“Are you sure you want to study communications?” I asked. “With your voice, you could sell records.”
“I don’t think so. My voice isn’t all that great.”
“I beg to differ.” My phone pinged, and I plucked it out of my short shorts. I beamed from ear to ear as I answered. “Maiken.”
“Hey, babe,” he drawled in that Southern accent that made the butterflies come alive in my stomach. “You ready for tonight?”
I swallowed. “Why do you sound like you’re about to give me bad news?”
Celia stopped singing and gaped.
“Sorry. No bad news. Marcus and I were arguing. That’s all.”
I bit my tongue. Marcus was the bane of the Maxwell family, the little black sheep in some ways. His rebellious nature was epic, but Marcus wasn’t my concern.
“You’re coming to my party, right?” I held my breath. I would strangle Marcus if he screwed things up for Maiken.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” he said. “But…”
Of course there was a but. There was always a but.
Celia pursed her red lips as she prodded me with her eyes.
I shrugged at my BFF.
“Um… Marcus wants to come,” Maiken said.
The blood drained to my feet. “Do you think that’s wise to let Marcus come to a party? You know how he gets.” Maiken had told me Marcus was still drinking.
Maiken let out a huge breath. “He promised he would be on his best behavior. I’ll watch him.”
Anger seeped into my veins. If Maiken was worried about Marcus, then I would play second fiddle. Plus, the party was mainly for seniors and some juniors, like Emma and Ethan Maxwell, who were my friends. Marcus was far from being my friend. Besides, he was only a sophomore.
Celia shook her head vigorously. Maybe I needed to take Celia up on her offer and have one drink.
“Quinn,” Maiken urged. “I promise he won’t cause trouble.”
If I said no, then Maiken would be mad. The last thing I wanted to do was get into an argument with my boyfriend.
I huffed. “Fine. But if he so much as starts a fight, I’ll…” I didn’t know what I would do. “And no Sloane.” The two together were a hurricane. “Oh, and Carter is home from college. Just so you know.” It wasn’t a threat. It was just a fact. “I would hate for Carter to butt heads with Marcus.” Or Maiken for that matter.
I wasn’t sure if Carter would be at the party. Knowing my brother, he would be as far away from high schoolers as possible. Still, if he were home, he would be watching with an eagle eye. Not only that, I wouldn’t put it past Daddy to have Carter chaperone.
Maiken growled low. “Marcus will be the model partygoer. See you tonight.” Then he hung up.
I glanced at the phone as irritation scraped along my sweaty skin. He didn’t even say he loved me. We always ended a call with a quick “love you.”
I knew Maiken wasn’t fond of Carter, and vice versa. The two had butted heads when Maiken first moved into town and took an interest in me.
“Marcus is coming?” Celia asked.
I let out a long, frustrated growl. “I guess so. Maybe I will join you with a drink.”
Where Marcus went, trouble followed. I had a feeling I was going to need something strong to take the edge off.
I wasn’t sure if I was looking forward to Quinn’s party or not. Carter was home for the summer, and I definitely didn’t want to see him. Quinn’s subtle threat about Carter hadn’t gone unnoticed.
Ethan threw the Suburban into park in the lot outside the Thompsons’ farm store. Only one spot remained amid the cars packed up and down the country road. Ethan and his twin, Emma, were driving now. It had been a feat for me to get access to the only vehicle our family owned. With Marcus getting ready to drive and our younger brother Jasper not far behind, transportation would be a challenge. Mom couldn’t afford to buy me a car, or any of us a car, unless she got the job she’d applied for at a law firm in Ashford. She was returning to work and finally putting her law degree into practice.
Lights twinkled in the barn across the rolling hills. I could hear a faint thump, thump, thump of music. I glanced at Quinn’s house between the farm store and the barn. I would bet her parents weren’t enjoying the loud music, at least not Mr. Thompson. He wasn’t exactly stoked about Quinn having a party.
“Seems like the party’s in full gear,” Ethan said.
Marcus climbed out of the back seat. “I’ll meet you down there.”
I rushed out. “Wait. Remember what we talked about.”
Marcus curled his unkempt brown hair behind his ear, and his tone hardened. “I’m a big boy. You don’t have to babysit me.”
“Bro, I promised Quinn. And let’s not forget her older brother.” I’d warned Marcus on the way over about Carter. “He can be a dick even if you’re not doing much. So stay away from Carter.” Marcus was aggressive by nature. If I threw in Carter, a fight would break out instantly. “And no drinking.” Marcus was a second away from being shipped off to military school, or any private school really. Mom had threatened him on more than one occasion. The problem, though, was that Marcus wasn’t fazed by her threats or mine. “I’m serious, man. Carter isn’t someone to mess with.”
Ethan rounded the Suburban and slapped Marcus on the shoulder in a brotherly love kind of way. “Behave.”
He rolled his blue eyes. “Fuck off. Both of you.” Marcus was nursing a broken heart thanks to Sloane, who had dumped him. “Let me handle my shit the best way I know how.”
That was the problem. Booze was his way of dealing with his shit.
“You’ll find yourself shipped off to some private or military school in the fall if you’re not careful,” Ethan said.
Marcus stuck him with the finger. “Like I give a fuck. And not that it’s any of your business, but I’m meeting Holly. So later, assholes.” Then he swaggered off like a proud brother.
I shook my head.
“Who’s Holly?” Ethan asked.
“No clue. Let’s just be happy he’s not meeting Sloane. Has she moved yet?” Please say yes. The best thing for Marcus was for Sloane to leave town.
“Not sure.” Ethan pushed his fingers through his cropped hair as we started following Marcus, who was way ahead of us. “But I heard she has a stepbrother who just came into town.”
“What does that mean exactly? She’s not moving?”
“Let’s just drop the subject of Marcus and Sloane, please. We’re here to have a good time.” Ethan’s eyes brightened. “I’m hanging with Jessica Bento tonight. If you know what’s good for you with Quinn, you’ll ignore Marcus. Let him fall flat on his face. Then Mom will be forced to take action.”
My mouth dropped. “How do you really feel? Shit. He’s our brother. We need to make sure he doesn’t hurt himself or others. Let’s not forget this is my girl’s party. Carter is home, and I don’t want Marcus and Carter facing off.”
I hadn’t seen Carter since he left for college, and from what I remembered, the dude was buff, but so was Marcus. He’d been working out in the makeshift gym we’d set up in the barn on our property, and at sixteen, he was all brawn and muscle. Ethan and I worked out too, but Marcus had arms built to lift a house.