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“Yeah. It fell out of one when I was reorganizing your sock drawer.” I blew out my cheeks, gearing up to break the beat of awkward silence when the doorbell saved me.
Jewel clapped her hands like a five year and hurried to the door. “The cake is here.” Her blonde hair trailed behind her, and I bit the inside of my cheeks as I watched her leave the room.
Before I could even ask dad about his future marriage plans, her annoying voice stole his attention, letting him know the one guy he hated the most had arrived.
“You invited Brett? Why?”
I closed the gap between us and placed my hands on my hips. I didn’t want to believe it. My dad and Brett were childhood friends and stopped talking years ago. My dad swore that he would never again give him the time of day after their falling out.
He walked over to the bedroom door, closing it until only a sliver of the hallway was visible. “I needed to make sure. After your mom left me—"
“Mom left you because you gave up on her. You gave up on us. So, what is it that you have to make sure of?” I said, interrupting him.
He licked his lips, and a flush crept across his cheeks. He was never good at telling a lie, and I had a knack for knowing when he was pulling my leg.
“I need to make sure I can trust her. I have to be sure she’s really here for me…and you.”
“Are you serious right now? A fucking fidelity test with your ex-best friend who you hate and is five years younger than you?”
“Language sweet pea,” he scolded.
He raised his chin to the ceiling and swallowed. I guess he was trying to find the words that made this whole thing make sense, but there were no words. I dropped my arms to my side and pulled open the door. Sadness crept into his features, and I turned to head down the stairs.
My dad had decided to invite a few guys from his tow company over for a cookout. Josh's voice carried from the backyard. He wasted no time shoving fresh off the grill brats in his mouth as he hung off Jewel like a lazy sloth. My name dripped off the tongues of the guests in greeting as I stepped through the sliding door, and Brett’s eyes locked on mine. I broke our gaze and headed straight to the pool. The August air strangled me with each breath I took, and if I didn’t get into something cool asap, I would probably pass out.
“Can I join you?” Jewel yelled from the grill.
She didn’t wait for an answer.So typical.Peeling off what little clothing she had on, she jumped into the pool, splashing me with the icy water. I swam to the other side and found solace in the tiny patch of shade away from Brett’s piercing stare, which he refused to break.
CHAPTER2
The Encounter~Brett
His housestill looked the same, and he still had that old beat-up muscle car. I remembered the day he bought it. He loved it and refused to give it up, even when he knew his girlfriend at the time was pregnant with Cora. To say I was shocked when I saw a missed call from Dylan Lane slide across my screen was an understatement. I hadn’t spoken to him in over four years. Our friendship ended when I decided to book a one-way ticket to California without him.
I waited, gearing up my resolve in case he'd just wanted to bring me all this way to punch me in the face, although I deserved it. The door opened, and my eyes lingered on the pair of long tanned legs before I met the gaze of a woman with blonde hair and fake breasts. She motioned me inside with a wide smile, and I followed her to the backyard. His house had been updated, new furniture and a few pieces of art I knew he didn’t buy. The blonde woman made it a point to be the center of attention, but Cora pulled me in once I stepped through the sliding door. Hair darker than midnight, with curves that would shame a special edition Mustang GT. Cora was no longer a little girl, and the two-piece swimsuit she sported was the proof in the pudding. She was juicy in all the right places, and damn did my cock take notice. I downed my drink and begged for my flesh to back down.
No matter how severed Dylan’s and my friendship was, the bro code was still intact, and I could never.Well, they do say never say never.Unable to pry my eyes away, a wave of relief washed over me when she turned her back to my gaze. Now she wouldn’t know that I just spent ten minutes staring at her delectable bubble butt as she stood in the shallow water. I turned to chit-chat with a few of the guys. Some I remembered back from technical college, which made the awkwardness that loomed in the air more tolerable. Dylan gave me a nod, and I returned the favor. Whatever harsh words he had for me, he planned on waiting until his guests were gone before giving me an earful.
Refocusing on the greasy burger in front of me, everyone’s attention was stolen when the blonde woman yelped from the pool playfully. Her colorful bikini top was no longer wrapped around her overly tanned neck and was now floating away from her. All the guys had a good laugh, but the only swim top I was worried about was Cora’s. Dylan announced unexpectedly that he had to leave because one of the tow trucks got into an accident. A wave of low grumbles and mumbles trickled off the lips of his guests. The blonde's whiny voice begged him to stay, but it did nothing to persuade him. Placing his plate down and shoving his phone into his pocket, he headed inside the house, and most of the guys followed.
The blonde apologized to the thinning crowd, which consisted of me, Cora, and some guy I didn’t know.Now, this is awkward.Reaching for the metal bars, the blonde pulled herself from the pool without even bothering to cover up. I downed my drink and made myself stupidly useful at the grill as I flipped an already badly burned burger. Refusing to make eye contact, she grabbed her phone off a nearby table and went inside. The guy who'd lingered near Cora locked his eyes on the blonde and followed soon after.
My blood warmed, and I didn’t know if it was from the soul-sucking sun or the fact that Cora’s nipples pebbled through her floral bathing suit.
“Last time I saw you, you were begging for a ride to go see some chick flick.” I eased in, closing in on the wide gap between us.
She walked over, tossing her long tresses over one shoulder before wringing them out. The leftover water dripped onto her bathing suit, amplifying her swollen nipples, and my dick throbbed.
“You have a bad memory. What, do you have Alzheimer’s or something?”
“Ouch. You’re not in school for nursing, are you?” I gave her a sheepish smile as I sipped on my drink.
“FYI, it was a thriller.” She tilted her head to the side and pushed some chips past her kissable lips. “Do you know why you’re here?”
I swallowed and set my cup on the edge of the table. “I was hoping you could fill me in.”
She folded her arms across her chest, propping up her pillow-soft breasts. “Dad wanted to see if you were still a douche bag."
