Page 7

“I’m going to jump in the shower,” I muttered.

Grayson nodded and took another sip of his beer. “Try not to steal all the hot water. Cammie’s due home from training soon and might actually cut off your balls this time.”

I swallowed. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Our sister was always threatening to permanently dismember one of us.

I might have joked about it with Grayson, but I’d never do so in front of Cammie.

She was the baby of the family and our only sister, but she was ten times scarier than the rest of us.

And while my brothers and I were somehow still intact despite her threats, I wasn’t willing to take any risks.

I made my way into the house and was greeted by our Golden Retriever, Stanley. He’d been our family dog for as long as I could remember, but not even his old age stopped his tail from wagging powerfully as he covered me in licks.

“I haven’t been gone that long, boy,” I said, chuckling as I tousled the hair behind his ears. That was Stan though. You could be gone only a few minutes, and he’d still be overjoyed to see you when you got back.

I walked through the kitchen as I headed for the stairs. Parker was in there, raiding the pantry—just for a change. He was a year younger than Grayson and I, but I swore the kid ate more than the two of us combined.

“Don’t even think about stealing my Cheerios,” I yelled to him as I passed. They were my favorite thing to snack on after a run.

Parker grinned wickedly at me before returning his focus to the cupboard. He was definitely going to steal my Cheerios now. I should’ve just stayed silent. But I couldn’t be bothered tussling over cereal right now, so I continued upstairs to the bathroom.

Rock music was blasting loudly from Cammie’s bedroom, so I assumed that meant she was already home.

Mom must have been out; otherwise, she would have already asked Cammie to turn it down.

I wasn’t nearly brave enough to tempt Cammie’s wrath.

Besides, she was a lot like Parker and would probably turn it up to spite me.

Cammie was feisty both on and off the ice.

With her attitude, she would have made a brilliant hockey player.

She’d always been an incredible skater, far more talented than the rest of us.

But, while Dad tried to get her to join a team when she was younger, she’d insisted that figure skating was for her.

She’d been obsessed with the sport since the moment she’d donned her first pair of skates.

But while the other girls she trained with were all sweet, cute, and friendly, Cammie was a little bit cutthroat.

She expected nothing but the best from herself and the guys she skated with, and as a result, she had a knack for tearing through partners.

By this point, it was a miracle anyone was brave enough to skate with her at all.

But she was that damn good they would have been idiots not to at least try and test her patience.

I hopped in the shower and had barely rinsed my hair when a loud, repetitive banging sounded at the door.

“Reed, I need the shower!” Cammie shouted.

“Give me five!”

“I don’t have five. Gabby’s coming to get me!”

I tried my best to ignore her. I just needed a few minutes to wash my hair, and then the shower was all hers. But Cammie didn’t take no for an answer, and she started pounding on the door again. “Reed!”

“Okay, fine!” I shouted back as I turned off the water. There was little to no chance she’d leave me in peace. I quickly wrapped a towel around my waist before I opened the door.

Cammie gave me an angelic grin as though she hadn’t just been trying to beat down the door and rattle the very walls of our house with her shouting.

“Thanks, Reed,” she chimed before she dashed past me into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

“You owe me,” I shouted through the door. But the water was already running again, so she probably didn’t even hear me.

I went to my room and opened the closet but paused before I pulled out my sweats.

I was still thinking about Violet. I kept wondering if I’d made a mistake by rejecting her invitation to go into the party with her.

No, I was being stupid. It was a Sunshine Hills party, and going inside truly would have been a mistake.

There was no way in a million years I’d ever be welcome.

That didn’t stop me from thinking about it though. From wanting to see Violet again.

My phone rang as I stared blankly into the closet. I was surprised to find it was my dad.

“I’ve just finished unhooking your friend’s car,” he said when I answered. “Looks like she left her purse on the front seat. Do you think she needs it?”

“Uh…” I had no idea whether Violet needed her purse or not, and I couldn’t exactly message her to ask, but this gave me the perfect excuse to go to the party and see her.

“Yeah, I think she will,” I replied before the little voice of reason in my head could remind me what a terrible idea this was. “I’ll swing by the shop and grab it for her.”

“Okay, son. I’ll leave it in the office.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

I was smiling again as I threw on a pair of jeans and a Henley. Going to a Sunshine Hills party was madness, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

Parker was still in the kitchen when I got back downstairs, his hand deep in my box of Cheerios. I chose to ignore him and, instead, focused on Grayson who had apparently finished sunbathing in a blizzard and was now making himself a sandwich.

“Can you pass me my keys?” I asked, pointing to where they sat on the bench next to him.

He frowned as he glanced up and saw what I was wearing. “You headed out again?”

“Yep. Keys?”

Grayson picked them up off the bench but didn’t immediately hand them over. “Where are you going?”

“You don’t want to know.”

I attempted to grab the keys, but Grayson quickly pulled them out of reach. “Well, now I definitely want to know,” he said, waiting for an explanation.

“Even if it’s something crazy?”

“Oh god.” He sighed. “What now?”

“I’m going to the Sunshine Hills party to see Violet.”

Grayson lifted his eyes to the ceiling. “You’re right, that is crazy.”

“Who’s Violet?” Parker asked.

I had no intention of telling Parker anything, but Grayson responded for me.

“A girl he met on the side of the road when her car broke down,” he said. “A girl who already has a boyfriend and goes to Sunshine Prep.”

“What?” I shrugged as casually as I could. “She left her bag in her car after Dad towed it. She might need it. I’m just doing the right thing and returning it.”

“Of course, you are.” Grayson shook his head.

“Besides, going to a Sunshine Hills party can’t be that bad. I mean, we mix with Sunshine Hills kids all the time at bonfire parties.”

“That’s different,” Grayson said. “Everyone knows if they start shit on a bonfire night they’re blacklisted and can’t come back.”

I shrugged again. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“I give it five minutes before those idiots on the Saints have you cornered and start giving you hell.”

“They could try.” I doubted they’d have the balls to confront me, and if they did, I could take care of myself. “But if there’s any sign of trouble, I’ll just give Violet the bag and get out of there.”

“Because you’re so great at just walking away from a bad situation.” Grayson grunted.

“It is a terrible idea.” Parker sounded like he was agreeing with Grayson, but he was grinning widely as he spoke, and his expression had taken on a glint of anticipation.

The three of us looked very similar, but I was certain my eyes had never brimmed with the kind of delight Parker’s overflowed with on the daily.

Even Stanley had less enthusiasm than Parker, and our dog spent his life hitting us with his overeager tail.

“So, when are we leaving?” Parker added.

“We?” Grayson’s eyebrows lifted.

“Well, we’re not letting Reed go to a Sunshine Hills party without backup…” Parker glanced at me as he waited for me to agree. There was an expectant look in his eyes, like he knew there was no way I could object.

“Even if we all go, it’ll still end in trouble,” Grayson said. “In fact, it’s probably going to increase the chances.”

Parker scoffed. “Stop being so negative, Grumpson.”

Grayson shot him a deadly look, but it did nothing to dampen Parker’s excitement.

“Can’t you see our boy Reed here needs our support?

He’s finally decided that the constant stream of girls throwing themselves at him isn’t nearly as fun as stalking some girl he met on the side of the road, one who’s already got a boyfriend.

Our brother is just trying to follow his heart. Who are we to stop him?”

“It’s not stalking if I was invited to the party.” I grunted. “And I’m not following my heart. I’m just doing Violet a favor.”

“Sorry, did I say heart?” Parker replied. “I meant dick.”

Now Grayson and I were both glaring at him.

“So, are we doing this?” Parker was practically bouncing with excitement. Then again, he could end up coming home with a black eye and a limp tonight, and he’d still be grinning.

“Yes, we’re doing this.” I nodded. “But we’re not going in there to cause trouble. I just want to give Violet her bag.”

“Yeah, okay, Joe Goldberg,” Parker replied.

I went to cuff him across the back of his head, but he jumped from his stool and nimbly avoided my hand. “I’ll get my jacket. This is going to be fun.”

As I watched him leave, I wondered how badly I was going to regret this decision. With Parker on board, anything could happen.

Grayson turned to me once our younger brother was gone. “You’ve had a lot of bad ideas over the years, Reed. But this has got to be one of the worst.”

I shrugged. If it meant I got to see Violet again, I didn’t really care.