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COLE
“Hey,” Piper protested when I set her on the beach towel instead of my lap. She shoved her wet blond hair from her heart-shaped face.
“I’m heading out,” I called to Damon, Phoenix, Shane, and Tracey. The six of us had been surfing for several hours. It would have been a great day to hang at the beach, but I was sick of Piper hanging all over me. She wanted exclusivity, which I’d given her for the better half of last year. But something was missing, and honestly, I was bored.
“Phoenix,” I yelled. My cousin had his board tucked under his arm. His features hardened as he passed Shane, who was locking lips with Tracey. “Want a ride?”
He’d come with his brother, but I sensed he didn’t want to be a third wheel. And he couldn’t stand Tracey. Piper had driven herself, and she wasn’t my problem. I hadn’t invited her.
“Yeah.” He bent and grabbed his water and towel, shouting over his shoulder, “See you at home, Shane.”
Shane’s lips never left Tracey’s, but he gave a thumbs-up in acknowledgment.
“Later, Piper.” I took my towel and board, falling in step beside Phoenix. I didn’t bother to wait for Piper’s reaction. I knew she was mad.
A low whistle sounded, and I glanced at my cousin. “What?”
“She’s pissed, cuz.” Phoenix shook his head then got his board situated next to mine on the roof of my SUV.
I shrugged, tossing my towel in the back before climbing into the driver’s side. “I didn’t invite her.” I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street, heading toward Phoenix’s place. “No sign of Tracey and Shane calling it quits, huh?”
He shoved his hands through his blond hair, leaned back against the headrest, and sighed. “My brother’s blind when it comes to that witch.”
Tracey’s family wasn’t as wealthy as most of the families that sent their kids to Hidden Valley Academy, and there were subtle rumors that her father was in some kind of trouble with his business. Damon and I had even seen her dad coming out of a meeting with our father a few weeks ago. As a star running back, Shane had made it his goal to get into the NFL, and Tracey had set her sights and claws on him. I didn’t think there was much that could shake her loose, barring an injury that would derail Shane’s plans.
It didn’t take long to drop off Phoenix and then get home, as we lived in the same subdivision. We could’ve surfed from our backyards, but the wave reports were better farther down the coast, so that was where we’d gone. I parked, washed my board down to get the sand off, put it away, then went inside.
I had every intention of going straight into a hot shower, but I walked into the house to Mom and Dad screaming at each other. The door slammed behind me, and Mom’s tear-filled gaze jerked to mine before she turned and ran up the stairs. Dad cast a look at me over his shoulder, and I reacted. “What the fuck was that about?”
His stormy blue eyes held mine, and then he scrubbed a hand over his face, breaking the connection. “I have to go out of town this weekend for a legal conference. I planned on talking to you about it after I told your mother, but”—he gestured toward the stairs—“that’s what happened.”
“Send someone else.” I called his bluff. He had lots of people who reported to him. I doubted he was going to the conference for work instead of a weekend away with whatever slut he was banging.
“I can’t. Some very important clients will be in attendance. Besides, it’s the right thing to do as the firm’s owner.”
I saw red. “The right thing to do is not to cheat on your wife. That’s what she’s upset about, not that you have work to do.”
He took a calming breath then turned so we were facing one another. “I’m aware that you’re disappointed, Cole. You boys are important to me, but there are things in my marriage that don’t involve you. You don’t have all the information. This trip is necessary.”
I opened my mouth, but he cut me off.
“I’m leaving tonight but will be home on Sunday. The caregiver will be here over the weekend to help your mother.”
I ground my teeth together, furious at him but also grateful that he’d had the foresight to schedule the nurse. He’d hired help when Mom’s depression worsened a few years ago. Janelle wasn’t a live-in nurse, but she helped ensure Mom took her meds and was in a relatively good headspace.
I heard the sound of the back door slamming. A minute later, Damon rounded the corner into the kitchen. His entrance seemed to signal an end to the discussion, and Dad escaped to pack.
“Where were you?” I eyed his board shorts and wet hair.
“Went swimming out back to avoid Mom’s nagging about Dad going out of town.”
I cracked him on the back of the head with my open palm. “Stop being an ass.”
He shrugged and then headed for the stairs. “I’m going to shower and change, then a bunch of us are going to the coffee hut. Wanna come?”
That would be better than staying here for the same reason Damon had gone swimming earlier. I anticipated more fighting. Besides, I remembered something from Phoenix and Shane’s party. A girl. I couldn’t see her features clearly and didn’t recognize her from school because of how much alcohol I’d consumed. We kissed—that much I did remember—and it had been fucking amazing. Maybe I would run into her at the Coffee Cabana, as she hadn’t been at the beach when I’d gone surfing. “Yeah, sounds good.”
“We need to pick up Piper on the way.”
