by Piper Rayne
“You could have warned me,” I bite out in a whisper.
“What fun would that be?” He squeezes me tighter, lifting my feet off the floor before depositing me back down.
“Sit! Earl is on a tight schedule,” Great-Grandma yells.
Dion sits down in the front row with his legs stretched out, entertaining Grandma by asking if she’d like a stripper for her birthday. She shoos him away as if she has no idea there’s a party. I slide into the seat behind Dion and quickly realize my mistake when Rylan’s staring at me from across the aisle.
“How come I don’t get a welcome like that?” he asks.
I flip him off and he laughs.
We’ve been competitors for as long as I can remember. When Uncle Jamie took Rylan under his wing, jealousy hit hard. I had no trouble keeping up when Uncle Jamie pitted us against one another when we were young. But as we grew older, Rylan grew stronger and faster. My workouts felt as though they capped out and I’d reached my limit.
But not Rylan. Every time he’d come into my uncles’ rec place, he was bigger, gaining inches on me like he took growth hormones. Then we both applied to Stanford and the bastard got accepted even though his grades weren’t even close to as good as mine. But when you have the speed, skills, and a dick, like Rylan Greene, somehow the world opens up for you.
Staring out the window, I’m struck by the fact that they’ve already had a snowstorm here when it’s all sunshine and tans in Los Angeles. I live in my aunt’s place with my cousin Maverick. Uncle Grif, Aunt Phoenix, and Jack come down sometimes, but not nearly as often now that Jack is getting older.
“Ry, sweetie, tell Dori about your girl,” Ethel says.
My gut twists and I stare out the window as though I don’t care.
I feel Rylan’s gaze on me, watching for a reaction, before he answers his grandma. “She’s nice.”
Guess that confirms he does have a girlfriend. I shouldn’t care. It’s not as though I like him or even find him remotely attractive.
“Nice?” Great-Grandma Dori says as if he said she was a serial killer. “Nice is boring.” She rolls her eyes and gives Ethel a look like good luck with that.
Dion peeks over the edge of the seat and I punch the back of it, making him lose his balance. He almost falls off the edge, but the bastard catches himself.
“What about you, Dion?” Ethel asks.
He glances up from his phone.
“Girlfriend?”
Dion laughs and clears his throat. “No.”
“Why not? I’m sure the girls are crazy about you in North Carolina?” Great-Grandma Dori pets his ego, and I roll my eyes internally.
“Well, yeah, but I’m not settling down.”
“Dating one girl isn’t a marriage license,” I say.
He sits up and looks over the edge of his seat. “How about you, sis? Any guys?”
I narrow my eyes at him, and he laughs, sliding back down in his seat.
Ethel smiles warmly at me. “Yeah, Calista, what about you? I’m sure the boys must be circling you.”
“More like trying to escape before she devours them like chum in the water,” Rylan chimes in from across the aisle.
“Ry,” Ethel scolds.
“I’m concentrating on my studies this year.” I don’t mention that last year was horrible for my love life. I had three boyfriends, each one worse than the last. A cheater, a thief, and a druggie-turned-dropout. “Plus, soccer takes up a lot of time.”
Rylan chuckles and I whip my head in his direction, waiting for him to continue. He holds up his hands. “Relax.”
“What’s so funny?”
He chuckles some more. “I just wonder how high your expectations are.”
“There’s nothing wrong with high expectations. Does your ‘nice’ girlfriend meet your expectations? Does she cater to you? Give you massages after every game? Or perform other duties that you probably don’t reciprocate?”
“Gross. Do not make me picture that about Rylan. Unless we’re gonna talk about a girl going down on me—” Dion stops talking when Great-Grandma Dori smacks him across the back of the head.
“Behave, both of you.”
We all stare out the windows, and I catch Rylan texting. Probably his perfectly nice girlfriend. I can’t get off this bus soon enough, so as soon as we reach Lake Starlight, I step into the aisle. Great-Grandma Dori and Ethel are talking to Earl about heading to Sunrise Bay to drop off Rylan, so he takes the opportunity to ambush me in the aisle.
“Just so you know, I am a reciprocator and I’m usually rewarded with my name being shouted like a plea from her lips.” He winks as his hard body slides by mine.
An electric current zaps my body, concentrating between my thighs. Okay, so the guy is a little attractive, I’ll give him that. But attitude changes everything, and he’s got it in spades.
“Thanks, Grandma, I’ll catch an Uber from here.” Rylan says his goodbyes to Ethel.
Grandma Dori stops me before I can get my suitcase. She looks behind her then back at me. “Just in case there is a party for me, I don’t want a stripper. Your great-grandfather would roll over in his grave having some man’s thing swinging in my face.”
Mayday. Mayday. I have to stop my mind from forming a visual. But nope. It’s right there. Great-Grandma Dori in a chair while some stripper’s dick bounces to the beat of “Pony” by Ginuwine.
“I should mention though.” She looks behind her again. Dion’s already off the bus and I see Dad hugging him on the sidewalk. “I like strawberry cake, but marble is my favorite. With the whipped frosting, not buttercream. And definitely none of that fondant stuff.”
“Noted.” I nod. “No strippers and a marble cake with whipped frosting. You know… if there’s a party for you.”
“Yes, don’t go planning one or anything. I don’t want to be any trouble.”
I have no idea how she keeps a straight face.
“Okay, I’m going to say hi to Dad. Thanks for the ride.”
I step off the van, and my dad smiles at me. “There’s my girl.”
He opens his arms for me to fall into. If only I could suck back the tears that build up the instant he’s holding me, as though he’s ready to take on my problems. But as I clutch the back of his jacket and he runs his hands down my back, I open my eyes.
Rylan Greene is staring at me while two tears run down my cheeks. There’s no smugness or arrogance, just general concern as our eyes meet.
Damn it.
I step back and wipe my tears away. The last person I’d ever want to see me at my weakest is Rylan.
My dad takes my bag. “Come on. I made a special meal for you guys.”
We follow Dad down the sidewalk to his restaurant, Terra and Mare. At the doors, I give one fleeting look over my shoulder. Sure enough, Rylan is stepping into an Uber without a look back. I stop myself from caring what he thinks because I’m clearly the furthest thing from his mind.
3
Evie Stone
(Nine Years Old)
Juno and Colton’s Eldest Daughter
“Great-Grandma is taking me to get a new dress!” I tell my brother, Mason.
“You’re gonna make me die!” he yells into his microphone.
“Die? Just because I’m getting a dress?” I sit on the couch in my mom’s office. It’s where the video game console is because Mason is addicted. At least that’s what my mom says and keeping the games in here keeps him from being able to play for too long.
“Conor!” he yells at our cousin into his microphone, and I realize he’s not even listening to me.
I get up and head into the kitchen. Mom’s making dinner.
“When is she gonna come?” I ask, sliding up to the breakfast bar.
Mom chops up some lettuce and puts it in a bowl. Taco Tuesday is my favorite, but I’d rather have a night alone with Great-Grandma Dori.
“She said soon. But I’d really prefer it if you two ate here and then went shopping.” My mom ra
ises her eyebrows and I think she might be asking my opinion.
I never get a choice around here. “Great-Grandma promised me Lard Have Mercy pie.”
My mom walks over to the fridge and grabs the cheese while meat sizzles in the pan. “I think I should go with you. I mean, now that she’s using the retirement van as her mode of transportation since Ethel lost her driver’s license, I’m not sure it’s safe. I could drive you two and drop you off?”
“Mom. This is special. I never get Great-Grandma all to myself.”
Her shoulders fall and she blows out a breath. Her red hair, which is the same as mine, is falling loose from her ponytail. “I know. We’re a big family and you never get as much attention as you want.”
The garage door opens and Dad walks in before petting Goldie on the head and taking off his coat. He’s got the best job in the world. He’s a vet and spends his whole day around animals. I want to be like him one day.
“Daddy!” I jump off the stool and run to hug him.
He hugs me tightly and kisses the top of my head. “Hey, kiddo, I heard tonight’s a special night?”
He eyes my mom with a look I don’t like. It’s like the time he asked me about a sleepover at my cousin Maven’s, but my mom had to tell me she’d gotten sick and it was canceled. This time better not be like that.
“Yep. I’m getting a new dress for her birthday.”
He crouches in front of me because my dad is tall. He towers over my mom so much he complains about his neck every time they kiss. But he still kisses her all the time. It’s so gross.
“Don’t mention the party. It’s supposed to be a surprise.” He tilts his head.
I nod.
“I’m not sure it’s much of a surprise,” Mom says.
“Where’s Mas?” Dad asks me.
I point down the hall as though we can’t all hear him screaming about his video game. Dad heads down there. A second later, Mason screams as if someone is murdering him. Dad walks out with the controller and the headset, Mason following.
“Dad, I was playing Conor! He’s going to brag that he beat me,” my brother whines.
“That’s it for today. I had a horrible day and the last thing I want to listen to is your Bailey temper.”
“I’m a Stone,” Mason says.
“And a Bailey,” Mom says, smiling sweetly at my dad.
“More like he’s a Stone with the Bailey temper,” I say and smile when Dad ruffles my hair. I reposition my headband.
“I can’t believe our son gets Savannah’s temper and she’s got sweet Asher who helps out at the Northern Lights Retirement Center every Sunday.” Dad shakes his head. “Genetics make no sense.”
“If it helps, I’m not sure Savannah understands it either. I’m thinking Asher got Liam’s temperament and Brinley, well, she’s all—”
“Savannah,” all four of us say in unison and laugh.
Brinley is nice to me. She’s really pretty and always wears awesome clothes, and her lip gloss is the perfect shade. But I’ve heard her talk to her parents. Once, she and Aunt Savannah screamed at one another for ten minutes straight until Uncle Liam went in there. I can’t imagine yelling at my mom.
The front door opens and Great-Grandma Dori walks in. “I’m here!”
Mason and I run down the hallway and attach ourselves to her legs. But not too hard because my mom warned us that Great-Grandma is pretty old now and we have to be careful not to knock her off balance.
“I see you still have a key,” my dad says, gaze shifting to my mom.
“Oh, Colton, you should feel lucky. In case anything should happen, I can get inside and help where I’m needed.”
My dad kisses my great-grandma on the cheek. “I know. You’re always looking out for us.”
Mom places the spatula down and my dad ventures into the kitchen to watch over dinner while Mom hugs Grandma hello.
“Funny how I always find you two in the kitchen,” Great-Grandma says.
“I’m thinking about coming with you guys,” Mom says. “I could get some work done at Brewed Awakenings while you guys shop.”
My great-grandma’s smile turns into a frown. I’m with her. This is our time.
She pats my mom on the shoulder. “No, we’re good. I got Earl, and don’t worry, I just saw the nurse give him his narcolepsy medicine.”
A gurgle or some weird sound comes out of my mom and she looks over at Dad.
He says, “To be honest, Dori, we don’t feel entirely comfortable with the two of you going out on your own.”
“Colton Stone!” Great-Grandma says.
Mason and I step back and find chairs at the kitchen table because Great-Grandma used our dad’s full name and she’s got that look in her eye. The same one she used on Uncle Denver when she was holding my baby cousin Abby and he tried to tell her how to do it safely.
“I might be turning ninety, but I am not delusional. I am not senile. I am not losing my mind. I would never put your daughter, my great-granddaughter, in harm’s way.”
My dad’s not afraid of my great-grandma normally, but he looks as though he might be now. He always says he’s known her his entire life, and she’s helped him succeed. That she even helped him get Mom to marry him. I can’t imagine why Mom wouldn’t have wanted to marry my dad. He’s the best.
“With all due respect, you just said the man who will be driving you suffers from a condition where he falls asleep without warning. What do you expect us to think?” Dad asks.
Great-Grandma puts her hands on her hips. “I expect you to know that I’m handling the situation. I just told you he took his medicine. He’s fine.”
“Fine.” My dad nods to my mom, and she disappears into her office down the hall.
“Glad we’re all in agreement,” Great-Grandma says and looks at me. “Get your coat so we can blow this pop stand.”
I rush to the front door before anyone changes their mind.
“Pop stand?” Mason asks, sitting at the table and waiting to eat. He’s probably excited to have a night with just Mom and Dad. I like those nights too.
“It’s a term from way back when…” Dad doesn’t finish after Great-Grandma’s eyes go wide. “Hey, it’s taco night.” He does a little dance on his way to the table. Maybe he is afraid of Grandma.
I hop after I put on my shoes and zip up my coat. “Let’s go.”
Mom comes down the hallway and hands me a small purse. “We got this for you. I thought you’d love to take it with you. It’s like Brinley’s, right?”
“OMG, Mom!” The small navy purse lays crosswise and it’s just like Brinley’s. “I love it!”
“Cute,” Great-Grandma says.
“Why are you getting a dress, Evie?” Mason asks from the table.
“What do you care?” He wasn’t interested when I was talking about it before. Why does he care now?
“Just in case there’s a party, Evie should be prepared with a very pretty dress,” Great-Grandma says.
“But there—” Dad’s hand covers Mason’s mouth.
“Evie,” Mom says and squats, opening her arms. “Have fun.” She squeezes me tightly and whispers in my ear, “And if anything happens, find someone you know.”
“Okay.”
“You two have fun.” My dad hugs Great-Grandma then me.
We walk out toward the big van and I spot Earl reading a magazine in the driver’s seat. He sees us and perks up, shutting the magazine. Once we’re in the van, Earl lets me decide what station to listen to as he backs up out of our driveway. I wave to my mom and dad from the window. My mom looks like she did the day I went to kindergarten.
“Can I see your purse, sweetie?” Great-Grandma asks.
I hand it to her. “It’s just like Brinley’s. I love it so much.”
She smiles and opens it as my head bobs to the music.
“I knew it.” Great-Grandma takes out a cell phone. Great-Grandma struggles a bit but opens the sliding door and throws the phone into a snow bank
. “Trust me, my a… butt.” She smiles at me and hands me back the purse.
My eyes are wide with confusion. If Mom and Dad got me a phone, why didn’t they tell me? And why would Great-Grandma throw it away? “They got me a phone?”
“No, they put it in there to track us.”
“You just threw away my phone?” Why would Great-Grandma do that?
She smiles at me. “Don’t worry. It wasn’t a phone for you. Besides, we don’t need to be tracked, do we? We’re two girls out on the town.”
“Two girls and Earl,” I say.
“Two girls and Earl out looking for some fun.” Great-Grandma puts her arm around my shoulders and kisses my temple.
Best night this week.
4
Palmer Ferguson
(Fourteen and a half years old)
Sedona and Jamison’s Oldest Child
I walk into Lard Have Mercy to find my cousin Linus already in the booth in the back. He sent me a text to meet him here, so I think something happened at school today.
When I slide into the booth across from him, he peeks up from his fries. Oh, his eyes look red-rimmed and sad. Shit, I don’t know that I’m the person to make him feel better. Didn’t Calista and Dion return today? Why didn’t he go to them?
But I know the answer. There are so many Bailey cousins—twenty-six in all—we tend to cluster with the ones we’re closest in age to. Linus and I grew up together. Although the Bailey Triplets are only a year older, right now they’re sophomores and we’re freshmen. Somehow, that difference feels greater this year.
He lifts his hands and signs, Thanks for coming.
I can read lips for the most part, but in my family, it’s become second nature to sign when they’re around me. I’m so grateful I have a family willing to learn sign language, especially since our family is so big. I’m the only deaf Bailey, but everyone makes an effort.
I nod. Sure. What’s up?
She broke up with me.
I wish I were surprised, but the other thing about having twenty-six cousins is that sometimes people befriend you to get closer to one of them. It could be that Linus’s ex-girlfriend, Callie, really wanted Lance or Easton. Since I don’t attend Lake Starlight High, I can only guess based on what Brinley and Phoebe say.
