Breaking Even (The Sterling Shore Series #5)

by C. M. Owens

  Another tear falls down her cheek and she stands, which forces him to move back and allow her.

  “Okay,” she says simply, walking toward the door.

  “Okay?” he asks, amused as he follows.

  “That’s what I wanted to hear, and you said it. Let’s go home.”

  His smile breaks across his face, and he pulls her to him before delivering a kiss that I have to turn away from. Rye’s brown eyes are staring into mine, and he winks as he avoids the scene just like me.

  But those eyes are so close, just like his full lips, and my breath gets a little harsh.

  “I think you two should get away for a while,” Rain says, reminding me that she’s still here.

  I break away from the eye contact that has left me almost dizzy, and look back at the couple that is separating.

  “She’s right,” Kade says, grinning as he presses another sweet kiss to Raya’s lips. “Let’s go to Vegas.”

  Raya laughs as she laces her fingers with his. “When?”

  “Right now. We won’t even pack. We’ll buy clothes when we get there.”

  Her eyes grow wide, and I turn green with envy. All of these beautiful women found the best men the world has to offer. I’ve never been treated even half as well. And it’s actually a little depressing.

  “Okay,” she says for a new reason, her grin growing.

  Kade’s smile is almost heart-stopping, and he pulls her from the house before she can even say goodbye.

  “Wow,” Rain says, acting exhausted as the door shuts. “What a night.”

  Rye looks at her curiously, as do I. This is the longest she’s gone without saying men suck. I start to ask her what’s going on, when the door opens once again.

  “Knock Knock,” Dane Sterling says as he comes in, holding the hand of their smiling daughter—Carrie Sterling. It’s official now; Carrie has been adopted, and she has a home that most children only dream about.

  Rain smiles up at him and stands to grab her purse quickly.

  “You ready?” Dane asks as he comes to wrap his arm around her shoulders, kissing her softly as a greeting.

  “Yeah. Just let me tell Brin bye.”

  He eyes Rye for a moment, and then the little girl tugs on his arm and all of his attention goes to her as his smile warms. He bends down to tie the shoe that has come undone, while Rain comes to whisper to us.

  “Sorry. All the girls were bitching, so I thought it would be terrible to say that Dane never does anything wrong. Thanks for having us over.”

  Mine and Rye’s words refuse to form as she waves and walks away, going to Dane’s side as she takes over holding the little girl’s hand.

  As soon as the door shuts, Rye leans back in his seat and takes a long drink of his beer.

  “Was it just me, or was this the weirdest night ever?” I groan.

  Rye pulls the beer away from his lips just barely in order to answer. “You have containers of blood and worms in your fridge, I tried putting a live snake in your panty drawer, and I’d say we’re the most normal people that were in here tonight. What does that tell you?”

  I laugh lightly as he stands, and he pulls at my hand, forcing me to stand as well.

  “How did they even know the girls were here?”

  He smiles proudly as he stretches. “I sent them all a text. I sent one to Kade first, knowing it would take him the longest to get here. Then I waited until the girls started making sense to text the others. And voila. You’re welcome, by the way.”

  “Thank you,” I say quickly.

  “Let’s watch TV and order a pizza. I wanted to go to Silk tonight, but fuck that. I’m exhausted.”

  He wanted to go to Silk with me?

  My dorky grin would probably give me away, so I mask it with a respectable one instead, discreetly clearing my throat. His arm drops around my shoulders as we head to the couch to watch whatever movie he brought over with the snake.

  That snake better not still be in my room.

  Chapter 7

  RYE

  A soft, warm body is on top of me, and I wake up as my hands slide down Brin’s back. She’s sleeping peacefully with her head tucked into the crook of my neck, and the light pours through the window as she stirs just barely.

  How long have we been asleep? Is it really morning? And why the hell do I just want to stay under her and go back to sleep?

  I can’t seem to stay away. Being around her is the best part of my day lately, and that’s bad. Very bad.

  Her hand slides up my chest as she snuggles in closer, and I smile as I tighten my hold around her waist. She looks so small right now, but she packs a lot of punch. I’m starting to think she packs more of a punch than I realized, because I really don’t want to leave her right now.

  “Good morning,” a whispered voice says, and I jerk a little, quickly trying to get still when Brin mumbles something in her sleep.

  I look over my shoulder as Brin continues to breathe evenly, staying asleep.

  Maggie is grinning behind her cup of coffee, her eyes alight with an enigmatic sparkle. Oh shit. What time is it?

  “She has to get up in thirty minutes to get ready for work,” she says, smiling as she sips her coffee.

  “I need to get to work, too. We’re supposed to get her car finished today,” I say while trying to climb off the couch without waking Brin up, shifting her little by little off my chest.

  I never go to work this early, but today I’m pretty excited. I can’t wait to give her back her car.

  “How much is her car going to cost?”

  I smile when Brin presses a kiss to my chest. She’s pretty damn sweet when she sleeps.

  “Nothing.”

  I finally manage to get her moved to the couch, and I brush her hair away from her face as I stand up.

  “Nothing?” Maggie asks, sounding intrigued. “It has to cost something. You couldn’t have possibly had all those parts to spare. Along with paint and stuff.”

  Brin thinks she pays half the rent here, but this neighborhood is ridiculously priced. Maggie has family money, and I assume she makes Brin think she’s contributing just as much as she is.

  Maggie’s a damn good person. Brin’s pride won’t allow her to think she owes anyone anything.

  “Something tells me you understand why I need her to believe I’m not spending a dime on this. I’d appreciate it if you helped me out.”

  She shrugs, her smile only growing.

  “I helped you sneak in to rig our fridge with blue dye. Of course I’ll help you with this.”

  I bend over and grab my shoes, and then drop to the chair across from the couch, trying and failing not to look at the sleeping girl with her back turned to me. I’ve really got to get a grip.

  ***

  RYE

  “The car is fixed,” Wrench says, grinning at me like he’s waiting for my reaction.

  “You’re sure it’s ready? No issues at all?”

  “Positive,” he affirms.

  Tag walks in, and Wrench continues grinning. “You two need a minute?” Tag asks, noting the stare-down.

  “No,” I snap, and Wrench starts laughing.

  “The Camry girl needs to bring it in for regular maintenance so this doesn’t happen again. Your wallet will appreciate it.”

  He turns and walks away, leaving that in the air for Tag to pounce on. And he does.

  “Camry girl? Brin? You’re doing something to her car and paying for it?”

  He sits down, eager to grill me. But I don’t have time to deal with him. “Ash’s car is ready. It’s been ready. You were supposed to pick it up a couple of days ago.”

  He rolls his eyes while grinning. “I’ve been busy, as you saw last night. I’m here to get it now, but you’re deflecting. What’s going on with you and Brin?”

  Shit.

  “I don’t know what you mean. We’re friendly neighbors who torment each other. Nothing else.”

  “Dude, you’re either talking about her, talki
ng to her, seeing her, or plotting a way to drive her crazy. You’ve got it bad, or you’re just plain crazy. I’m going with option one.”

  I snort derisively, even as my nerves clam up in my throat.

  “I don’t have it bad, and we both know I’ve been crazy for years. She’s cool. She doesn’t pout or whine when I do something reprehensible. She just plots her own attack, and we have fun. It’s completely and totally normal.”

  “There’s not a single normal thing about anything you just said. But if you want to live in denial, fine. Just a warning, though; my dick stopped working for anyone but Ash the second I started falling for her. When’s the last time yours worked?”

  He’s fucking with me. No way is that a real thing.

  Jessica walks in, and she struts all the way to my desk. She bends over farther than necessary to hand me some paperwork to sign, and then she struts back out.

  “Get anything from that?” Tag asks, looking smug as hell when I bring my eyes back up from all the shit I have to go through.

  “From what?”

  “The girl just did a catwalk performance to your desk, shoved her tits in your face, and you barely glanced at her. And she’s just your type.”

  My type. I’m getting sick of hearing about my type.

  “I noticed,” I say with a shrug.

  “Oh? What color of dress was she wearing? Was her hair up or down? And what did she say?”

  What is this? The Spanish Inquisition?

  “I rarely notice a girl’s dress color, I never pay attention to hair, and she didn’t say a word.”

  He laughs as though I’ve said something ludicrous, so I lean back while arching my brow.

  “You referred to Sarah Jergens as the purple-dress girl because you couldn’t remember her name. You bitched about Tria dying her hair from blonde to black. And Jessica just told you about a meeting you have tomorrow. So you just answered all three wrong. Care to tell me again that Brin isn’t in your head?”

  I shift uncomfortably in my chair. I really didn’t notice Jessica at all. I saw her walk my way, realized that she bent over too far, but it’s like I didn’t ever really see her. And she spoke?

  “I didn’t notice Jessica because she’s listed under one of my two rules—I don’t fuck people from work. Too much drama.”

  “You’re really hell-bent on denying this, aren’t you?”

  “Why is it so hard for you to believe we’re just friends? Look at Rain and the Sterlings. Proof is there. There is nothing physical going on with the guys and Rain, yet all of them would have paid for her car to get fixed if she couldn’t have afforded it. So there.”

  A challenge brews in his eyes.

  “They’ve known Rain since they were kids. It took years for them to get that sort of closeness with no romantic feelings. But she and Dane were instantly close. Sort of like you and Brin.”

  I’m going to strangle him. “We’re not Rain and Dane. We’re Rain and Maverick—friends.”

  He grins as he leans forward, and I want to slap the hell out of him.

  “Fine. If you honestly don’t have any feelings for Brin, then I suppose you’ll be fine with the girl I’m setting you up with tonight.”

  Ah, fuck.

  “Tonight? No offense, but Ash has the worst taste in women. And I have plans for the foreseeable future when it comes to her blind dates.”

  He laughs condescendingly, and I glare at him.

  “I didn’t say Ash has you a date. I said I have you a date. And I’ve got damn good taste. Have you met my wife? She’s fucking perfect.”

  “And you know this girl?” I muse, semi-suspicious since the only woman he ever notices is his wife.

  “Corbin Sterling knows her. She’s not one of his exes though. She’s a sister of a girl he dated. He said he was sending you a picture. And the girl knows her cars. She might know more than you.”

  Doubtful.

  I really don’t want to go on a damn date. I have plans. I’m dying to see Brin in the kitchen. No one has ever actually cooked dinner for me.

  “Why tonight?”

  “Because now that the initial shock of the baby is over, Ash is excited and she wants to celebrate with her friends. Of course you know Brin will be there. Ash was calling her before I left.”

  I frown as his words resonate. “So Brin will be there all by herself.” Now it makes sense. “I see what you’re doing, and I’m not playing along. You think when I see Brin all alone that I’ll drop my date and go to her. Well, you’re right, but not because of the reasons you think. We’re friends, and I’m not going to ignore her for someone I don’t know. It sucks to be around a bunch of couples while you’re stag. That’s the only reason I let your relentless wife set me up with women at your functions. Thanks, but no thanks. I’m not playing your game.”

  I really hate his smirk. “No game. Ash said she’s setting Brin up on a date to make up for the bad date with Wren. So you’ll be all alone if you don’t go with the girl I’ve picked out for you.”

  What the hell?

  “And Brin said yes?” I ask, trying not to sound angry. This shouldn’t be pissing me off.

  “Yep. So what’s it going to be?”

  I glance at the time, and try not to let my jaw tick. Before we both crashed on the couch last night, we discussed hanging out at my place. Apparently she’s obsessed with my kitchen and wants to cook in there. Then she tells Ash she wants to go out on a date without even canceling on me?

  “Fine. I’ll meet your girl.”

  Tag smiles as though he has a secret, and then he walks out without saying another word.

  Looking at the time, I decide to head home and get ready for my fucking date. She’d better be as perfect as Tag promised.

  A text from the bastard I hate the most comes across the screen, and I groan when I read it. I should have just ignored it. This is quickly becoming the worst day I’ve had in a while.

  Dad: Found three boxes of your things. Come get them or I’ll throw them away.

  I just roll my eyes. Any time he gets a new wife, I suddenly have boxes pop up. In other words, he wants me to meet the latest gold-digging Barbie of the hour. Now I’ll have to make a stop on my way home to deal with Brin.

  I knew this was coming, considering how many calls and texts I’ve ignored recently. Why did I read that message?

  I grab Brin’s keys and drive the short distance to my father’s fucking massive house, and I head through the service entrance instead of the front. Unfortunately, he was expecting that.

  “You could send someone a message letting them know you’re coming,” he says disapprovingly.

  I couldn’t care less.

  “You could just mail my stuff to me. I haven’t lived here in years, so I can’t imagine what else is left of mine.”

  “The attic just got cleaned out. Found a bunch of your old photos and trophies. Some of it may be things you might want to go through and throw away. Some things you might want to keep.”

  Trophies and photos.

  “Just let me meet the new wife, and I’ll grab the boxes. We both know that’s why you really sent that message. How old is she? Is this one at least older than me?”

  He frowns while taking a breath. “She’s older than you. I’m sorry you seem to be in such a foul mood, but at least try to be cordial.”

  I cross my arms over my chest as I stare expectantly.

  “She’s by the pool,” he says, finally.

  I nod and start walking in the direction, every step making me sicker. I hate being inside this house. The walls are stained with too many memories that only fuck with my head.

  Dad can’t seem to handle being here alone. But he’s never going to learn or care. None of them are ever going to be her. A young ass isn’t going to soothe the guilt.

  Blonde, big chest, barely legal... There’s no way the girl sunning in a bikini and wearing stilettos is really older than me.

  “Marilyn, this is Rye.”

 
Of course her name is Marilyn.

  She slowly pulls her glasses down, and she doesn’t hide her eyes as they hungrily rake over me. Sick. Most all of them do this. Why can’t he find one single woman who cares about him enough to not eat me up the first time they meet me?

  “Not what I was expecting,” she drawls.

  My father doesn’t acknowledge the typical ridiculous behavior. They’re all the same. Hungry for money from him and sex from anyone else. Not me. Fuck no.

  “I’d say nice to meet you, but I don’t lie.”

  She growls playfully, and swats her hand like she’s using cat claws. “Your father said you were a bit of a rebel with an attitude.”

  I decide not to respond. She’s not worth the breath. Instead, I make my way over to my father, and stop as he turns around.

  “I’ve met her. I’ll grab the boxes and go.”

  He frowns as he looks down. “Good seeing you, son.”

  I don’t reciprocate. I’d rather just walk away and leave him stewing in the silence that proves how much I hate him.

  I grab my boxes, not bothering to stay here and go through them, and I carry them outside to Brin’s Camry. After I toss everything into the trunk, I close it and Marilyn is right in front of me.

  “Christ,” I grumble, trying to catch my breath.

  “Not what I expected you to be driving,” she says, stroking the side of Brin’s white car with her red manicured nail.

  “Didn’t come to impress,” I mutter dryly.

  She wisely takes a step back as I open the door. It’s not easy to fold myself into Brin’s small car, and I curse it when my knees hit the steering wheel again. My damn Porsche has more room than this.

  Marilyn waves at me, grinning as though she thinks I’m on the menu, but I shudder instead of giving her the reaction she expects. I back out and make the short drive to my very dark house.

  I distinctly remember leaving at least three lights on. I know I didn’t turn all the lights off when I left this morning. There’s no way I’m walking into one of her traps without some sort of defense. Besides, I’m pissed at her right now for canceling on me without telling me.

  A date. She shouldn’t be going on a fucking date.