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The door opened and the most beautiful girl she’d ever seen wasstanding there smiling at her in jeans and a pink T-shirt. The wonderful tinglethat smile inspired always amazed her.

“I haven’t seen you in two days. Do you realize that? Sight forsore eyes,” Elle said.

“It felt longer.”

“Get in here so I can say hello the way I want to.” Elle steppedaside to let Gia enter. And once she was safely in the room, and the doorclosed, she caught Elle by the waist and hauled her in for a long andheat-inspiring kiss. The thing about kissing Elle was that Gia never wanted tostop. The warmth of her lips, the way they clung to Gia’s, the way she tasted,the way her hair tickled the side of Gia’s face, the way she murmured adorablyinto the kiss: It was a perfect package of everything Gia never knew shewanted. She kissed Elle in the middle of the room, up against the wall, and theyworked their way to the bed, undressing as they walked.

“You’re early in heat three tomorrow,” Elle said between kisses.“We need to remember to set eight alarms.”

“Good thing I brought ten.”

More kissing, and groping. Gia gasped at the way Elle tortured herrelentlessly before lifting her to shattering orgasm. When Gia went to turn thetables, Elle held up a finger. “No time. We’re meeting my parents for dinner,remember?”

She did remember.

Two days before she was set to leave for the tournament, Gia hadglanced down at her phone.

Think you’dwant to meet my family?the text from Elle read.They’re coming to Portugal.

Gia held up the phone and looked around the table at her friends,who were halfway into Breakfast Club. “Would you say it’s a turning point tomeet someone’s family?”

Isabel glanced at Hadley, who glanced at Autumn, who glanced backat Isabel.

Isabel set down her coffee. “Got it. I’m nominated.” She turned toGia. “That’s the big leagues, my friend. I didn’t meet Taylor’s parents untilshe was a hundred percent certain I was her penguin for life.”

Hadley looked at Gia. “Aww, I think you might be Elle’s penguin.That’s so cute.”

“So, what do you say? Do you want to be penguins with Elle?”Isabel asked with a smolder.

Autumn smiled at her supportively across the table.

“That’s the thing.” Gia reached for a sleeve for her coffee. “Wehaven’t discussed penguins just yet.”

“Yeah, but surely the penguin conversation is coming,” Autumnsaid. “You guys are spending more and more time together. You get the farawaylook in your eye all the time like you’re thinking about her when she’s noteven here.”

“That’s because I am. I don’t know how it happened. But that’swhere we are. I don’t want to screw up the family thing. That could bedisastrous.”

Isabel smiled into her coffee. “Good, then don’t. Families canmake or break you.”

Hadley waved off the comment. “Stop scaring her. Everyone likesyou, Gia. You have nothing to worry about.”

“That’s not true. There’s definite worry to be had.” They glancedup to see Larry Herman, their ultra-uptight landlord, peering over them,holding a coffee. “Ms. Malone is not perfect. Her rent’s not always on time.”

“I was two days late,” Gia said. “One time.”

He pushed up his eighties plastic glasses. “If a doctor’s late forsurgery, everyone dies.”

“They do not,” Isabel interjected. “That makes no sense. Do youeven hear yourself when you talk, you weirdo?”

Hadley passed Isabel a look. “He’s just being Larry.”

“Thank you,” Larry Herman said, standing a little taller. Hischeeks dusted with pink right on schedule, his love for Hadley on full display.“Good luck, Ms. Malone. You’ll need it.” He walked away on that line.

She heard the foreboding sentence play again as she sat in thathotel room in Portugal. Gia blinked at Elle, who’d started dressing for dinnerwith her parents.

“I’m sometimes late on my rent,” Gia blurted. “Like one or twodays. I just forget.”

Elle paused, one arm frozen on the way to its sleeve. “Was there asegue that I missed?”