Page 4 of Things I Read About

“More like finally go wild without us.” Skye winks at me.

“No one’s going wild.” Susan looks at me. “Whatdoyou guys have planned?”

“Well, it’s a ski resort. We plan to ski.” I deadpan at them.

Sadie squints at me across the table. “Uh huh. I saw you, Kat, and Janie partying at the wedding. I vote for wild.”

Susan starts to argue but Skye piles on. “I also vote that you go crazy. Forget sowing wild oats, you don’t even have any oats. Find some and sow ’em, sister.”

“I agree. That’s three to one, Suze.” Sam says before making an obnoxious sad-trombone sound.

Do I get a vote regarding my own spring break?

I just smile.

Until my jaw drops open when Susan concedes, “I guess they have a point.”

My sisters cheer at Susan as if she’s just given me permission. Permission I didn’t ask for.

I dip my chin in agreement with them. All four of my sisters are smiling wide, free, happy.

Then Susan continues, “I don’t have to remind you about finals, the MCAT, moving to Dallas—”

“Suze!” Skye cuts her off.

“This week isbecauseshe knows about all those things, right Sal?” Sadie asks.

“Right!” Samantha answers for me. So again, I just nod and smile. Which is fine.

We manage to calm Susan down as our server arrives to take our first round of orders. Our conversation turns to skiing and the apparently epic couples race showdown that happened earlier.

Samantha and Sadie babble on and on. Sadie is fiercely competitive and Sam loves to draw out a story, so the two of them are pretty captivating. Skye and I listen and laugh. Susan gets sucked into some work crisis on her phone.

All of which is interrupted when a group of men breeze in from the lobby and take over a huge corner table across from ours.Half the guys are in tailored suits, the others are casual, but their casual clothes probably cost more than our cocktail dresses. And we’re all in short designer gowns that Sadie scored for us. A couple of the guys, in casual wear, head to the bar.

They are big men. Tall but also built. One has short hair on the back and sides that goes longer on top. Tattoos cover his neck and sneak up into his hairline. He turns a tiny bit to talk to the guy next to him, and I think I gasp at his hard, symmetrical face.

He’s…dark. Black hair, tanned skin, dark eyes.

Scary.

Dangerous.

So freaking hot.

“Attention, Sally! Earth to Sally!” Sam says way too loudly. “Who are you salivating over, the bartender?”

I look at her, confused. How could there be any question about who I’m gawking at? I turn back to look at the bartender, who I hadn’t even noticed. He’s cute. Tall, red cheeks, blondish. He kind of looks like a lankier version of Shep. He’s handsome. But he’s not hot.

I wonder if my sister just doesn’t see the smoke show because she’s blinded by love. Or because she’s not into the could-run-a-motorcycle-club vibe. Or, most likely, she can only see me withcuteguys. That is all I’ve ever been with, in her defense. Cute orchestra guys. Cute pre-med guys.

“He is pretty cute, but so is Buck. I’m just saying,” Sadie murmurs. This is the sixth time she’s mentioned Shep’s little brother.

“Sadie!” Susan looks up from her phone that she’d gone back to. “Buck is what, thirty-one? Way too old for her. No way.”

“Emerson and I are almost nine years apart, Suze.”

“Oh, I’m aware, Samantha.” Susan’s head gets all… bobbly. “And I’ll tell you what, it was totally weird when you started dating him. Are there no nice twenty-two-year-olds?”