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We walk up the stairs to the porch, where Murphy and Sebastian are leaning against the railing with beers, waiting for us. They’re laughing their asses off at something, but I ignore them and open my beer.
We all watch as Chloe and Nat rinse the sand off of their feet and chairs before coming up the steps to join the four of us. Murphy is the first to speak up.
“Okay, ladies’ choice. Are we grilling dinner or ordering takeout? I’m starving.”
Chloe rolls her eyes at Murphy. “Yup. Feral, but ours.” Everybody but Murphy starts laughing. “Mom had groceries delivered for us this morning. The fridge is stocked. I’m pretty sure there are hamburgers and hot dogs and a ton of sides in there for us.”
“God, I love Momma Ryan. You know, if she’d leave your dad, I’d be all over that. You could call me Daddy, Chloe.” Murphy’s smirking now as he licks his lips dramatically toward my sister.
“Fucking gross, Murphy!” She steals his beer out of his hands, finishes what’s left of it, and hands the empty back. “Give up the ghost on that one, Murphy. I’m betting that my mother is so high strung and repressed in her life that she is a total freak in bed. A hundred bucks say even you couldn’t handle her.”
“Jesus Christ, Chloe.” I groan as I watch her smile take over her face.
The first boom of thunder rolls through, as the clouds start to roll in.
Chloe rolls her eyes. “Alright, guys. Nat and I need to shower before we make dinner.”
“Yes! Can we watch?” Murphy’s moving before he even finishes his question. He knows Cooper is going to kill him.
The girls laugh and head upstairs, and Cooper catches Murphy in a headlock.
“Off. Limits. Asshole! If you see my sister naked, I’m going to bury your body where nobody will ever find it!” They’re both laughing, but I think Cooper wants us to believe he’s serious.
We might be a dysfunctional group, but these are the best people I know.
Sebastian and I head into the house to get the food started when he decides it’s time to call me on my shit. “Listen, QB, Cooper talks a good game, but you’re not a bad guy. He hasn’t watched you fuck your way through the summer the way he’s done. Tell him you’ve got a thing for his sister. Get it over with before the season starts and before something happens behind his back.”
“Who says I have a thing for Natalie?”
“Pretty sure anyone that pays attention does.” The fucker drops that on me and then walks away. I hate that I can let myself get this stuck in my own head. Maybe Bash is right.
I hear thunder in the distance and hope that it’s not a bad sign for the night to come.
11
Natalie
I’ve just gotten out of the shower and finished putting aloe on my face to cool the slight sunburn I’ve got going on, when I walk back into the bedroom wrapped in a towel. The curtains are blowing in from the wind and rain that has started to whip around outside. The smell of the salt air is invading my nose, and there is a chill in the air now that wasn’t there before. Jumping back, I’m startled to see Chloe is sitting on my bed going through my suitcase.
She’s wearing navy blue sweatpants with the gold Kroydon Hills Prep emblem embroidered at the hip and a white tank with a navy-blue bra under it showing through. Her hair is in a messy bun, and her feet are bare, her bright white toenails sparkling against her tanned skin. She looks relaxed and cool, a vibe I have come to associate with Chloe that I can’t help but be a little jealous of.
“Are you going to get dressed or what, Nat? It’s already raining outside, so I don’t think we are going anywhere tonight. At least, not unless it stops soon. The bonfire will be tomorrow night anyway.” She starts tossing stuff on the bed.
“Nope.” She throws the green maxi dress down on the bed.
“Nope.” She tosses my favorite black leggings next.
“Yup!” She picks up a pair of my old, cotton grey, super short dance shorts, her eyes light up. “Wear these and that long sleeve white t-shirt. I’m betting we sit outside and watch the storm. It’s going to be a little chilly, and this will look cool and casual but will still show off your legs.”
“Number one, you won’t even be able to tell I have shorts on under this shirt. These shorts are so short, they were just supposed to be for the beach. Two, who exactly am I showing off my legs for? Murphy?” I’m trying to play like I don’t know what she’s going for, but she’s not buying it.
“Don’t pull the blonde card with me, Nat. I didn’t bring it up last night, but now that he’s here, we have to come up with a plan.”
“He, who, Chloe?” I play dumb, over annunciating both syllables of her name, but she gets me back immediately.
“My brother, Nattie. The chemistry between you two could catch the whole damn house on fire. Don’t act like you don’t feel it. It’s pretty obvious to anyone that has eyes. The two of you won’t stop eye-fucking each other. I don’t think he’s ever going to make a move, though. He doesn’t do girlfriends, so if you want to move on to actually fucking, we will have to remind him why he should break his own rules. He’s a guy, Nat. You may need to hit him over the head with it a little.”
Pulling my towel tighter, I lean back against my door. “Oh my God, Chloe. There are so many things wrong with what you just said, but we’ll start with the obvious. One, I have not eye-fucked your brother or any man, and two, I don’t beg. Not even Brady. And, I’ve been texting with Darby all week, while Brady hasn’t even asked for my number.”
