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“I’ve got to go,” I said as I abruptly stood up.
“Someone at the station looking for you?” the asshole goaded me.
He knew just as well as I did that Oriana would not have taken well to the news of me interfering with her investigation. And maybe that was why I had done it. I knew it would keep her coming back.
“No,” I told him. “She’s at my mom’s.”
The asshole started to laugh.
“Good luck to you.” He saluted me.
I was about to walk out the door when I turned back around. There was an odd familiarity with someone when you had seen them at their lowest. It made it hard to put walls around your friendship. Prescott was closer to me than my own brothers. Not that I resented Jake, but he was always the golden child—the popular one, the one all the girls wanted—and Blake was just younger, but with the same charisma our older brother had. They didn’t really get it. Then there was Prescott, who was all those things Jake once had been, but who had somehow crashed and burned along the way, and our brotherhood just fit.
“Is it wrong? You know, because she followed me around when she was—”
“And you crushed a young girl’s heart as soon as you noticed her infatuation with you before things could get out of hand. You didn’t lead her on or wait for her to turn eighteen. She was ‘out of sight, out of mind’ until a few days ago.”
“You know, it felt nice having someone look up to me. No one ever noticed me with Jake around, and I think that’s what makes me feel sick about all this. She saw me as some sort of hero—”
“For fuck’s sake, Carson. Nothing happened between either of you then. And the moment she became an infatuated teenager and threw herself at you, you were purposely harsh on her so it would never happen again because it waswrong,and you didn’t think of it again. And by the looks of things, she wasn’t searching for you, either.”
He was right.
“You know, you’re fucking wise. It just sucks that you never take your own advice.”
* * *
I wasthe last person to arrive at my parents’ house. In all honesty, I wasn’t planning to come today since I did have a new motive to see this damn case closed already. I followed the noise to where my parents had set up a big enough table for all of us in Ma’s greenhouse.
Jake was sitting down at the head of the table with Paisley on his lap, Scotty was in between him and Jules, next to her was Oriana, and Blake next to her. Ma and Dad were on the other side with Rosie, across from Ori. My brother said something that had her blushing, and a surge of annoyance went through my body.
“Hey, Ma,” I said as I went up to kiss her cheek.
“Clarky! I thought you said you weren’t coming?” She threw a knowing look my way.
I heard my brother’s snicker. Blake casually draped his arm around Oriana, and I saw Jake waggle his brows at me with satisfaction at the irritated look on my face.
Damn, even I had to admit this was fucking karma.
“Prescott and I got done early,” I lied as I sat across from my little brother in the only available seat left.
“Ori, what a lovely surprise.” I let my gaze roam her features.
She really was a pretty little thing. Her hair was short, but curly, and it looked so damn soft. Her features were very delicate, which made her look adorable whenever she was mad. And if the last two days had been anything to go by, she had somewhat of a temper, which was hot as fuck.
“Hey, Lucas.” I greeted the little boy with a fist bump that he returned.
From my digging, I knew he was Bethany’s kid, and if she was still a selfish bitch, it was no surprise that Ori was the one taking care of him.
“You know Ori and I were in school together?” Blake questioned me.
I didn’t need to look to know Jake was amused at this.
“Yes,” I said as I reached for the plate Ma was handing Rosie so she could pass it to me. “Rosie, why are you always on your phone?”
It was more pestering her than a question. I still remembered her as a little kid, and now she was a teen.
“Old people talk bores me,” she said without looking up.
