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I narrowed my eyes at the exchange. Wasn’t he on the shit list?
“What audition?” Jake asked.
“Yeah,” Coop glanced between them. “Spill.”
“It’s a secret,” Frankie said.
“Not much of a secret if you’re talking about it right here,” I protested, and she put a hand on my arm.
“Let’s start with essays. Do you guys actually need them for MIT? And are you going to apply to Harvard, too? You know, for real?”
I’d told Muriel I was. I covered her hand with mine. “Damn straight I’m applying.”
“Whatever we do,” Jake said. “Once we know where we’re going, we’ll nail down the place to live.”
“It has to take cats,” Coop added, and Bubba gave a firm nod to that.
Frankie blinked, then looked at all of us, and I raised my brows. “We’re not leaving them behind.” Especially not after what her mother said about getting rid of them. I hadn’t been kidding about moving in with Frankie if I had to. Jeremy could free up the money for me. I’d pay her rent.
She wasn’t losing her cats or her place.
Fuck the bad meatloaf.
Her laugh and little squeal of delight were worth it, and we each got a hug. Even Bubba. The look on his face when she wrapped her arms around him…
Idiot needed to get his head out of his ass. I liked the guy, but I wasn’t waiting around for him.
“What actual homework do we have then?” Coop said. “Because if you want to get mini golf in, we need to eat, get the work done, then get changed and get out of here.”
“Actually,” Frankie said, perching on the arm of Bubba’s chair. “I got most of mine done at school. So I’ll go change, while you guys get caught up.”
Sneaky.
I liked it.
As soon as she was in the house and the door was closed though, I looked at Bubba. “Get it together and figure it out. Because if you screw this up for any of us—”
“Especially yourself," Jake tossed in there.
I nodded. “It won’t end well for anyone,especiallyFrankie.”
“She’s really my only concern,” was all Bubba said.
I really hoped he meant that.
“Good. Then we won’t have a problem.”
Chapter Seven
Songs to Lose and Love By
Mini golf rocked. We’d all gone back to Archie’s after for ice cream cake, and to be honest, I was both floating and exhausted. Ian’s behavior left me in a tangle of confusion. We weren’t dating, but he wasn’t leaving. During golf, he’d been reserved but very present. The other guys played and ribbed, but the comments between them grew a little more abrasive and cutting as the evening dragged on.
As determined as I’d been to have fun, it grew more difficult each time one of the guys gave me a hug or a kiss or a teasing remark, and Ian’s gaze would level at us. After we’d had ice cream cake and Jake offered to take me home rather than ride with Ian, I leapt at the offer. The speed at which I said yes got me a long look, and honestly, I hadn’t cared.
Ian made me tired. Coop didn’t ride with us, and Archie said he’d make sure he got home later. They were still playing on the Xbox. It wasn’t until I was in Jake’s SUV that I even gave a thought to the fact I’d blown Mom off.
“You okay?” Jake asked as he turned in the driveway to leave.
