Page 44 of How Sweet It Is (Willow Shade Island #3)

I park my little blue Honda in the driveway and sit, staring at the house I grew up in.

I quit college last week but haven’t had the guts to tell anyone, so I’ve been sneaking in and out of Cricket’s basement, pretending to be on campus.

Her parents are touring Asia and won’t be back for another month, so she said I could crash in the spare room now that Levi’s engaged.

Cricket’s house is two doors down, so that’s been fun, parking several streets away so my brother doesn’t see my car at her house. Not that he would notice, him being a newlywed and all, but I’m still a little neurotic about it.

A knock comes on my window, and I jerk at the sound. It’s only Cricket. I roll my window down. “Hey. What’s up?”

“Why are you sitting in your car?” Cricket wrinkles her nose.

I pull off her glasses and grab my microfiber cloth to clean them. I have no idea how she sees out of these things when they’re this dirty. “Because I don’t want to go in just yet.”

“Is this about you quitting school?” She squints at me.

“Shh,” I say, looking around. “Don’t say it so loud.”

She rolls her eyes. “Your YouTube channel is making bank. You’re allowed to make a sound financial decision.”

“Tobias won’t see it that way.” I finish cleaning her glasses, and I slide them back onto her face.

“Thanks.” She adjusts them higher on her nose. “And it’s fine if Tobias has a difference of opinion, but it’s your life. He’ll get over it eventually.”

I rake my hand through my hair. She’s right, of course, but I don’t want to accept it. “I’ll come in soon.”

“You’ll come in now.” She opens my car door. “I’m hungry, and it would be awkward for me to go into your house without you.”

“Hey.” I want to pretend to be upset with her, but I can’t. Cricket is a total cranky pants if she’s hangry, and she can’t cook to save her life, so with her parents gone, my Sunday family dinners are everything to her.

“Come on.” She holds out her hand, and I take it, climbing out of my car.

“All right, but please play along when I lie about school. I know it goes against your moral code,” I say, putting air quotes around it. “But I swear I’ll tell Tobias in my own time.”

“Fine. Can we eat now?” She folds her arms.

“Yes, Jiminy. Sheesh.” I start walking toward the house, and she falls into step beside me.

“You can stop calling me that now.”

I give her a sideways look. “Jiminy? I’ve been calling you that forever. You don’t like it now?”

She shrugs. “It’s just… We’ve grown up. I might want to go by Christine now. And if I do, Jiminy won’t make sense.”

My mouth falls open. “No way. You’re not a Christine.”

She glares at me. “What do you mean, I’m not a Christine? That’s my name.”

“I know, but…” I can’t think of exactly why, but Cricket fits, and Christine is far too girly for her. “You’ll always be Jiminy Cricket to me.”

I open the front door, and we enter my house. Tobias’s house, really. It’s weird now that I’m “away at college” and Tobias has a wife. It’s home but doesn’t feel quite like home anymore.

Kiki pulls me into a hug. “Micah, how are you?”

“Fine.”

Kiki hugs my best friend next. “And you, Cricket? How is school going?”

Cricket gives me a look before smiling at Kiki. “It’s great. I love college.”

“What are you studying, again?”

“I’m a marketing major.”

Kiki grins. “You could do all kinds of things with that degree.”

“That’s what my dad says.”

Kiki doesn’t catch the implied eye roll that goes along with that statement.

Cricket wanted to be an English major, but her father talked her into marketing instead.

If Cricket had her way, she would get an English degree and become a novelist. Her father argues that there’s no money in writing fiction and she’s wasting her degree.

Personally, I think Cricket should take some of her own advice and do what she wants with her life. But if I were to throw her own words back at her, she’d clobber me, so I stay silent.

“Come to the table.” Kiki motions. “Tobias is grilling some pork chops right now.”

“Ooh, pork chops.” Cricket looks at me and wiggles her eyebrows. She loves pork chops, ham, bacon, and pretty much anything else you can make from a pig.

We enter the dining room. Noah and Savannah are already there, sitting next to Skyler and Kiera at the table.

Levi and Claire are sitting opposite them.

I nod at them collectively, trying not to stare at Kiera so my crush on her isn’t obvious.

I asked her to dance at the wedding, but I haven’t gotten up the courage to ask her out yet.

Cricket pulls out a chair next to Claire and sits. “How are the newly engaged couple?”

Levi’s grin widens. “Engaged, yes. Dead inside? Also yes.”

Claire elbows him. “What does that even mean?”

“It means we spent two hours today debating frosting colors. There are more shades of white than I ever wanted to know existed.” He winks at Savannah. “Fair warning. Planning a wedding turns your brain to buttercream.”

Savannah blushes. “Good thing I’m not planning one.”

Levi leans back in his chair and props an arm behind Claire’s. “Yet.”

Claire groans and buries her face in her hands while Savannah’s face grows even redder. Tobias walks in carrying a platter stacked with perfectly grilled pork chops, and the scent makes my stomach growl on cue.

“Okay, everyone grab a plate,” Tobias says, setting the tray down like a king presenting his feast. “And if anyone touches mine, I’ll cry.”

“Real mature, Tobias,” I say, but I’m already reaching for a plate.

As we pass dishes around and pile on the food, the room settles into easy chatter. Kiki’s laughing at something Levi says, Claire is slicing her meat, and Cricket is telling Savannah about a marketing class that made her want to light her textbook on fire.

I glance at Noah and Savannah. They’re sitting close enough that their knees keep bumping under the table. He leans in to whisper something, and she laughs then brushes a hand down his arm like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

They’ve always had that slow-burn, quiet electricity, but tonight, it feels different. Warmer. Settled.

Levi was right. It’s only a matter of time before he proposes. I can see it in the way he looks at her like she’s the whole galaxy wrapped in one smile.

I take a bite of pork, chew, and try not to think too hard about it.

Things are changing so fast. Everyone is finding love.

I’m kind of afraid all my brothers will get married and I’ll be single forever.

I haven’t had a date in… a long time. Not because I haven’t asked anyone out.

I’ve been turned down by three girls recently.

I glance at Kiera. Would she turn me down too?

My phone buzzes in my pocket.

I fish it out and glance at the screen. It’s a text from an unknown number.

I stare at the message. My appetite vanishes.

Cricket nudges me. “You okay?”

I don’t answer right away. My fingers tighten around the phone and my throat goes dry. How did they find me?