Page 4

“That sounds wonderful.” Mom leans into him.
Oh, and yeah, he has a son. I’ve never met him, but he’s apparently a senior at Groveton College.
So, guess I get to finally meet him.
From what I’ve heard from Aaron, he’s studying business and then going to go on and study law. Or something like that. I couldn’t care less.
“Oh, and you and Xayden get to share the guest house out by the pool until you leave for school. There’s a room set up for each of you, and the kitchen is fully stocked.” Aaron smiles at me like he just told me the best thing in the world.
“Great. I guess I’ll just take my things over there, then.”
Which I apparently say to no one because my mom and her new husband are lip locked and acting like they haven’t seen each other in a year.
Newsflash: They saw each other three days ago when Aaron helped us pack up and get ready for the movers. He had to leave to come back after he helped us, but seriously, theyjustsaw each other.
I grab my suitcase and head back out the front door with a roll of my eyes. The humidity hits me the moment I step out onto the porch. Fuck, I hate it here already.
How can anyone live in this? It has to be at least a hundred degrees out.
And yes, I get that Vegas can hit into the triple digits as well, but it’s a dry heat.
I prefer not to look like a dripping, sweaty mess.
I make the long trek down the driveway toward the lake. And holy mother fucker, it’s a trek.
Seriously, I feel like I’m walking across the entire state of Texas right now. I swear this driveway is a good five hundred feet long just from the house to the guest house. This is ridiculous.
When I finally reach the guest house, which seems like I’ve been hiking for a better part of a year, the back of my shirt is drenched from sweat. I’m pretty sure my underarms are rank. I just need a cold shower and air conditioning. And ice packs under my clothes.
When I walk through the door, the cold air hits me, and I let out a sigh. I drop my suitcase and walk to the fridge, hoping there is some cold water in there.
When I open the door, I am happy to see there is. I twist open the cap and let the cool water coat my mouth and throat as I drink it down. I take a deep breath after chugging the whole bottle.
Looking around, I see that this space isn’t much different than the main house. Except this one definitely looks like a bachelor pad with a giant pool table where a dining table should be. A giant flatscreen TV that has to be at least eighty inches long is surrounded by a huge entertainment center with game consoles of every kind in the cubby holes.
This issucha man cave.
Awesome. I’m going to be the chick who disrupts the whole dude system going on here. I’m sure I can just hide out for the next couple of weeks until school starts and I live on campus.
Which reminds me, I need to contact my roommate. I pray that she’s nice and not a complete asshole.
Grabbing my suitcase, I trudge up the stairs and find a hallway with a door to the left, a door to the right, and one directly in the center at the end of the hall. Okay, maybe I should have asked which one my room was.
Taking into account the orientation of the house, I figure Xayden’s room is probably the one on the left that looks out toward the lake.
So, with that in mind, I take the door on the right and twist the knob, pushing the door open.
And holy shit.
The room is like triple the size of my room back home. A beautiful built-in bookshelf hugs the wall across from me. A huge bed sits along the opposite wall with a lilac comforter over it. The floor is a white-colored tile with hints of black and flecks of gold, and the walls are a deep gray, with the wood of the bookcase stained black.
I saunter over to the windows and take a look outside at the property around the house.
Yeah, maybe this won’t be so bad. I mean, I’ll only be here for a couple more weeks and then I’ll be at school. Honestly, holing up inside this room isn’t that horrible.
This is some guest house.
My clothes are still sticking to me from being outside, and I’m in desperate need of a shower. Dumping my suitcase on the bed, I open it up and pull out one of my black skater dresses and gladiator sandals.