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She cackles. “That’s not even the best part. After Edie scurried off, a dude I’ve never seen before, who must have seen the whole thing go down, says,‘I hope you’re buying that cucumber after you’ve just molested it.’”
My clearly insane sister keeps laughing while I ponder what could’ve happened to her to make her this way. If it was me, I’d have been mortified. Then again, I wouldn’t have sexually assaulted a vegetable in the first place.
Snow frowns, then pushes my messy blonde hair away from my face. “What’s up?”
Crap. If I was in a better mood, I probably would have found her story amusing, and I wouldn’t be faced with lying to her now. I shrug. “Nothing.” I shove another handful of popcorn in my mouth, so I don’t have to elucidate.
“Right, that’s why you’re watchingLove Actually. I’m not stupid, I know it’s your go-to wallowing movie. What’s going on with you? You worried about your skipper? I can help you track him,” she offers.
My jaw works as I chew then swallow. The thing about growing up with four older sisters and no mom is your sisters take that maternal role upon themselves. While Meg and Belle are by far the worst for it, Snow and Ariel still helicopter around me, too. Just farther out, and less blatantly.
Moving in with them last year was supposed to give me the chance to let my hair down and be my own person. And I suppose that has been the case, but at the same time I can still feel their eyes on me, worrying about me.
I roll my shoulders and clear my throat, partly to dislodge the popcorn kernel stuck there, and partly to muster my courage. Lying feels gross, and I can never pull it off anyway. “No, thanks. I need to do this on my own. How else can I get you all to see me as one of you?”
Snow tilts her head, her gaze searching. “Youareone of us, Kida. What would make you think otherwise?”
“You guys all have your place on the team, your own set of special skills. Meg is an amazing negotiator; Belle is a computer whiz; you and Ariel are natural badass bitches who literally make grown men piss themselves. And then there’s me…” My gaze drops to my lap, and I swallow. “I’m not like you guys. I fumble everything. And don’t say that isn’t true, we all know it is.”
Bosco picks up on my emotions and snuggles in closer, nuzzling into me. I sigh and scratch my nails behind his ear, making his tongue flop out of the corner of his mouth in happiness. “I just want to earn my place among you. And I need to do that on my own,” I tell her.
A soft smile plays at her lips. It’s not a typical look for her—she’s all full of cynicism, and sarcasm, but this smile is genuine. Eventually, she nods. “Okay,” she says, then leans forward, brushing a quick kiss to my forehead.
It’s the most affection she ever shows, and she doesn’t do it often, so I savor the gesture. “Thanks,” I murmur, then snuggle into her sharp shoulder, ignoring her protests about violating her personal space. Not one to be left out of cuddles, Bosco shuffles across my lap until he’s sandwiched between us.
Snow mutters something about dog drool, but she doesn’t get up or move away. She stays and we all watch my favorite comfort movie together.
* * *
It’sa bright and chilly Monday morning, and I’m ready to kick ass. But first, coffee.
Ariel pulls her beast of a truck into a spot outside of Perky’s Books & Brews, then peers over at me in the backseat. “I’ma need an extra shot today. Kass kept me up all night.” She smirks and I grin back at her.
Seeing my sister happy is the best thing ever. Ariel’s always been the loner out of us girls, and it shocked the crap out of us when she started hanging out with Kass. Even more so once she finally let the dude out of the friend zone. Seeing her smile like this makes my heart happy, boosting my good mood even higher.
I shoot her a wink. “You got it. And you?” I ask Snow as she applies another coat of her blood-red lipstick, using the mirror in the front passenger visor.
She pops her lips at her reflection before turning to face me. “The usual for me. Oh, and a blueberry muffin.”
“On it.” I slide across the back seat, fling the door open then hop out onto the street before making my way inside Perky’s.
There’s four, no wait, five, people already in line, which isn’t unusual. Perky has the best and only coffee in town—unless you go to Caffeinate Me over at the university—and she’s also got a huge array of smuttastic books on offer. The guy directly in front of me is unfamiliar though… whichisunusual.
My gaze roams over his broad shoulders, taking in the messenger bag he has slung over one of them. Maybe he’s a student? Although, they rarely venture away from campus, so maybe not. He’s young, around my age if I had to guess from his profile as he turns his face, taking in the table of books displayed beside him.
A wave of déjà vu washes over me, and my brows pinch as I catalogue his features the best I can. He seems kinda familiar, but not quite at the same time. My eyes widen as it hits me. He’s my skipper, Neil Berkley.
Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!Before I can psych myself out too much, I unfasten my cuffs from my belt and make my move…
I’m standingin line at Perky’s Books & Brews, waiting to order my morning caffeine hit before heading into the community center for my very first day. I’m pumped and ready to start making a difference to kids in need.
As I wait my turn, I eye the bookshelves and displays around the store, taking it all in. There is an inordinate amount of naked man chest and embracing couples surrounding me. Thankfully though, they’re all on the covers of the books and not the other customers sitting and standing around me.
Curiosity draws me closer to a table loaded with books strategically positioned by the queuing area. There’s a sign in the middle that readsHe’s a ten, but…, then on the covers of the actual books, someone has attached Post-its with notes on them.
I tilt my head, my eyes widening farther with each one I read. He’s your stalker. He has a sex dungeon. He likes to share with his stepbrother. He’s a huge purple alien with two dicks…
Oh, my God! Is there seriously alien porn on display right here in the open for everyone to see?
