“Same,” I say. “My nose hurts like hell though. Still, I wasn’t about to let her drive drunk.” Judson and I have always gotten along, but if he thinks I’m going to apologize for keeping his sister from killing someone, he’s got another think coming.
“I appreciate it,” he says. “Kleo’s been in a dark place for the last couple of years. You kept her from potentially making a life-changing decision, not just for her but for someone else too. So again, thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” My phone dings, so I pull it out of my pocket and check my message. “They’re down the street!” I call out. “They just got out near the town hall and are walking this way.”
The room grows quiet, and I cross the room to the switch. “Okay, when she comes in, we try to scare the crap out of her,” I say. Laughter spreads through the room as I turn off the switch and the bar is clouded in darkness.
My mom’s laughter carries inside as Simon opens the door. I flip the light switch as everyone inside jumps and shouts, “Surprise!”
Hand over her heart, my mom jumps back a moment before pure delight crosses her face. “You guys!” she says, eyes already filling with tears. “You didn’t have to do all this!”
“It was Simon’s idea,” I offer, and she looks up at her husband.
“Thank you, honey.”
“Anything for you,” he says, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“And you!” my mom says, pointing to me. “You built that sign frame for me?”
Nodding, I pull my mom in for a hug. She’s shorter than me by nearly a foot, something I’ve been making fun of her for since I was fourteen. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well, you definitely did, honey. I love it.”
“There’s a dozen more where that came from. That was just your only listing,” I say, and she smiles widely. “You should probably get on that, now that you’re a broker.”
She laughs. “You are too much.”
After giving me another hug, Mom heads into the crowd of people here to celebrate, and Simon strolls over to me, offering me his hand. “Good job on that sign.”
“Thanks. I’m glad she liked it.”
Simon nods, watching her for a moment before turning to me. “I hear you had an interesting afternoon.”
I groan. “Fuck me, did everyone hear about it?”
He chuckles. “Small town, my friend. Hector called me right after you left with Princess Turner in tow.”
“She’s a damned handful.”
“So I hear. Beautiful too,” he says, nodding to her. I turn, unable to keep myself from drinking her in again. She stands near the bar, talking to Robert, one of our new counselors this year. He’s clearly into her, leaning against the bar, stupid grin on his face.
I hate the way seeing them together pisses me off. I hate that she’s even fucking here. But since Barbara and my mom are friends, I guess I shouldn’t be all that surprised they brought her. Not like they could leave her at home unsupervised. She’d probably burn the damned place down.
“You ready for next week?” Simon asks, pulling my attention away from the thorn in my side.
Simon hired me four years ago to work at his mechanics shop here in town. Between the salary I earned here at Moe’s and the one he paid me, I managed to put myself through college and earn my bachelor’s in business with a minor in psychology. It wasn’t cheap, and I’m still paying on loans, but I’ll be forever grateful to both him and Moe for working with my schedule.
And now that Simon makes my mom happy too—I’m glad to know the guy. Not many people can say they get along with their step-dad, but I’m grateful to be one of them.
“For the most part. Have a couple last-minute things to do, but everything’s going according to plan.”
“Glad to hear it.”
My mom waves Simon over, and he laughs. “Husband duty calls,” he says and steps away, leaving me standing by the door. My mom is in her happy place, surrounded by friends, laughing and telling jokes.
“How’s your nose?”
I stiffen, feeling her voice driving into me like needles in my skin. “Fine.”
Kleo comes into view beside me, her perfect fucking body on display in the tight fabric. “So glad to hear it.”
“I’m sure you are. I’m surprised you’re not swimming. Didn’t take my advice?”
She laughs, the throaty sound sexy as hell. “And drive into a pond? No thanks.”
“You sure about that? I hear gators are hungry this time of year.”
Turning to me, Kleo crosses both arms over her chest, and it’s physically painful for me to force my head to stay up and not allow my gaze to travel over her slim body. “While I appreciate you not letting me drive, your tactics could use some tweaking. Throw me over your shoulder again, and I’ll cut your balls off.” With that, she walks away, not even giving me a chance to respond.
6
Kleo
Head throbbing, I open my eyes and peer up at the ceiling fan spinning steadily above me. A blur of light brown, it rotates, sending a soft breeze blowing over me. “Ugh,” I groan, rolling off my mattress and pushing to my feet. Every movement makes my stomach twist and turn with the force of my nausea.
Not from the whiskey at Moe’s—no, that was just an appetizer. Today’s hangover is courtesy of the bourbon I stole from my dad’s personal stash once we got back from Dean’s mom’s birthday party. The empty bottle sits on the top of my oak dresser beside the nearly empty glass I used to deliver my painkiller.
Moe’s. I groan. I wanted to apologize last night, but couldn’t get him alone to do so. It was really one of the main reasons I didn’t refuse to go to the birthday party last night. “Come the hell on, Kleo,” I murmur to myself. Moe and his wife have been close to my family for years. They’re good people, and while I can’t exactly remember everything that happened yesterday afternoon, I do remember—very vividly—having to be carted out.
Dean Lewis. I recognized him the moment he lifted those hazel eyes my way. I’ve known him for my entire life. The quiet book nerd who spent all his time working or tutoring. How many parties did I try to get him to come to? He’d needed loosening, and I was determined to be the one to do it. Mainly because he was hot, and not even my social status could have held up had I gone for a nerd.
Of course, it hadn’t worked, and we only ended up hating each other, a feeling that hasn’t dulled over the years. Neither has his ability to suck the fun out of every situation. And they say change is unavoidable. Not here in Turner Cove. Everything, apparently, stays the same.
I glance around my bedroom, a time capsule of my teenage years. Soft pink curtains frame a four-paned window. The bright white walls covered in pictures of me and my brother—the only real friend I ever had despite our age difference. Another plus to my father owning the town: people either wanted to be my friend for what I could do for them, or they didn’t want anything to do with me. The moment I graduated, every so-called ‘friend’ I’d had turned their backs on me.