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“Cramp my style? What are you talking about? C’mon, squirt.” He tugs me into him, wrapping his arm around me. “You know I love it when you’re here.”
“Yeah, but a short visit is different than having your little sister around when you’re trying to pick up women and hang out with your friends.” I pull away and gesture around the room.
Miles glances at someone behind me and back at me. “There’s not too much of that going on these days. There’s an epidemic of people falling in love around here.” He laughs, but I wonder if it bugs him.
“I just heard the news!” I turn and Bryce and Shayna are beelining over to me. “Violet just told us you’re here for a while.” Bryce pulls me into a hug.
Then Shayna does the same. “This is so exciting!”
Having a welcome like that from friends I’ve met through my brother feels really good after everything back home.
“We’re gonna have so much fun,” Bryce says, then glances at Miles. “No matter what big bro here says.”
I laugh. One of the draws about moving here was spending more time with Shayna, Bryce, and Violet.
“Big bro says that you’d better not get her into any trouble,” Miles says, looking at Bryce as if he’s a police officer letting her go with a warning.
Bryce rolls her eyes.
“I couldn’t believe it when Violet told us where you’re living. What are the chances?” Shayna shakes her head and smiles, then takes a sip from her Solo cup, eyeing all of us over the rim of her glass.
Creases form on Miles’s forehead. “What does that mean?”
“She lives across the hall from Chase now. Like,rightacross the hall.” Bryce looks delighted, telling my brother this information.
I don’t know what the deal is with those two. It’s clear neither of them like the other, but they both get off on poking the other.
He looks to me for confirmation, and I nod. “I ran into Brady and Violet in the elevator. That’s how I found out about this party.”
My brother looks as though he doesn’t know how to feel about this development.
“You’re probably really happy, right, Miles? I mean… now Chase can keep areallygood eye on your sister. We all know how overprotective you are of her,” Bryce says.
Miles’s jaw clenches.
“Okay, you two, retreat into your separate corners,” Shayna says, clearly seeing, as I am, that Bryce is trying to upset him.
“Are you sure you’re okay with me being here?” I ask Miles, pressing my lips together while I wait for him to answer.
He smiles at me. “Of course I am. It’s gonna be great.”
He pulls me into another side hug, and though I want to believe him, something about his tone rings different.
Four
Chase
“What do you think, Chase?”
“Huh?” I blink and tear my eyes away from the petite, long-haired brunette who’s been stealing my attention all night.
Not that she’s been trying to. Twyla’s just being her usual self, lighting up the room and flitting from group to group, leaving nothing but sunshine and smiles in her path.
Jesus, if my old man could hear me now, he’d have me committed.
“Do you think we can go all the way this year?” Brady asks me.
“Course we can. If Burrows can manage to not get injured, we’ll be good.”
