“Smut? What the hell does that mean?” I ask, even more confused.
“Your mom reads porn, dude,” JJ finally says from the grill, not turning to look at us.
My mom does not read porn. I mean yeah she’s young, but she does not read porn. There’s no way.She’s my mom,I think to myself as my eyes go from the book, to JJ, back to the book and then to the girls.
“Don’t worry. It’s not that bad,” Hannah says, patting my arm, trying to comfort me. Before I can enjoy the sparks that fly up my arm at her touch, and the shiver that follows, she pulls her hand away.
“I’d say! I got Ellie to read me one of those scenes last night,” JJ says, with a smirk, making me turn towards him and moving me out of Hannah’s reach.
“Shut up!” Ellie screams, getting out of the pool, her face getting beat red.
“Is this the kind of book you’re writing?” Levi asks, as he also joins the conversation.
“Ummm . . . I don’t know, maybe,” Hannah says, blushing again.
“You guys are serious?” I ask as Lacey nods her head at me. Forever the instigator, she opens her mouth to add on.
Before she can, JJ calls out that supper will be ready in five minutes, making the conversations end there, not that I want to keep discussing my mother’s reading habits. With a full body shiver, I follow everyone into the house, completely lost in thought.
We barely have time to take the first bite before JJ says, “So I hear you three want to go up to the cabin this weekend?”
So, that’s why he decided to have an impromptu BBQ tonight.
“Yeah, I already cleared it with Mom and Dad. They won’t be there, so they said we should go up and enjoy,” Lacey says, giving her brother a look, knowing what he’s up to.
“I know, I spoke with them this morning. You sure you girls want to go up there alone though?”
“JJ, we’re three, grown-ass women, I think we can handle a weekend away,” Lacey retorts with an eye roll.
“You called me last week because you didn’t know what the exclamation light on the dash of your car was,” JJ says seriously.
“Oh my God, I knew I should have called Dad! You’re never gonna let me live that down are you?” Lacey says, easily getting heated.
“Now children,” Levi says, raising his hands, always the peacemaker.
Seeing my chance to spend more time with Hannah, I jump in, “What I think JJ was trying to say is that maybe it would be fun if we three could join you three?”
“Exactly what I was going to say,” Levi adds on, giving me a warning look, probably sensing that what I want is to spend time with Hannah. I am officially fucked. “Especially if you girls plan on going hiking to cross it off the list.”
“I guess it wouldn’t be so bad,” Lacey agrees, looking at Levi. I’m starting to think there’s something going on between those two. “But only if we can have your beach house for a week later this summer,” she continues, turning towards me. Or maybe nothing is going on with them, but she clearly had this planned. She’s just letting us go to get something in return. I swear the woman is always one step ahead.
“Sure, why not?” I answer, knowing very well that they will not be going there alone. Lacey is known to get in trouble.
“If you’re coming, we’re not cooking,” Ellie adds.
“If we’re not cooking, we’re not cleaning either,” Hannah tags on as she takes the last drink of her margarita with a flourish.
“Fine. No matter what, it’s gonna be fun,” Levi says, looking at Lacey. There isdefinitelysomething going on there; I’m gonna have to ask. JJ looks completely oblivious, too enthralled with Ellie, and her with him, but I see Hannah giving Levi a funny look from across the table. Looks like I’m not the only one thinking something is going on here.
“So, what exactly is the plan?” I ask.
“We’re thinking of leaving Thursday around noon, so we can hike Friday, hang out at the cabin Saturday and come back to the city Sunday afternoon,” Hannah answers.
“Sounds good,” I say, looking at her and making her blush a little. It’s giving me hope that I might not be the only one interested here.
“We were gonna get together tomorrow to go grocery shopping and to the liquor store,” Lacey cuts in before I can add anything else. “But since you boys are gonna be doing all the cooking, you should all go grocery shopping,” she says with a smirk.
“Fine,” JJ says, rolling his eyes at his little sister.
