A Greene Family Summer Bash

by Piper Rayne

  “Is this going to put Lucy at any kind of risk?” he asks, looking at me, not her.

  “No. I mean, there are risks with anything, but the doctors are encouraging. Lucy will have surgery for her endometriosis, but more than likely we’ll be going the in vitro route,” I say.

  He nods.

  “In the meantime, we’re going to foster children,” Lucy blurts. I was going to wait for that reveal, let them absorb the surgery news first.

  “What?” Marla asks, freezing in the preparation of her cucumber and onion salad dressing.

  “We’ve decided that we want to help children who have nowhere safe to go. We’ll talk to the fertility doctor, Lucy will have the surgery, and if it’s all successful, great. But we still want to help kids who need parents.”

  My dad steps back and leans against the counter with an expression I don’t know how to read.

  Lucy moves closer to me. I never thought they’d react like this. I thought they’d be excited for us.

  “Aren’t you worried?” Marla asks.

  My forehead wrinkles. “What do you mean?”

  “The heartache that can go along with that. You guys are strong now and a united front, which is wonderful, but that’s a lot of balls up in the air.”

  I look at Lucy and she looks at me. We smile, knowing things might not go our way, but happy we have each other to lean on.

  “We understand the odds, but it’s something important to us,” Lucy says, and I squeeze her into my side.

  “Why not just do one or the other?” my dad asks. “Do the in vitro, and if it fails, then look at foster care, or vice versa. Both at once seems like a lot to handle.”

  I get their reactions now. They’re scared because of what happened before when Lucy left me, but they don’t have to be. We took over a year to make this decision, so we’ve thought it through.

  “Or we could end up really lucky with our own baby and a foster child,” I say.

  Marla sets down the whisk, looks at my dad, then back our way. “You do understand that fostering isn’t adoption. That the birth parents could get their act together and the child would have to leave your custody.”

  “We’re not fifteen,” I say.

  “Adam,” my dad scolds.

  “Sorry. I just mean, we know all the risks and we’re not delusional enough to think it’s all going to be easy, but it’s important to us. Fostering is our way of helping children who may have lost hope. If we can help them, even for the interim while their parents get their shit together, that’s worth doing. If we’re blessed to be able to adopt them at some point, wonderful. And the fertility thing is something we need to start while Lucy is younger. But we’ll be happy and okay as a couple regardless of what happens. We just have a lot of love to give and a home that we’d like to fill with more love.”

  Lucy raises on her tiptoes and kisses my cheek. “Couldn’t have said it better.”

  Dad nods, and he and Marla share a look. “Sounds like you have it all figured out.”

  “We do,” I assure them both.

  “Then congratulations. We wish you luck, and if you need anything, let us know.” Marla hugs us both, my dad joining her.

  “Pretty soon we’re going to have to put an addition on the house,” Dad mumbles.

  Marla obviously couldn’t be happier. Nikki’s growing bigger every day, Jed returned home from Minnesota with Emilia, his daughter, last week, and now this.

  “We can only hope.” Marla smiles at us and winks.

  “Mom!” Rylan screams and we hear footsteps bang down the stairs. He runs into the kitchen. “Did you invite her?”

  Marla looks stunned.

  “Hey, Ry guy,” I say.

  He holds up his hand. “Did you?” He’s glaring at Marla.

  “What are you talking about?” Marla asks.

  “Why is Calista Bailey in our driveway?” He says it like an accusation.

  My mouth opens, but Lucy covers it with her hand. Today just got a whole lot more interesting.

  I park behind some fancy sports car in my dad and Marla’s driveway. I have no idea who it belongs to. My assumption is the guy standing with his back to me, talking to Logan. Probably one of Nikki’s podcast guests who knows Logan or something.

  Posey and Presley are out in the yard with Bernie, who’s pulling the leash so hard, sniffing from bush to bush, it looks as if he’s going to pull Presley’s arm out of her socket. I grin when I see Posey casually checking out the guy talking to Logan.

  I exit my small SUV and I’ll admit he’s got an ass on him, but he’s too thin for my liking. Don’t get me wrong, the guy isn’t a beanpole, he has lean muscle like a runner, but I prefer guys who bulk up in the gym. The kind who can lift me with ease and put me in whatever position they want.

  Just don’t tell Hank or my brothers that last bit. They like to think of me as little ol’ Chevelle, their innocent younger sister.

  A truck roars up the driveway behind me and I don’t have to turn around to know exactly who it is. My sixth brother, Cameron Baker. Did you catch that last name? Yeah, it’s not Greene, although the man acts like an overbearing big brother and seems to think he’s somehow responsible for my safety.

  The door of his fancy truck slams shut.

  Cameron’s family is the richest in Sunrise Bay and he’s an only child, which means the fortune and responsibility of the fishing piers will be his one day. Which also means that if I continue running my tourist boating company, I could end up kind of working for him. And that only aggravates me, so I head over to Posey to dodge having to talk to Cam.

  “Chevelle, we have something to discuss,” Cam says from behind me.

  “Later,” I say and put up my hand, not even bothering to steal a glance.

  The other problem with Cameron Baker, besides him trying to act like my dad? He’s exactly the type of guy who gets my lady parts buzzing. He’s built, with just enough tattoos to make him sexy but not so much that it covers all his ripped muscles. He’s got scruff that I imagine would feel glorious between my thighs, though I try not to think about it. Over the years, he’s gone from scrawny to all man. I’m only human, of course I notice.

  I’ve done my own changing over the years, and he’s definitely taken notice, but expresses that by ordering me to cover up every inch of my body. Not gonna happen.

  Although our attraction to one another is obvious to the two of us, even if we’ve never talked about it, my brother Fisher is his best friend. Hell, none of my brothers would be keen on Cam stepping over that line with me. Cam would never do it anyway. Like I said, I’m treated like fragile little ol’ Chevelle who needs a fainting couch.

  “Hey, girls, who you glaring at? Cam? I know. He’s not a Greene, why is he here?” I ask when I reach them, then I notice Posey’s Band-Aids and scrapes. “Pose! What happened?”

  She touches her face, but her gaze is still glued to the mystery guy.

  “BERNIE!” Presley yells and runs after the dog as he takes off.

  Cade comes running from behind the house, having heard his wife’s shout. That dog is going to have to get his head on straight before Cade ships him off to some doggie military school. I watch the two of them sprint toward downtown Sunrise Bay.

  My dad’s house is the Greene family home, and it was passed down from my grandma Ethel. It sits high on the hill overlooking downtown, and if you didn’t know better, you might think we’re fishing out hundred dollar bills from our pockets like the Bakers, but we’re not rich. We do all right, all of us work hard for our money, but we don’t have Baker money. My grandfather was just good with his hands, wood, and nails.

  “Can you believe that asshole ran me off the road?” Posey seethes quietly.

  I glance over to see Cam has joined Logan and the other guy whose face I still can’t see.

  “I think we should put rules in place,” I say. “You can’t come unless your birth certificate says Greene.”

  “Or a marriage license,” s
he adds.

  “True. So what happened?”

  I pull my gaze away from Cam’s back. The stretch of his T-shirt—which will soon end up on a lounge chair in the back—over his back muscles sends a rush of heat between my legs. God help me, I need to get laid soon.

  “I rode my bike over, but I didn’t come from the house. I had to go to Fringe earlier because I promised I’d do Zoe’s hair this morning. She’s heading to Vegas with Craig for the weekend. Anyway, I’m coming down the road on my bike and that asshole swerved and would’ve hit me if I hadn’t moved out of the way. My tire slipped and I ended up in the ditch. He didn’t stop, just kept going. Self-centered asshole.”

  I love Posey. She’s younger than me by two years, which took off the heat of being the youngest after our parents married. My brothers still see me as the messed up little girl who blames herself for causing her mother’s death.

  I squint when the guy in question shifts his stance so that I can now see his profile. “You know who that is, right?”

  “Oh, I do. Gavin fucking Price.”

  There’s something in her tone. Posey’s always been free-spirited—even more than me, which is saying something—but she doesn’t hold grudges or dislike anyone. She’s sweet and kind and good-natured, but I can’t help but feel like there’s something underlying this hatred.

  “The actor. No wonder he drives a car like that. He sure didn’t have that ass when he was younger,” I say.

  Posey scoffs. “It’s a rental, and his ass isn’t that great.”

  “So you’ve looked?” I grin.

  “Well, at Mandi’s that time I saw it.” She shifts in place, clearly uncomfortable.

  “But you’ve never seen it naked?”

  She hits me in the arm, her eyes wide. “Chevelle.”

  Her loud response garners the three guys’ attention and Logan waves us over.

  “Great. Now I have to be cordial.” She walks over there, arms crossed and flicking her long auburn hair over her shoulder.

  I roll my eyes at the smirk on Cam’s face. The one that says we’re going to talk and he doesn’t want to hear any objections. He’s been on me about this fishing charter I did where I took off my shirt and had on a bikini top. Whatever. I had to put my life vest on, and I’d forgotten to put a T-shirt under my sweatshirt that day. The weather was getting nice… why am I even bothering to explain myself? It’s no one’s business.

  “Gavin, you remember Posey and Chevelle?” Logan says, gesturing to us.

  “Yeah, nice to see you again.” He tilts his head and takes us in. Gavin still has that charm he had in his younger television days. The charm that made middle and high school girls hang up his picture in their bedrooms.

  “You too, but you need to apologize to Posey.” I put my hand on her back.

  Now that we’re face to face with the man, her bravado has vanished. She’s staring at him tongue-tied, which I understand. At first, I was tongue-tied when I saw him. I spent most of my adolescent life wanting Gavin Price to be my boyfriend, but now, eh, he’s just an asshat who drove my sister off the road.

  “I’m sorry.” His forehead wrinkles, then he smiles, his dimples indenting his cheeks.

  “You ran Posey off the road earlier. See the Band-Aids?” I thumb in the direction of her face.

  Gavin shakes his head. “I think I’d remember that.”

  “Maybe if you weren’t fiddling with your radio or whatever. Or had it so loud to begin with, you would have.” Posey found her voice. Way to go, girl.

  “I promise you, you’re mistaken.”

  She stares at Gavin blankly, and although I want to see her tell him off, I’m more eager to get to the pool and soak up the few months of summer we get around here.

  “Don’t kill one another. I’m heading to the pool.” I strip off my shirt, revealing my bikini top.

  Cam’s mouth hangs open. “Not in that you’re not,” he says as though he’s my father.

  “And I’m going to listen to you why?” I stomp toward the backyard, leaving Posey to tell off Gavin Price now that she’s found her voice.

  “Because there are guys here who aren’t family. Guys who don’t look at you like their little sister.”

  I stop before we reach the patio. Turning, I corner Cam against the side of the house where we’re not likely to be seen. “Tell me, Cam, are you one of those guys?”

  He laughs and huffs. “Hell no.” But he glances down, taking in my erect nipples through the thin fabric of my bikini.

  “That’s what I thought.” I push him out of the way and head to the lounge chair where I plan on remaining the rest of the day.

  Coming to the Greene summer bash isn’t something I have time for this year. The inn has been filled every weekend and it’s our busiest tourist season. Probably because there have been rumors about Logan Stone and Gavin Price hanging around our small town. Amazing what people will do to spot a celebrity.

  Cade and Presley are walking up the driveway when I arrive, so I walk in step with them.

  “Bernie ran away again?” I ask Cade, who’s gasping for breath.

  “If you know anyone who wants a dog.” His eyes are pleading as we enter the garage.

  “Cade, he’s just a puppy. He’ll outgrow it.” Presley fights for the dog she wanted, but they absolutely got the bad boy of the litter.

  I leave them in the garage to argue because we all know Presley will win.

  I can already hear Grandma Ethel and her friend Dori in the house when I walk in.

  “I’m not sure I see the problem,” Dori says. “They train together, why don’t they want to be friends?”

  They’re obviously talking about Rylan and Dori’s great-granddaughter, Calista. I feel bad for the kid, because Rylan’s at that age where he’s intrigued by girls, but they still have cooties. Yet the entire family razzes him about Calista all the damn time.

  I’m surprised when I come around the corner of the kitchen and spot Midge with the two elderly ladies.

  “Mandi!” Ethel hugs me. “You look beautiful as always.”

  She’s full of it. My red hair is pulled back in a ponytail, and although I have my swimsuit on under my clothes, I haven’t decided if I’m going to actually lie out. Glancing out the sliding door, I spot Chevelle in a micro bikini, lying on a lounger. I’m definitely not lying next to her.

  I’m pretty secure about my body. Sure, I carry more weight than my sisters, but I don’t let it define my existence. I went to college, bought the inn, rehabbed it (with the help of Hank), and I run it successfully. All that and I’m not even thirty yet. I’m comfortable in my skin most of the time. But who wants to hang out in a swimsuit all day when you’re not sixteen anymore? Besides Chevelle, I mean.

  “Thanks, Grandma,” I say.

  Ethel isn’t really my grandmother. She’s Hank’s mother, but we all view her as our grandma because she’s always treated us like her grandkids.

  “You know, I have a grandson,” Midge says.

  I roll my eyes without her seeing me. “Oh yeah.”

  “He’s about your age. Comes to see me more than my own son. You two should meet up for dinner service at the Northern Lights.”

  As if a blind date isn’t bad enough, let’s add glaucoma, cataracts, and a bunch of gossipy seniors watching us the entire meal. I can imagine it perfectly—a giant spotlight shining down on us while we eat our fruit cups.

  “Maybe,” I say because I don’t say no well. It’s a bad habit of mine but one that’s earned me close to a five-star rating on the travel apps. I’m a people pleaser and proud of it.

  “I’ll check in with him,” she says. “See when he’s coming.”

  I nod and look at my mom, who gives me a soft smile.

  “I’m going outside to get some vitamin D. Nice seeing you all.” I give them a small wave and walk outside.

  Sure enough, Rylan is in the pool, playing basketball, while Calista sits on the side of the pool, watching. Man, they’ve grown
up.

  “Hey, Ry guy. Calista, right?” I smile at her.

  “Hi.” She gives me a small smile back.

  “Mandi, want to play?” Rylan asks.

  Usually I’d play with Rylan, because I’d rather be in the water than out, but he has someone he knows here he’s currently ignoring.

  “I think you have someone else you should ask.” I point toward Calista.

  She says nothing, but to my surprise, Rylan holds up the ball. “Do you play?”

  Calista wastes no time sinking into the water and grabbing the ball. I love that girl and her competitiveness.

  “What’s up, Chevelle?” I say, laying a towel on the lounge chair next to her. Guess I am going to lie next to her after all.

  “I might punch Cam in the face today, but other than that, not much.” She shrugs.

  Chevelle works outside, so she already has that glow from being on a boat all day. Me, on the other hand? I’m ghost-white, and my pale skin won’t tan anyway. It burns.

  “I’m trying to even out my lines.” My stepsister points out her short and T-shirt lines. I guess we all have our problems.

  I shed my clothes down to my bathing suit and pull out my sunscreen. “Let’s go back to the Cam thing.”

  Cam is Fisher’s best friend, and as long as I’ve been in this blended family, Cam’s been around. Hell, he even joins us after Thanksgiving dinner to play games and have dessert, saying that his parents are boring. The guy probably wishes he was a Greene. Right now, he’s over by the beer bucket with Adam.

  “He’s all up in my business.” She rolls her eyes. “Love that suit.” She touches the fabric because Chevelle does what she wants when she wants. She means no harm in it, it’s just her. “Where did you get it?”

  I bite my lip, wondering if I should admit it’s from a trendy plus-size shop. It’s not like it’s anywhere she or any of my sisters can shop. I buy the majority of my clothes from the shop even though their fondness for skulls and three-quarter-length sleeves make me a little crazy. It’s like they think bigger women don’t get cold or something.

  “Online,” I answer simply.

  “Love the cherries,” she says. The top portion is white with cherries on it, and the bottoms are just black.