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One
“Make a wish, Mommy!”Cynthia, Noah’s little sister, cheered as Mandy leaned down to blow out the candles on her cake.
It had been a while since I’d been at Noah’s house or seen everyone together like this. The guys were all here, and Sky, Gavin, and Luca’s parents were here too. My dad and Juliet had been invited to the celebration, but I forgot to mention it to them.
Avoiding them wasn’t getting any easier. If anything, Dad caught on to what I’d been doing for the past three weeks and was actively seeking me out more often. That wouldn’t have been a problem if Juliet wasn’t attached to his hip lately. No matter how many times I told the guys my gut was screaming that she knew what we were doing, they told me it was impossible. Gavin was still monitoring her phone thanks to the app I secretly installed, and he said none of her routines had changed. She hadn't mentioned me or anything suspicious in her texts or emails.
We had to be missing something. I was paranoid, even I could admit that, but my intuition couldn’t be ignored. There was more happening that we couldn’t see.
“Would you like some, Avalon?” Wes, Noah’s dad, offered a small plate with an alluring slice of chocolate cake.
“Yes, thank you.” I took it with a smile. The best part of adult birthdays was the higher quality food. Stanley and Wes didn’t just go to the grocery store for a generic, bland rectangular sponge. Oh no. They ordered from a bakery downtown that imported its chocolate from Switzerland.
“Can I steal a bite?” Vince stepped closer to me and eyed my plate like it was a pile of treasure.
“No way. Get your own.” I twisted out of his reach.
“I can’t,” he whined and swept a hand over his abs, which were almost as inviting as the cake. “I’m cutting.”
Luca smirked and took an enormous bite. “Mmm. It’s so good,” he said with a full mouth.
Vince glared at him.
“That’s on you, man. Coach said you didn’t have to start until school was out,” Sky said while gesturing with his fork.
“I’ve been too relaxed with my eating lately.” Vince patted his rock-hard stomach again. “I’ve got to get serious. Schools will start looking at me next year.”
I glanced at Gavin and rolled my eyes. He chuckled and covered his mouth. The best part about Vince’s new diet was hearing about it anytime food was in the vicinity. None of us could forget he was eating clean and surviving off a high-protein diet while increasing his weight training.
“Take half a slice then. You really shouldn’t miss out on this,” Noah encouraged.
Vince shook his head. “No. I’ve got to stay strong.”
“That’s admirable, son.” Robert clapped him on the shoulder. “Your hard work will be worth it when you get a scholarship.”
Vince’s face brightened. He stood up straighter and gave Robert a grateful smile. He seemed to bloom any time one of the men complimented him or even paid attention. His dad’s neglect was never more apparent at times like this. “I hope so.”
“I know it will happen,” Robert said sincerely before looking at me, then Sky. “Can I steal you two for a second?”
I nodded without thinking about it. I hadn’t ever spoken to him alone and wasn’t sure what he could have to talk to me about. He led me down the hall, away from the party, to the back patio where Daniel was also waiting.
“Hi, Avalon,” he smiled when he saw me. “Skyler.”
“Hi.” I looked between them, feeling awkward with my half-eaten plate still in my hands.
“Hey.” Sky shifted on his feet. “What’s going on?”
“We wanted to be the first to tell you that an arrest was made,” Daniel explained, and Robert nodded.
“They arrested Matt?” I can’t believe it.
“Yes, I received the call right before the party,” Robert replied. “We have you two to thank for that. I never would have expected it to be him. I considered him not only a close coworker, but a friend. I guess you can never underestimate the lengths some people will go to progress their careers.”
I shook my head.
“I still can’t believe it either,” Sky admitted. “I feel like I should have realized it sooner. I worked with him for two weeks and didn’t suspect a thing.”
The discovery was a complete shock for me too. It took that long for the other employees to get used enough to us being around and drop their guards. I had a running list of sexist men who either needed training on being a respectable human or to be fired, but we had no idea who was behind Robert’s attack. I’d begun to doubt it was even someone from his office, despite all the evidence pointing that direction.
