“Oh right. And after you’ve peed yourself, and we take the pictures to prove it, you’ll never want another drink.”
“You’re drinking.” Daniel didn’t look so pleased with Evan now, but Kenzie wanted to kiss him.
“Well, sure. I’m trying to be manly to impress Will.”
Will grinned. “Color me impressed.”
Evan clinked beers with Will. “Of course, it took me five years from my first beer to get an urge to drink again. It was awful. Trust me.”
“Oh.” Daniel looked disappointed, and Rachel hid her face so he wouldn’t see her laughing at him.
Will, however, added his own horror story as well as those of a few of his fraternity brothers.
Evan pushed his beer away. “Ech.”
“Can I just have a sip then?” Daniel asked. He looked at Evan, who looked to Kenzie.
She joined them at the table with a glass of water for herself. “Sure. One sip.”
Evan offered his. “After Will’s last story, I’m done for the night. Maybe for the next month.”
Will grimaced. “Seriously, man. All that pilsner, it came out of every orifice.”
“Gah. Stop.” Rachel slugged him on the arm.
“Sorry, hon. It’s true.” Didn’t stop Will from chugging his bottle though.
Daniel took a sip from Evan’s beer and gagged. “This stuff is gross.”
“Yep. The price of being a man. Pretending you like beer.” Evan sighed. “Now if you’re done delaying your sister’s eventual demise, can she roll the dice or what?”
“Please, Kenzie. Roll. I need some cake to wash out this taste.”
“Oh.” Evan perked up. “What kind of cake?”
Evan’s kryptonite, apparently, was a love of all things sugar. He loved her cookies and seemed enamored with the idea she’d baked them from scratch.
“What kind of cake?” Kenzie pointed to the pan Daniel was cutting into. “Chocolate, of course.”
“Daniel, the pan.” Rachel ordered him over. “Bring it.”
The rest of the evening passed in a blur, and before Kenzie knew it, everyone was leaving. Rachel promised to see her Monday morning, early. Will left after getting Evan’s agreement to meet Wednesday night for their next soccer game, but only after committing to help Daniel at his school. Apparently they needed a few parents to assist while they worked out some coaching issues.
“Hey, Evan, will you come too? You’re good at soccer, and my team could use the help.”
Evan glanced at Kenzie before answering. As if to ask if that was okay? She shrugged, leaving it up to him.
“Ah, I think that’ll work. We can warm up on teenagers, right?” Evan gave Will and Daniel a thumbs-up. “Now I guess I should go too. It’s getting late.”
Kenzie realized Evan had spent the day with them. Theentireday. Except for a few moments that felt unreal, Kenzie hadn’t minded sharing her brother or her house with him. She kept waiting to feel déjà vu, waiting for the dread to build and Evan to pull a Bryce.
But he didn’t. He’d seemed to enjoy himself working alongside her brother. Evan hadn’t made a wrong move in her direction all day either. Oh, he’d looked, because she’d caught him a time or two when she’d snuck a peek. But he hadn’t given one hint he and she might be doing more than acting friendly.
Will and Rachel left, and Evan cleared the table before moving to get his duffel bag.
“I’ll walk him out,” Daniel offered.
She blinked. “Ah, okay.”
