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He shakes his head. “No kidding. I think Darren and Charlene might be making a second trip later in the week.”
“Is that because they forgot stuff or because they want to check up on Rose?” BJ asks as we follow his dad downstairs.
“Both, I think,” Coach says wryly.
With everyone pitching in, we get all of Rose’s boxes into her room. BJ’s house is just as nice, with a big, open kitchen, a living room with a huge TV, and a main-floor bedroom that belongs to BJ.
Upstairs are two more bedrooms, each with their own bathroom. Quinn’s room is across the hall from Rose’s.
Once the vehicles are empty of boxes, the parents order food and we gather outside at BJ’s. They have a hot tub and a big backyard with a hockey net and basketball hoop. After lunch, we’re enveloped in a round of parent hugs as they prepare to leave. Charlene pulls Rose aside, and they have a whispered conversation while Darren rubs the back of his neck and frowns.
Lily approaches me while BJ talks to his dad. “We’ll bring your mom up for a visit soon, okay?”
“That would be great. Thank you so much, Lily, for everything. None of this would have been possible without you.”
“We just helped push things along. Remember that college is supposed to be fun, and it’s okay to make mistakes along the way. Enjoy the freedom, be safe, and I promise your mom has a whole community to help her back home, okay?”
“Okay. Thank you.” My eyes prick with emotion.
“Your mom is so proud of you, Winter, and so are we.” She pulls me in for a hug, and we both shed a couple of tears.
Then I stand with everyone on the sidewalk and wave while the parents drive away.
The second they turn the corner, Rose shouts, “Party time!”
Quinn looks at his phone. “I gotta coach, but I’ll only be gone a couple of hours. No parties until I’m home and able to play security guard.”
“Come on!” Rose throws her hands in the air.
“You need to unpack anyway. We’ll come help.” Lovey links arms with Rose and Lacey. “And BJ can help Winter unpack.”
“Unpack my ass,” Rose grumbles. “But when we’re done, we’re having a party.”
“Please don’t burn the house down while I’m gone,” Quinn says. “And please, for the love of God, Rose, do not invite five hundred people you don’t know over by posting on social media.”
“That only happened once, and it was an accident.” Rose and the twins traipse across the lawn and disappear into the house.
Quinn turns to BJ. “Keep an eye on that one. I know Lovey thinks she’ll be fine, but now that there’s no parent supervision, I have a feeling the well-behaved Rose of the summer will give us a run for our money.” He turns his smile on me. “I’m looking forward to shooting the puck around with you.”
“Same here.”
Quinn jumps into his truck, and BJ inclines his head. “Should we get you unpacked and then get naked?”
“Can we reverse the order?”
“I love that we’re on the same wavelength.”
26 THE OTHER SIDE
Winter
Two hours, several orgasms, and zero unpacking later, our group chat starts blowing up. The girls want to swim. While BJ grabs swim trunks from his place, I dump my duffle in search of a bathing suit.
Quinn’s already returned from teaching—he coaches a special-needs boys’ hockey team. River’s working until close this evening, so he probably won’t be home until sometime after ten, but he’s aware a few people are coming over.
When they say a few friends, I assume they’re being literal. But by eight thirty, there must be twenty people in the backyard, and more keep trickling in. Most of them appear to be friends with Quinn, and based on their T-shirts, they play for the school team.
Along with the slew of hot guys, which Rose is super excited about, comes an equal number of girls in swimsuit coverups and bikinis. Everyone is drinking from red plastic cups or travel mugs. There’s a huge sign on the fence by the gate that reads NO GLASS BY THE POOL. There’s also a sign on the hot tub cover that reads CLOSED BECAUSE SOMEONE PEED IN HERE. In addition, padlocks keep it securely closed. Clearly they have some experience with backyard parties.
