I’d seen enough.
Before I could speak and tell them to quit being so stupid, a gentle but authoritative voice beat me to the punch. “What did I tell you boys about roughhousing in the pool?”
I spun around and found Ever’s mom standing at the top of the steps with her hands on her hips, wearing a no-nonsense expression. Her dark-brown hair was cut short, curling around her ears and nape and covering her forehead, but unlike mine, there was nothing boyish about it. Paired with her olive skin and brown eyes that almost seemed gold under the sun, Mrs. McNamara could knock the breath out of any man.
“Sorry, Mom.” Ever immediately left the pool but stopped short when he spotted me. “Bee?” I balked at the question in his tone. It had only been less than a week. Had he forgotten me already? “What are you doing here?” he asked when I said nothing.
“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling out place and betrayed. I guess those hormones my mom tried explaining to me hadn’t completely returned to normal. “I didn’t realize you were busy. I’ll leave,” I pushed through my teeth. I wondered if I had a right to be mad, but he was my best friend, wasn’t he? If so, then why did it seem like he’d been content without me?
I turned to go, but he caught my shoulders and spun me back around. “Go? I missed you like crazy!” he shouted, pulling me into a hug. “Welcome back.”
He pulled away, and I returned the goofy grin he wore as something fluttered in my chest. “Only you missed me?”
“I guess Vaughn and J missed you, too,” he admitted, “but I missed you more.” He shrugged, daring anyone to challenge his claim, and my heart skipped a beat. Although I’d never welcomed my feelings for Ever before, I did today.
Mrs. McNamara came to stand next to us. “Bee, I’m glad to see you’re feeling better,” she greeted warmly.
“I am. Thank you.”
She started to say something to her son when something caught her eye, drawing our attention as well. “Jamie, I need you to put at least two feet between you and those girls this instant. Don’t make me call your mother.”
I snickered at the panicked look on Jamie’s face as he swam away.
Mrs. McNamara returned inside after giving everyone a final warning. The girls pouted when Jamie lifted his body from the pool, and my smugness fell away when I got a full look at his bare chest. He was still developing, but from the looks of it, he was developing well. I watched transfixed as beads of water ran down his tanned skin, and suddenly, my tongue felt dangerously dry. Turning away, I stomped toward the table where Jamie had left the water and quickly unscrewed the cap on one before downing half the bottle. Feeling evil, I grabbed one of the cookies he obviously intended to hog for himself.
Jamie was at my side before I could take a bite.
“Those are mine,” he growled.
“Mrs. Greene made them for everyone. You’re supposed to share.”
“Give it back,” he demanded. Clearly, he hadn’t heard a word I’d said.
“No.” I started to bite into one when he snatched the cookie from my hand and pushed me down. I grunted in pain when I hit the concrete, but Jamie had little remorse as he slowly licked the cookie without taking his gaze from me. Once finished, he did the same thing to the others.
“Still want one?”
I didn’t say anything as rage boiled the blood in my veins. Before I knew it, I was on my feet, enjoying the flash of fear in Jamie’s eyes as I charged for him. My hands slammed against his wet chest and sent him sprawling back into the pool. The girls he’d been flirting with were once again scrambling for safety. I watched, feeling triumphant as he struggled to break free of the water. Once he finally did, he sputtered to catch his breath.
The cookies he’d tried to hog floated around him in a soggy mess.
“Hey, Jamie?” I called once he had cleared his lungs. He was still blinking the water from his eyes, but I could see the anger in them when they landed on me. “Still want one?”
“Daaaamn, Bee,” Vaughn whispered.
I was startled to find Ever, Vaughn, and Jason standing behind me. I hadn’t even noticed Vaughn and Jason had left the pool. I knew they’d been reacting to instinct at seeing me get pushed down. It wasn’t the first time a boy tried to punk me, but Ever, Vaughn, and Jason were usually the ones fighting my battles.
Not this time.
Hearing water splash, I turned my attention to the pool in time to see Jamie climbing over the edge. He started for me, and I took a step back at the look in his eyes.
He sent me running with three words.
“You’re dead meat.”
Present
I STROLLED INTO THE KITCHEN and found my uncle sipping at his coffee with a newspaper in hand. “Late morning for you, isn’t it?”
Even though it was a Sunday, my uncle rarely took a day off. I had the feeling he was trying to correct a mistake he made a long time ago. Sooner or later, he’d realize that he was on a suicide mission. My cousin was a lot of things, with manipulative asshole being at the top of the list, but he was no fool. When the truth came to light, there would be no amount of money that could compensate for the lies he’d been fed since he was a child.
“I thought I’d take the day off… handle some things on the home front.”
His answer had me pausing, wondering what and how much he knew. He gave nothing away as he continued to sip at his coffee, but I knew better than to underestimate him.
“Have you seen Four?” he questioned as I poured a cup of coffee. “I need to talk to her about her mother.”
I forced a frown, feigning confusion as I took a sip from my mug. “She’s not in her room?”
“I knocked on her door but got no answer. I checked all the spares and then everywhere else. The only rooms I haven’t checked yet is yours… and my son’s.”
I choked on my coffee.
When I finally caught my breath, blinking to clear my vision as well, my voice was hoarse when I spoke. “She probably went over to Tyra’s.” This early in the morning, I doubted it, but what else was there to say? Uncle Thomas had finally handed over the keys to Four’s bike when he came home early one day and caught Ever breaking into his safe. The confrontation had been amusing, to say the least, and was most likely the cause of my uncle’s current suspicions. A lot of good it did Four since Ever still insisted most days that his woman ride with him.
“I thought that too, except her bike is still in the garage.”
Snatching one of Mrs. Green’s muffins from the wicker basket, I stuffed it into my mouth as fast as I could. I hated banana nut, but it was better than the shit that might come spewing out.
Amusement crossed Uncle Thomas’s face before he sighed and set his mug on the table. “So be it.”
I suddenly wished I hadn’t left my phone in my room as I watched him stroll from the kitchen. There was no way for me to warn Four and Ever about the coming storm, so I popped a squat and grabbed another muffin, then remembered it was banana nut and tossed it to the side. I started for the fridge when I remembered that just a few miles away, brunch would be taking place, and Ever, to his misfortune, wouldn’t make it. It had been a month since the intervention, and not a goddamn thing had changed. Ever was still pretending he was in love with my girl, and Four and Bee were both going along with it. Something was up, and not knowing the answer kept me up at night. I’d long ago ceased considering the possibility that it could be true. Thanks to Four, I’d seen what Ever in love looked like. I’d also seen what Bee in love looked like. I’d felt it, too.