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“What about me?” I echoed back.
“You have a favorite festival food? Vendor? Game?”
I shrugged, simply supplying, “A little of everything.”
“And is this, in fact, the worst Salmon Festivalever?”
“I w—” My response was cut off by an ass with a wallet outline worn onto the denim back pocket. Mybrother’sass. Axel slid between us, setting a tray down with two kabobs of Filipino barbecue beside dipped ice cream cones and sliding them over to the Florida girls. He shook out his hands.
“Man! The lines were long, but you gotta try the classics.”
“Nice,” Maverick agreed as the girls tentatively hoisted their skewers in cheers. I smiled, dropping my eyes back to the cup of coffee in my hands. They reacted as expected—with a great deal of enthusiasm the siblings all loved—but it was Lizzy’s moan that snapped my attention back to her face. Her cheeks pinked, and that insufferable draw to her stirred.Goddammit.Suddenly grateful for the buffer of Axel’s bulky shoulders, I opted to talk to Brexley.
“Well?”
“So good! Honestly, it’s just been fun to see all the places Rhyett talks about.” She glanced down at the second sample offered. “A little eccentric to eat ice cream in this weather, don’t you think, Axel?”
“I think it’s just quirky enough,” Lizzy negotiated, snatching the chocolate-encased cone up. The smug bastard smiled, obviously pleased with himself, and I had to fight down the desire to shove him off the bench just to wipe it off his face.
Jesus, what the fuck?
I’d just resolved to remove myself from the situation, palming my face and scooting back when a phone buzzed. Lizzy’s, naturally, appeared in her palm, only for all that delicious color to drain out of her fair face. What in the fuck was that about? What the hell could she be so goddamned scared of?
There wasn’t an inch of my body that was okay with the fear in those brown eyes, every muscle suddenly alert. She forced a smile on her face. It was wrong.Stiff. Not the one the guys from the docks came up to drool over like lovesick puppies.
“Excuse me, I need to take this.” And then to Brexley, “It’s Val.”
A little line appeared between Brexley’s brows as she nodded, her lips echoing the concern in my gut. When Lizzy was gone, I asked, “Who’s Val?”
Brexley shook her head, handing her cone to Rhyett, who took it quickly, turning his face up to snag a kiss. She responded without seeming to think about it, stepping over the bench. “A friend from Florida. We’ll be right back.”
The moment she was out of earshot, I scowled at my big brother. “What’s that about?”
“They’re old friends with Vallie.So, Alice, when do you fly out?”
She blinked before clearing her throat. “I start in three weeks, so I’d like to be there in two. Get unpacked before my first day. Find the good sushi. I’m going to miss ours.” She told us all about the job, the company she’d be working at, the stretch of the city she was hoping to get an apartment in, but my focus rotated between Rhyett, who was pointedly not meeting my gaze, and the girls where they hovered just beyond the tents on the edge of the docks, looking tense.
Brexley wrapped one arm around her ribs, bracing the opposite elbow so she could cover her mouth with a gloved palm. The rest of them returned to their chatter, even Axel. Although at least he had the awareness to glance in their direction a few times. He was a good man, but as I noted his eyes stray to Lizzy, shoulders broadening like he sensed the same threat I did, I decided it would be a fucking problem if it washimthat made her feel safe, and not me. He’d just scooted the bench back when I set a hand on his shoulder, keeping him on it.
“I got it,” I said under my breath, aware both Rhyett and Elora watched intently as I left. Was it just a big sibling thing—the knowing that something was wrong? The younger half of our lineup seemed entirely oblivious.
The sweet temptation of kettle corn wafted through the air right as Brexley patted Lizzy on the back, turning back and locking on me. She leaned over and said something. I wasn’t a lip reader, and that fact had never annoyed me until now. Whatever came out of her mouth had her friend glancing my way, offering another stiff smile as lively as myunfrosted Pop-Tartof a wardrobe, and then turned to walk off. Brex met me in the bustling crowd on her way back.
“Everything okay?” I asked, cutting straight to it.
“Yeah, just some personal business. She’ll be fine.”
“She need anything?”
“Space for a second, Jameson.”
I blinked, a bit taken aback. She said it like an order.Yeah, she’ll fit right in. The thought alone made me smile down at her. “Alright,” I said, like I fucking agreed with her. For the record, I absolutely did not. “Imma hit the head.”
“Okay. I think Rhyett said something about churros?”
“Jesus, Snows, take it easy. You’re gonna make yourself sick.”
“Speak for yourself. I learned to eat at the Tampa Fair in one-hundred-degree heat and humidity. This is what we trained for.”
