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I glance over my shoulder just as Charlee drops her chin to it. Her big brown eyes find my screen and her face lights up.
“Isn’t she the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?”
“She seriously is,” I murmur my agreement, letting her watch video with me as I replay it.
When it gets to the end and Vivi speaks into the camera to me, Charlee clutches at her chest, giving me this dopey, doe-eyed look. I click my phone off and tuck it into my pocket, taking in her appearance. She’s stunning, but she looks tired as hell.
“Still recovering from Saturday?”
She grips my shoulder and groans. “You have no idea. Me and Claire spent all afternoon yesterday eating Taco Bell and ice cream.” She cringes. “It’s not my proudest moment.”
I make a face. “Taco Bell?”
“Oh, yeah. Claire’s guilty pleasure is a Crunchwrap Supreme.” She winks and pats my chest. “Keep that in your back pocket in case you ever need it.”
I tuck that little tidbit of information into a corner of my brain and pull the door open for Charlee, sweeping my arm out in front of me. “How long have you and Casey been a thing?”
She stumbles over her own feet and I catch her by the elbow. “What?”
“You and Casey. You’re dating, right? Or hooking up?”
She starts fumbling with the dainty silver chain around her neck, cheeks flooding with color. “No. No we’re not. Why would you think that?”
I lift one brow. Her guilty expression is suspect. “Because you two were all over each other on Saturday night?”
The night had started off innocently enough, close talking and leaning into each other at the restaurant. But by the time we got to the bar, things had ramped up to a whole new level. They were hanging off each other the whole night, holding hands, dancing, kissing each other’s cheeks.
“I was just drunk,” Charlee tells me unconvincingly. “And so was Case. He hasn’t had a night out like that since before Viv. Plus, he’s, like, my brother.” She waves her hand around like she’s trying to swat away a fly. “He’d never think of me as anything other than his little sister’s best friend. And his best friend’s little sister,” she adds with a huff and a less than enthusiastic eye roll.
“Hmm,” I murmur, leading her up the stairs as she loops her arm through mine.
“Hmm? What does that mean? What are you hmm-ing at, Avery?”
With a sneaky smile, I shrug. “Nothing. Plus, didn’t Claire and your brother hook up? Why are you so quick to assume Casey wouldn’t see you as something more?” I’m good at girl talk. My sister and I have always been close. She comes to me with her problems. Like the good brother I am, I always listen, even if my eyebrows are halfway up my forehead the entire time.
But I realize my mistake at the way Charlee gapes up at me, face pale. The Claire and Dex thing maybe isn’t supposed to be out in the open.
Gripping my arm, she yanks me into her. “How do you know that? Did Dex tell you?”
“Yes?” It’s a question, because I shouldn’t have spoken in the first place and now I’m just treading water. “But I asked.”
“Oh, crap. Don’t tell Claire you know.”
“Secret stuff; got it.” I scratch a hand through my hair and gesture at nothing in particular. “Do you, uh…think there’s still something going on with them?” It’s probably a stupid question. We flirted all night Saturday, right in front of Dex. But Dex is hard to read. I can’t tell if he’s still into her or if he’s just protective of her.
Charlee snorts and waves me off. “Nah. Claire’s really adamantly against that whole thing. I think Dex liked her for a while, but I think now it’s more that he wants to take care of her, make sure she doesn’t get hurt, that kinda thing. Especially after everything with Aaron.”
I grunt my agreement, kinda happy about her answer. Except… “She’s really adamantly against a lot of things, isn’t she?”
Charlee’s mouth tilts with a half-smile. “You mean casual sex?”
I shake my head, because that’s not what I meant. “I’ve asked her out three times. She refuses every time.”
A broad grin detonates her face. “You like her.”
I roll my eyes and start back up the stairs. “Eh, whatever. Let’s go.”
“You mean let’s go see your woman?” She dances ahead of me. “C’mon, Mr. Beck!”
