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My niece and nephew fly past me on their way to attack their Uncle Jace. Two small hockey sticks between them, with the baby of the family chugging behind them both with a plush Snow White doll in her arms.
This house is at its best when it’s full of laughter, loud voices, and complete chaos.
Kingston Manor, a sprawling estate, nestled in a private, quiet corner of Kroydon Hills is where most of us grew up. John Kingston married four times, divorced two wives, buried one, had a mistress, and still managed to die in bed while he was cheating on wife number four. Ashlyn was pregnant with Madeline at the time. They’re the last two to live full-time in this house, and I’m pretty sure Ashlyn would rather find her own place. She’s dropped a hint or five this week while working on some of our real-estate contracts. She may have mentioned that she’d love to live on the lake. But if she and Madeline move out, we’d have to sell the manor, and I don’t think any of us are ready for that last thread to snap yet.
Becks hands me a beer, pulling me from my thoughts. “So have you thought about Max’s offer yet?”
I twist the cap off my bottle and tap it against Becks’s. “Guess the whole family knows about that, huh?”
“I’m vice president of operations, asshole. I know everything.” He fakes an evil laugh, and as if on cue, his girlfriend joins us.
“You know I love it when you laugh, Becket.” Kendall, also known as Medusa, raises up on her toes and kisses Becks’s cheek.
I can’t fucking stand this woman. None of us can. It would be different if Becket seemed happy with her, but he doesn’t. It seems forced. Faked. She’s fake. And that one fact infiltrates every aspect of her being. I don’t likeit, and I don’t trusther.
And trust is everything.
I cringe at the thought.
“Ohh. Are you finally joining King Corp., Sawyer?” Her blue eyes skip over me like she’s a hunter carefully sizing up her prey. “Finally ready for a real job?”
Before I have the chance to lose my shit, Becks wraps an arm around her shoulders and steers her away from me with an apologetic look on his face.
“Why is he always apologizing for her?” My sister Lenny walks toward me with my nephew Maverick in her arms. “Here.” She hoists him on me. “Take him for a minute.”
Mav’s nearly two years old and twice the size of the other kids. Doesn’t hurt that his dad is six feet six, I guess.
Lenny fills a glass of wine as the little man rests his head on my shoulder and pops his thumb back in his mouth. “What the hell did Medusa want?”
“To turn me to stone,” I tell her as I sip my beer, but Lenny doesn’t look amused. “She was asking if I’m finally getting areal joband joining King Corp.”
“What a twat waffle. You have a real job. One you love... don’t you?” She’s eyeing me suspiciously over her glass.
“Like you didn’t know Max was making the offer.” Len’s the numbers wiz in the family and the business. We all run everything by her.
She presses her lips together without saying a word.
“The whole damn family probably knows by now since Becks does,” I grumble, knowing gossip spreads through our family like wildfire.
Lenny runs her hand over Maverick’s back as he falls asleep on my chest. “Are you considering the offer? You’ve been at Kingdom for a while. Is it time for a new challenge?”
“It could be time...” I shift back against the counter. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean King Corp. is the answer, little sister.” I don’t know that I’m ready to give up Kingdom, and I don’t think I’m interested in going corporate. But I’m not sure... yet.
“Only you can know the answer to that, Sawyer. But I know you, and you’ve been restless these past few months. It’s like you’ve been waiting for the next big thing. Your next adventure.”
I smile, thinking about what I want my next adventure to be.
Knowing it doesn’t have anything to do with Kingdom or King Corp.
An image of Wren pops into my mind before I can push it away. Because anything happening with Wren is going to getcomplicated.
“Wait.” Lenny steps closer and lowers her voice. “What’s that?” She points at my face. “That right there. That smile... You’re thinking about something, but it’s not business.”
“Stop, Lenny. It’s nothing.”Shit.
“No way,” she pesters like only a little sister can. “That wasn’t nothing. Something made you smile. More likely,someone.”
She’s like a dog with a bone. More likemydog, who doesn’t listen to a damn thing I say anymore. “Give it up, Lenny. I’m not talking about this with you.”
