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“You look familiar.” He tapped his finger on the counter. “Were you at Phoenix and Shane’s party?”
Maybe I should have toned down the goth look even more than I had. Getting the dye out of my hair wouldn’t have been possible so soon, but I could have skipped the heavy eye makeup. “Briefly.” I gave him a closed-lip, uninviting smile while purposely glancing around him to the other two guys in line. My guess was that all three of them were related to Cole. “What’ll it be?”
He let the subject go, but his eyes bore into mine, his skepticism evident. “Coffee, black.” He stepped aside, and the other two drop-dead gorgeous guys behind him gave me their orders before gravitating to the large table where the boisterous group congregated.
Overheating, I swiped my hand across my forehead when the intense guy handed me a black credit card to pay for everyone’s orders. “I’ll need to see some ID”—I checked the name on the card—“Damon.” Holy crap, he was Cole’s brother. He couldn’t be more than sixteen or seventeen. Who that age had a no-limit credit card? What a life he must lead.
His expression didn’t change. “If you went to my cousin’s party, I’m surprised you don’t know who I am.”
“My mistake.” I rang it up, needing him to stop paying so much attention to me. Not changing my appearance had been a mistake. But for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. This look usually gave me a level of anonymity and invisibility that I craved. Plus, since I needed to be ready to become whomever I had to when Mom clued me in on the con, I thought I could make a change without any of the stuck-up residents in this town the wiser. Except, my goth look hadn’t kept me invisible with Damon. Would it with Cole?
After handing Damon his card and receipt, I turned my back on him to help George with the drinks. The last thing I wanted was to put up with those fucking people, but I needed the tips and the paycheck, as I had my eye on a new laptop and a few more bathing suits. If I worked a couple more nights a week, I could afford them. I had a stash of cash from our cons squirreled away specifically for those things, not earmarked for groceries.
Besides, Mom was expecting that guy she was dating to come over, and I hated being in the house when she had company. Although, I was curious to get a glimpse of him.
George and I set drinks on the counter when the orders were complete, calling out names one at a time. When Damon and a stunning girl who looked like a blond Malibu Barbie came to get their drinks, I was able to hear their conversation as they approached the counter.
“Cole couldn’t come because our mom is batshit crazy, and he’s a big momma’s boy.” Venom dripped from Damon’s words, which cleared up where his anger stemmed from.
I heard a crack and turned in time to catch Phoenix, the blond guy with silver eyes—Cole and Damon’s cousin, from what I’d learned at the party—lowering his hand. He must have cracked Damon on the head. The two glared at each other. Honestly, I liked that Cole cared about his mom. His softer side hinted he was more than the alpha male I had encountered at the party. It softened me a little toward the big jerk. Not much, though.
I didn’t need any softening regarding the kiss.
“That’s okay,” Malibu Barbie said, obviously trying to break the tension between Damon and Phoenix. “Cole and I can hook up another night.”
A wave of jealousy hit me so hard that I almost dropped the last-ordered coffee in my hand. I set down the drink, perhaps a little harder than necessary, then quickly pivoted so my back was to Damon.
I couldn’t get the girl’s comment out of my head as I called out the name associated with the latest order and wiped down the counter by the machines. I knew what “hook up” meant. What I didn’t know was if the blond girl was Cole’s girlfriend.
The thought preoccupied me for the rest of my shift, even after Cole’s brother, cousins, and their entourage left. When I was off work, I hesitated beside my car then decided going home wasn’t the right option. Not yet, anyway.
I repocketed my keys then turned for the beach on foot. The rhythmic back-and-forth of the waves breaking on the shoreline soothed me. It was dark when I walked on the packed sand, and stars littered the sky. A part of me longed to stay in Santa Monica, not for the people—well, I wouldn’t mind running into Cole again, specifically his lips—but because of the beauty of the area and the opportunities I might have with my diving. I passed the house where Cole’s cousins had held the party I’d crashed and counted off what the house numbers should be until I stood with my feet planted firmly in the dense sand, facing a monstrous house lit up like a Christmas tree. I’d made it my business to find out where Cole lived. Did his family not believe in conserving electricity?
I scanned the windows for a glimpse of Cole, wondering which room was his and whether he was already in bed. Was he thinking about me? Had the kiss meant anything to him, or had he already forgotten about it?
I stayed still, allowing myself the rare opportunity to daydream about the life Mom was trying to scratch and claw her way into. The life I’d never thought was possible. I knew she was doing it for us, but I also knew that the outcome she wanted was unlikely. A small part of me dared to buy into the possibility that things would work out.
After a while, I turned around and walked back to my car then drove home, where my peaceful night shattered at the sounds coming from Mom’s bedroom.Gross. Why did Mom and whoever she had in there have to be so loud? The whole world didn’t need to know they were getting laid.
I slammed my bedroom door and cranked music through the tiny speakers of my phone.Get the message that I’m home, Mom. Flopping on my bed, I contemplated putting in my earbuds. Another moan sounded, and I made my decision. Jamming them firmly in my ears, I curled on my side on the lumpy mattress and tried to go to sleep, clinging to the desire for things to work out the way Mom said they would.
I should have known it was a pipe dream. Late the next day, I came home from my shift to find Mom’s face streaked with tears as she frantically threw things into boxes. In a matter of minutes, we would be gone. Not a trace of our true selves would be left, and everything that had happened in Santa Monica would soon be forgotten—except for that kiss.
CHAPTER TEN
COLE
“Good morning, Cole.” Mom paused from flipping the French toast to give me a wide smile then rose on her toes and kissed the side of my cheek.
I’d come into the kitchen after my morning run, dripping sweat. Damon had gotten in late last night, Dad was at the conference, and I had expected Mom to sleep late. I was wrong. She was cooking breakfast, already showered and dressed for the day. It felt like I’d walked into an alternate universe.
“Hi, Mom. You look great.” It was apparent she was feeling better, but I didn’t want to emphasize that in case her mind spiraled back to why she’d been upset in the first place. “French toast?” My stomach growled at the smell of butter frying in the pan mixed with the sweet scent of cinnamon.
“Have a seat.” She put a stack on my plate, setting the syrup nearby with a glass of water. “Do you want orange juice too? I have freshly squeezed.”
I blinked several times. Nope, Mom was still there. Who was this woman who made breakfast? “That would be great.”
The sound of Damon stomping down the stairs reached us before he did. He skidded to a halt. “Mom?”
