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Of course, with the arrival of the boys, their party got louder. More animated. Even Neil was having a good time. It wasn’t hard to see that Carson was the driving force behind his more laid-back attitude. It was nice to see him relaxed, having fun. His face not scrunched up in a scowl as usual, his hands not fisted tensely at his sides.
Jack was…Jack. Wheeling and dealing, even with family and friends. He flitted around the room with a deck of cards, guilting everyone into indulging him in a card trick he’d learned from one of his students in the Cooking for the Future program.
Cole and Penn were like an angry version of Regis and Kathie Lee. But their snippy banter wasn’t fooling anyone. They were hot for each other.
And it seemed as though Surrey and Sydney felt the same way about Cal. They giggled and smiled as he showed them something on his phone. Occasionally they would point at one of the adults and laugh.
Mark was being antisocial, using Madison’s laptop.
Finn
called over, “Mark, stop checking your email.”
“Can’t help it, buddy, I’ve got a client on the hook.”
“Oh, shit!” Madison said to Veronica under her breath. “I might have forgotten to close the program with the photos on it.
Her stomached churned. “Madison!”
Her friend bit her thumbnail. “I didn’t know the guys were coming up here to the library.”
Neil walked over and hovered over Mark.
“Baby, we’re not working tonight,” Carson said with a cute pout. “You promised.”
Neil wrestled with Mark for control of the laptop. They shouldered each other and laughed, but suddenly their smiles turned to stunned gapes, and both their jaws dropped.
Neil shook his head, quickly turning away. Veronica wondered whose picture was on display. He tried to walk away but Mark grabbed his forearm. As Neil stared wide-eyed at the screen, Mark averted his eyes and handed over the mouse. He must have been clicking through Carson’s pics.
After a few clicks, Neil tensed and straightened. “Shit, Jack, I’m sorry.”
“I said no working, Neil.” Carson placed her fists on her hips, her pout turning to a frown.
“I’m not working. I—” He cleared his throat. “So, did you ladies have fun getting your pictures taken?”
Sterling gasped. “Neil Harrison, are you looking at me naked? Because I already apologized for walking in on you last month—”
“Naked?” Jack vaulted from the couch and took position behind the computer. “Holy shit.” He pointed at the screen. “This is what you were doing?”
“I’m a photographer.” Madison stood. “I specialize in boudoir and forties pinups. This is my gift to the lovely bride.”
“It was supposed to be a surprise.” Now Sterling pouted. “It was going to be a special gift.”
“Do you—” Mark couldn’t even get out his words he was so tongue-tied. “Do you all have this kind of pictures?”
“Everyone but us.” Surrey scowled, pointing at her sister, then back at herself. “Ours are totally PG-13.”
“Well, it was fun anyway, getting all dressed up,” Sydney said, poufing up her hair.
Finn and Cole ignored them and raced to the computer. At the mere mention of nakedness the men had lost all interest in what they’d been doing before.
“Dude, that’s my soon-to-be wife,” Jack growled.
The men’s voices grew louder as they fought to see—and not see—the photos on the screen.
“Um, hello? I’m not comfortable with you jackals drooling all over my hotness,” Penn huffed.
“Penn, I had no idea you had a tat,” Jack said, wide-eyed. Earlier, Veronica had admired Penn’s cherry blossom tattoo that spanned the side of her body from hip bone to under her arm.
