbon copies of the girls who were mean to me in high school.”

Carl looks shocked, because that would have been very condescending of Rachel if she wasn’t referring to the pretend colleges his characters attended on movie sets.

“It was my mom’s dream growing up, but she married an asshole instead, so Tab is letting her live vicariously through her,” I explain my sister’s sudden affinity for Greek life.

“That’s way more Tab’s speed,” Nick points out.

It really is. Am I secretly hoping they eat her alive and no one wants her? A little bit. Not really, because she’d be crushed, but depending on which sorority she chooses…I don’t think I can survive two years of my baby sister being a Kappa Tau.

“Mrs. Davidson was looking for you,” Sarah says like she just remembered.

“More boxes?” I’m already turning back.

“No, she has a Retrieval next weekend. Mrs. Holt from 2B.” She looks at the little girls in the bouncy castle. Retrievals are when we accompany the women back to wherever they fled from so they can take the time to pack up their things without worrying about abusive ex-partners getting in their way.

“Is she up for that?” I ask. Julie’s mom came here covered in bruises, with her arm in a cast because her boyfriend broke it in three places. I’ve spent so much time with Jules because it’s scary for her to see her mom like that.

“Gabriel tried to go on his own yesterday, the girls were crying…Katie convinced them to wait for an escort.”

“Her ex works nights, right?”

“Six to three, she says.”

“I’ll grab a few guys, and we’ll go tonight.” She’s about to argue. “I’ve said five words to the guy, but I know Gabriel won’t wait that long if there’s something one of the girls needs, which means his mother knows it too. They’re not waiting.”

“You sure?”

“Most of the team will be here today anyway. She’ll have her pick of the litter.”

“Half the police force is here too, I’m sure one of them wouldn’t mind either,” Nick assures them.

“Speaking of the team,” Ray starts. “Congrats on being named captain.”