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“Hi, Wes,” I respond, with a tip of my cup that makes his grin broaden.
He looks good tonight—really good. Tanned and tall and muscular. Wes has always been ridiculously good-looking, but there’s an ease to him now that there wasn’t in high school. A friendliness that makes him more attractive than the standoffishness he used to project.
“You weren’t at the lake earlier,” I say. “Training already?”
Wes runs a hand through his hair. “Sort of. I was at the Stevens’ for most of the afternoon.”
“I thought Maeve is out of town?”
Subtle, Jess.
One of Wes’s eyebrows arches as he reaches into Josh’s fridge and pulls out a can of beer. “Yeah, she is. I’m trying to get out of my house as much as I can until my dad leaves. Plus, John and Stephanie are great.”
He’s on a first name basis with them, I note. I also notice Wes doesn’t mention Maeve’s twin brother, who was Glenmont’s quarterback.
Liam Stevens.
He didn’t recognize me earlier, and I’m surprised I recognized him. I looked him up after leaving the police station, and I’m not sure why I bothered. Why I wondered what he was doing there the whole drive back to Alleghany.
Better than dwelling on whyIwas there, I guess.
“When is your dad moving out?” I ask.
“Wednesday.”
I nod, not wanting to ask more questions in front of everyone. Most of Alleghany found out about the Coles’ marital problems a few months ago. I’ve known about them for years. Our shitty home lives are a large part of what drew me and Wes together when he moved to Alleghany freshman year. Conversations about our parents’ poor decisions were a regular occurrence back in high school. And, as terrible as it sounds, I’m jealous of him now. I still have to pretend as if my life is perfect while he can talk about his problems freely.
Something in Wes’s gaze makes me think he knows exactly what I’m thinking. We don’t talk as much as we used to, about anything, much less of substance. Partly because we don’t go to the same school any longer, but also since he and Maeve officially started dating.
Chris Fields comes up behind Wes, slinging an arm around his neck. “Cole! Come on! You’re holding everyone up.”
“They can wait,” Wes responds, popping the top off his beer and taking a long pull.
“Yeah, see,youcan say that, Cole. But if I go out there and tell all the guys that, I’m going to hear some shit.”
Wes rolls his eyes and gulps down some beer. “Fine. Let’s go. See you guys later.”
Every girl in the kitchen—except for me—says some variation ofsee you laterback. I hide my smile behind my cup. As Chris would probably say, the Cole Charm hasn’t lost its potency over the years.
Madeline, Tory, and Jess all head outside a few minutes later. I wander through the house until I find an open bathroom, use it, and then walk back to the kitchen. I add some more lemonade and vodka to my cup, then start toward the screen door.
“Natalie!”
I pause to give Darcy and Naomi—who’s standing next to her—smiles. They were both on the squad with me. “Hey, guys. How’s it going?”
“Well, you and Wes both showed up, so it could be an interesting night.”
I roll my eyes at Naomi, not bothering with more of a response.
I didn’t have an issue with the way our classmates revered me and Wes in high school. It was entertaining, especially when we were hooking up. But it got uncomfortable once he started dating Maeve Stevens. It felt like peopleblamedme, almost, for not making it work with him. That if I’d tied him down sooner, he never would have become Alleghany’s source of pride and biggest disappointment, all at once. People still don’t know what to make of the fact he was the most successful player in town history and is also dating the daughter of Glenmont’s current coach.
“Are you still dating that guy? Jake?”
“No, we ended things before the semester finished.” And dating is a loose description of what took place between us, but I don’t say that. I’ve never been in anything I’d characterize as a relationship, which probably feeds the gossip Wes and I will get back together.
I chat with Naomi and Darcy for a little while longer, then head outside. The air is cool but humid—typical June night. Almost everyone is down by the pool, laughing and splashing.
I take a seat on the stairs that lead from the back deck down to the stone patio that surrounds the pool, focusing on the tiny lights wrapped around the railing. I swirl the contents of my cup around and then take a long sip, trying to shake myself out of the funk today left me in. Usually, I’d be down at the pool with everyone else, playing water basketball and trash-talking the guys.
