Page 148

By the time Bliss called the final minute, our station looked like the aftermath of a food fight. Masa dusted Charm’s shirt and clung to the front of my apron. Salsa stained the leg of her white shorts. Grease had found my pastel shirt, and one streak of flour crossed my chest where Charm had shoved me after I wiped masa across her cheek.

But, our tacos looked fucking incredible.

Briggs stole one before the judging began and Bliss slapped his hand. “Those aren’t yours.”

“They were unattended.”

“Ryan is standing directly beside them.”

Briggs looked at me. “Emotionally unattended.”

Temple laughed and handed him a napkin before salsa reached his shirt. Lyric watched Temple wipe a spot of salsa from Briggs’s wrist before releasing him. Briggs grinned down at her, and something ugly crossed Lyric’s face before she buried it beneath a bored expression. She had ignored him for most of the challenge, but another woman making him laugh suddenly required her full attention.

“I like her,” Briggs announced.

“We know,” Lyric said with a shitty sneer and we all ignored her.

“Maybe she needs a dose of reality that Briggs can do better.” I say quietly to Charm who nods.

“Leaps and bounds better, maybe then she would see what she has instead of abusing it.” Charm says and I look at her, really look at her.

My hatred for Lyric rises. “Esa perra nunca sabrá valorarlo como se merece. No es nada sin él.”

“Sí,” Charm replies.

“Do you know what you had?” I ask in Spanish and detest the weakness in the question.

She swallows and nods and I see the regret in her fucking eyes. But I say nothing and watch Temple steal half of Briggs’s taco and return to Rider’s station while he protested that she had abandoned their team.

Charm watched the exchange, slipping her hand into mine beneath the edge of our workstation.

Not because she needed me to know she sees me now. No, it was simpler than that. She wanted everyone to know where she stood.

I looked down at our joined hands.

This weekend was supposed to be closure. What we could have been without shame, fear, or everyone else’s expectations pressing against us. Less than a day into it, Charm was giving me the answer everywhere I looked.

I tightened my fingers around hers and told myself answers were all I wanted.

Bliss announced that everyone had an hour to shower and change before lawn games began and the remaining families arrived for the barbecue.

Charm looked down at herself. “I have salsa on my shorts.”

“I noticed.”

“You put it there.”

“You distracted me.”

“You grabbed my ass while holding the spoon.”

“Exactly.”

She released my hand and started toward the east wing. I let her make it three steps then I caught her around the waist and redirected her toward the opposite corridor.

Charm looked at the staircase ahead of us. “My room is the other way.”

“I know.”