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His brows furrow. “Yeah, I know. How did you not know that?”
I sigh, scratching the scruff on my jaw. “I guess I’ve been living under a rock. A rock that Jake would use to beat me over the head with if I even touched his sister.”
“That’s a good point. Shit, man… youarefucked.”
“You don’t think I don’t know that already?” I deadpan, kneading the back of my neck.
“Well shit, I better get you a drink.”
* * *
An hour later,I’m standing in the beer garden with Beck. I’ve made my rounds, talking to everyone I know as well as introducing myself to a few people from The Seaside. Then I polished off a jumbo hotdog from the food tent.
I tip my beer bottle back, taking a good pull. I’ve lost track of Sierra, and my annoyance at the situation is starting to get the better of me. I tried to make eye contact several times, but she’s been avoiding me like it’s her full-time job. This is getting ridiculous. We’re neighbors, for the love of God. We are going to have to speak at some point. I’m going to eventually see her with Jake, who I saw twice this week, though both times I was too chickenshit to bring up his sister’s name. Now I feel like a lying asshole who keeps secrets from his friends.
“How are things going with your dad?” Beck asks, distracting me from my thoughts.
“Seems to be a little better these days.”
My dad was badly hurt in an accident at his garage when I was a kid. A car slipped off a lift, pinning his leg underneath and crushing it. He was in and out of the hospital for years with multiple surgeries. Rehabilitation was slow and the pain became too much for him to handle. He eventually became dependant on pain pills. It was tough to see him suffer from the injury, but what might be even worse are all the years he’s spent battling addiction since then. He seems to be clean at the moment but I never know if or when he’ll slip again.
“I’m glad to hear it. How’s your mom?”
“The strongest woman I know.” My dad has put her through more shit that any man has a right to, but she’s still his biggest supporter. And a damn good mom.
“Beth is top tier, man.”
“The best,” I say, thinking about how selfless my mom is. It didn’t matter what was going on in our lives—whether my dad was off in some treatment facility for the 10thtime, or she was having to nurse him back to health after a surgery— she always made time for me and my sister. She never missed a softball game or a dance recital, and there was usually a plate of homemade cookies waiting for us when we got home from school.
On top of all that, she worked a full-time job. She had to. Dad ended up being off work for almost a year, and even after he could return to the garage, he was never the same. He was in constant pain, and more often than not high from the painkillers.
So, I started helping him at the garage. I would answer phones and over time I learned how to do things around the shop because I knew if he got worse, it would all fall on my mom. At night, I would ride my bike down the local trails to clear my head and get away from it all.
And later on I fucked girls. I had meaningless one-night stands because they temporarily numbed the pain and helped me forgot about everything else.
I guess old habits die hard.
* * *
I hearSierra before I see her. The sound of her laughter is unmistakable, and I look up to see her with an arm around Jules’ shoulder, mid-selfie. Her legs look a mile long in those jeans, her blonde hair bleached a lighter shade from the sun. I’m torturing myself staring at her, but I can’t look away.
Draining the last of my beer, I march in her direction, knowing full well that I shouldn’t be anywhere near my best friend’s sister. Nothing good can come from this. But I’m hellbent on doing it anyway. It’s the only way I can quench my thirst for this girl. I’m not expecting her to throw her arms around me, but a drink on my front porch together would be nice. There’s a very good chance that she’ll make up some excuse and run in the other direction like she’s been doing all week. Whatever. I’m willing to take the risk. Here goes nothing.
Jules notices me first.
Sierra’s eyes follow, then widen.
I seize my chance.
“Ladies,” I say to the two of them, looking at Sierra.
Jules looks from me to Sierra, seeming to notice the obvious tension in the air. “Gotta run,” she says, then turns and walks away. Subtle. Jules clearly knows about our hookup in Miami, but I’m not sure just how much Sierra has told her.
“Hi.” Sierra smiles an irritatingly polite smile. It’s a smile that sayswe barely know one another, rather thanI’ve seen every inch of your body naked.She clears her throat, which I have noticed she does when she’s nervous. “How’s it going?”
Why is this so awkward? I’ve seen plenty of girls I’ve hooked up with and it never feels like this. Why should it be any different with Sierra?
“I’m good, thanks. How’s the new office? All settled in?” I ask, doing my best to make things less… weird.
