I carry my heels so I won’t trip down the stairs like that one teen movie that Gavin probably knows the actors from.
“So, were you really best friends with Trey Doyle?” Chevelle asks as I enter the room.
Gavin is in the recliner and she’s as close to him as she can get on the couch, leaned over her crossed legs. “We were friends. Yes.”
“And what about Mackenzie? Did you date her?”
Gavin catches me in his peripheral vision and my stomach somersaults when the corners of his lips tip into a wide smile. “Hey,” he says, standing.
“Hi.” I wave like an idiot.
There’s no way this thing between us can be as powerful as it feels.
“Hi, Gavin.” Mom steps out from behind me.
“Mrs. Greene. Nice to see you again.” They shake hands.
“You as well. I heard you’re a permanent resident of Sunrise Bay now?” Mom asks.
He tears his gaze away from me but keeps glancing in my direction as though he’s afraid I might flee. “Bought a house down the road from Logan and Nikki.”
“That’s wonderful. Welcome to town.” Mom smiles warmly at him.
“As a new resident, here’s a pin for who you’re voting for.” Chevelle digs into her pocket and steps up to Gavin, pinning the Vote Greene button to his shirt.
He stares at it for a moment and something like discomfort passes over his features.
“You don’t have to wear that,” I say quickly. “Chevelle, take it off.”
“Why? He’s good for at least Fran and her gang’s votes. They follow him around like he’ll lead them to the fountain of youth.”
“Truth,” Mandi chimes in.
“Ready?” Gavin asks, his mood suddenly shifting. I can’t blame him. I’ve wanted to get out of my family’s presence many times before.
“Yeah.”
Mom opens the front door, and there are Hank and Rylan.
“Hey, just came by to see who wants to go to dinner?” Hank says. “But I see…” His eyes set on Gavin. He waves his finger between us as if he’s not happy about it. “I heard about this.”
“Yeah, and we have to go,” I say.
“It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Greene.” Gavin put out his hand.
Hank shakes it. “You gonna manage to not run anyone over tonight? Should I keep Rylan home?”
Oh seriously, we are not having this protective dad speech, are we?
“He’s wearing a Vote Greene pin, let it go.” I slide my arm through Gavin’s, urging us to step away, but his feet don’t move.
“I promise you, Mr. Greene, that was a one-time incident and I plan to make up for it tonight.” Gavin looks at me and a shiver runs up my spine.
“That a boy, Gavin!” Chevelle slaps him on the back, her purse already across her body. She swings her arm around Rylan’s shoulders. “Come on, Ry Guy! Break any more laws lately?”
He groans and lets his head fall back.
“Have fun, you two,” Mom says and gently tugs on Hank’s arm.
Eventually he turns back around, and Mandi joins them as they walk up the hill toward my family’s house.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper.
“Don’t be. My family is much worse.” Gavin walks us to the Bronco he bought and opens the door for me.
I haven’t been on a date in a long time, but this feels right.
Once he’s in the driver’s seat and situated, I ask, “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
Then he backs out of the driveway, and we head toward the docks.
I smile. It’s like all my childhood fantasies are coming true.
My mind is blank as we drive toward the docks. I’m wearing a fucking Vote Greene pin and I’m running for mayor myself. I guess I thought Marla was just filling in until the election. I didn’t think she’d want to run herself. From what I can tell, most of her time is spent with her grandchildren.
How did it not cross my mind I could be running against Posey’s mom? A Greene, nonetheless. Might as well torch my new house right now.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Posey asks from next to me. The skirt she’s wearing is open enough to show me her luscious, long legs. The woman is gorgeous.
I turn to her briefly before looking back at the road. “Yeah. Definitely.”
“If your mood shift is about my family, I could lie and say they aren’t like that, but they are.”
I glance at her one more time and see she’s biting the corner of her lip. Instinctively, I touch her thigh to give it a reassuring squeeze. She moves her leg away and my hand drops to the center console. Seriously, I’m an idiot.
“Sorry…” I pause, unsure what to say but happy we’ve arrived at the boat docks. Maybe I can figure out a new game plan for wooing Posey. “I was just going to say, don’t worry about it. I like your family. Even more than my own.”
She’s quick to grab the door handle, and as I exit the truck, I try to get myself together. I’m Gavin fucking Price. Most women would love to go out with me. I’ve had everything from A-list actresses to top music performers. But Posey Greene, a small-town hair salon owner, makes me tongue-tied? I shake my head at myself.
“Should I be concerned you’re going to toss me overboard?” she says, the two of us walking down the wooden docks. “Just so you know, I’m texting my sisters so they know where we are.” Her thumbs move across the screen of her phone. “And I’m not sure if you know this, but the owner of the fishing docks, the Bakers, their son Cameron is my brother’s best friend.”
I chuckle, but it’s clear she doesn’t find it as funny as I do. “Yeah, I know Cameron. He helped me plan tonight.”
She stops walking and stares at me. “He did?”
I nod. “Did you forget that I was at your family’s summer bash?”
“Of course I remember. That’s when I got this lovely little scar.” She points at her head. I could kick myself for ever being so lost in my own head that I didn’t see her.
“Well, Cam and I met even before that. Logan and Cam and Fisher flew down to Los Angeles once to watch Xavier play an away game. We all hung out.”
“You hung out with my stepbrothers? And they never said anything?” She looks surprised.
“More Cam than Fisher, because I’m not sure if you know this, but Fisher is a hard guy to get on his good side.”
She giggles. “He’s the sheriff and keeps his emotions close to his chest. Plus, he’s protective and he might hold the whole you running me off the road thing against you.”
“I have a feeling that’s going to be on my tombstone. ‘Gavin Price. Shitty son. Shitty actor. Drove Posey Greene off the road once. May he rest in peace.’”
“Shitty son?”
I shake my head, not wanting to dive into my childhood crap right now. It’s bad enough that in about ten minutes, I’ll be telling her I’m running against her mom to be mayor. I don’t need to add mommy and daddy drama on top of that.
“There’s our boat.” I point toward the large vessel that’s lit up as though we’re filming this on television. I’m gonna have to pay Cam back big time for this one.