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“Are you alright?” My little sister, Bailey, calls out when she sees the frazzled expression on my face. “You look like you’re dying.”
Sure, I’m huffing and about ready to keel over, but she doesn’t need to announce it to the world.
“Shut it,” I gasp as I try to catch my breath. God, Everett weighs way more than I thought he did. “Where are Mom and Dad?” Looking around, I don’t see them or Deacon anywhere.
“Mom got a flat tire on her way here, so Dad and Deac went to save her.” Bailey stuffs a handful of chips into her mouth and munches loudly on them. “Why?” She barely manages to mumble.
“Because I want to be done babysitting the birthday boy,” I snap and nod toward Everett, who I’m still carrying on my shoulder.
Speaking of which, I drop him noisily to the ground and watch as he scrambles to get his lifejacket off.
“Off,” he whines some more. “Get it off, Aunt Avery. I’m hungry.”
I do as he asks and in the next moment, he’s all the way on the other side of the yard. Leaving me standing with my sister, looking like something that washed ashore in a storm.
“You should probably change,” Bailey whispers loudly. “I’ll watch Rett while you head in and change.”
I flip her the bird, discreetly of course, and head into the house. Camp, as we call it, is actually our parents’ retirement plan. They bought a shitload of land on the pond and built a house. Taking my time, I wander through the house and grab a beer out of the fridge before heading to the bathroom so I can shower in peace.
Bailey brought it on herself, honestly. Taking on our hellion of a nephew like that is a godsend, and one I full-on plan to take advantage of. Rett always wants to spend the night at my house when his dad is out of town for work. Whenever he is there, I feel like I can’t even shower without him interrupting, or me freaking out about the silence. He is the best birth control ever. Well, him and the classroom full of sixth graders that I teach on a regular basis.
Yes, I take the beer I pulled from the kitchen into the shower with me, too. Nothing tastes better than an ice-cold beer in a steaming hot shower. At least, not after spending the day trying to keep Rett from killing himself.
“Are you almost done?”
I slip and fall in the shower at the sudden intrusion.
“What the fuck, Bailey?”I screech as I try not to die in the water and find my footing.
“Mom and Dad are back, but Deac has to go get more beer I guess, so no more Everett duty for me.” She croons. “Sometimes, it’s good to be the slacker in the family.”
“Whatever, asshole.” I grunt as I try to get up but slip on the conditioner that still coats the shower floor. “Help me out of here.” I push the shower curtain to the side and hold out a soap-covered hand for Bailey to help me up.
“You’re lucky I love you.” Still, she helps just the same. Once I’m standing up, she lets go and shuts the curtain for me. “I brought you another beer. And I snuck the vodka away from the bar, too.”
Getting out of the shower fast becomes my top priority, and I happily grab the towel Bailey is holding out with a smile on her face once I’m finished rinsing off.
“I hate you,” I tell her while taking the proffered beer she hands me after I wrap the towel around my body. “But I love you too.”
“I mean, you should be happy I sent you inside.” Bailey chugs her own beer and then burps, loudly. “Nobody wants to see all that.” She motions toward my body. “In a two-piece.”
Without even needing to look down, I stare her straight in the eyes and laugh. “Don’t be jealous that my boobs are bigger than yours.”
Bailey snorts, and then watches as I finish my beer with one hand while holding the towel around my body with the other. Bailey dutifully avoids looking at the scar that now takes up most of my lower abdomen when I finish my beer and start to dry my body off.
Grateful doesn’t even begin to describe my emotions at her acceptance of my injury. I don’t even look at it in the mirror anymore. Not if I can help it. Ignoring it works, but I haven’t been able to let anyone else touch it. Not since Will broke my heart and made me feel like I was less than a woman.
“You’re such a bitch,” she mutters darkly. “You know that, right?”
I shove her out of the way so I can get to my clothes, still sitting on the counter waiting. “You were insinuating that I’m fat. All’s fair in love and war, Little.” Little, the nickname I’ve called her since the day our parents brought her home.
She cracks open the vodka bottle while I get dressed, and hands it over dutifully once I finally squeeze into my compression leggings and the oversized t-shirt that has become my standard outfit when I don’t have to be at school. My brown hair, long and curling slightly, even without being brushed, falls down my back since I don’t like to put it up when it is damp.
“Think we could finish this beast off before Mom and Dad come looking for us?” I stare longingly at the clear depths, but Bailey’s snicker reminds me that I am not alone.
“Not a chance in hell. It’s Everett’s birthday, and he’s their favorite grandchild.”
“He’s theironlygrandchild,” I correct her. “I’m not having any crotch-goblins. So it’s not like they can get any from this side of the family.”
