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“So, wait,” she says, stopping as we reach the lobby door. “Why are you at Whitmore on a scholarship if your family is loaded? You have like ten items of clothing to your name.”
I bite my lip, deciding what I should tell her.
“Spill,” she says flatly.
“Seb and Marcus don’t know that I don’t have money,” I say hesitantly. She looks confused for a moment. “They’re my stepbrothers,” I explain, “and their dad, Martin, left us after my mom’s death. He chose to…exclude me from the family finances.”
“Wait,” Fi says. “You’re grieving from your mom’s death, and he cuts you off? What. A. Douche.”
“Look, you can’t say anything. I know the situation seems shitty, but you don’t know everything that happened. And Seb already worries about me—I don’t want to stress him out any more.” I reach out my mitten-clad hand and grab hers. “Please?”
“Yeah, yeah,” she grumbles. “I won’t tell.”
“Thank you,” I say, smiling with relief. “Now let’s go inside before I freeze my tits off.”
I hit the button to my stepbrothers’ flat, and we huddle together while we wait for a response.
“Hey, little sister.” Sebastian’s voice is muffled static. “C’mon up.” There’s a loud buzz and the door clicks. I grab the handle,and we shuffle gratefully into the warm lobby. The space is lit up with wall-to-wall windows and is tastefully decorated with small trees and modern gray and black furniture. We enter the elevator and ride it up to the sixteenth floor. Then we walk to the end of a long hallway to a corner unit, and I knock.
Seb opens the door, and my face splits with a grin before I throw myself into his arms.
“It’s good to see you, kid,” he says, laughing and hugging me back. He smells like spicy cologne and beer, and I breathe him in, feeling completely at home again. My throat clogs with emotion, and I pull back, rubbing furiously at my eyes.
“You okay?” he asks, looking down at me with a frown.
“Yes,” I say, clearing my throat. “Just really happy to see you.”
“And this must be Fiona,” he says, looking over my shoulder.
“Oh! Sorry!” I turn toward Fi. “Yes, this is my bestie from school, Fiona Flowers.”
I’m surprised by the silence behind me, and my mouth drops open when I turn to see my friend standing shyly in the doorway, her cheeks a deep shade of crimson as she fusses with her hair.
Seb puts out his hand. “It’s really nice to meet you,” he says. “I’m Sebastian.”
Fiona stares at him before her eyes drop to his hand, then travel back up to his face.
“Fi?” I ask, fighting a smile. I have literally never seen this girl flustered before.
“Uh-huh,” she says distractedly, reaching out quickly to shake his hand.
Seb chuckles and leads us into the apartment. Fi stops me with a firm hand on my arm, letting my brother walk farther ahead of us. “Youdid notsay your brother was so hot,” she whisper-hisses. “I’m dressed like one of those basic suburban moms heading to the school drop-off.”
“So sorry,” I say, rolling my eyes. “I don’t generally rate mybrotheron the hot-guy scale.”
“Uh, he’s like a twelve out of ten?”
I smile at her. “Don’t be weird. You look pretty. You always do.” I pry her fingers from my arm.
“Hrmph,” she responds, and we continue walking.
The hallway opens up into a bright kitchen that’s furnished with sleek black appliances and gray sandstone countertops, and a simple living room with two plush couches and a huge flat-screen TV. Fiona’s breath catches as walks over to the large window wall looking out over the calm blue waters of English Bay.
“This is fucking beautiful.” She looks back at me with wide eyes.
Seb smiles. ”It is an impressive view,” he agrees. “Can I get you ladies something to drink?”
“Do you have any lagers?” I ask, scrunching my nose at Seb’s IPA.
