He glances back at me before he leaves the kitchen. “Also, I’d prefer it if you called me Dr. Blair. Landon’s a bit informal, don’t you think?”
For a moment, I think I’ve misheard him, but when his words set in, I feel a rush of blood to my face becauseexcuse me? Dr. Blair?I don’t like to name-call, but what kind of ego-centric, asshole, dick-douche is my sisterdating?
Not only that, but I love sugar. I’m a big fan of sugar. Powdered. Cubed. Granulated. Brown. And yet, despite my love of all things sweet, I just made this man sugar-free cookies in the hopes of winning him over, and he turns around and tells me he doesn’t eatgluteninstead?
I don’t care what his deal is. No one’s that much of a prick to their significant other’s sister. But, of course,Dr. Blairis gone before I can call him out on his ego, and I’m too much of a push-over to follow him. Annoyed, I turn back to my eggs, which are definitely over-hard now, and dump them onto a plate.
I’m not sure what it’s going to take to win over Mel’s boyfriend, but now I’m extra determined to find out.
* * *
We show our IDs to the bouncer, who slaps a green band around everyone’s wrist except for mine. I get a conspicuous orange band instead, and I immediately feel out of place.
“How oldareyou, Violet?” asks Ollie, eyeing the color in confusion.
I twirl the plastic around my arm, trying to settle it into a comfortable position. “Twenty.”
Jake gasps. “No way.”
“I thought you were our age,” Ollie says, then immediately backpedals when Jake nudges him. “Not in a bad way or anything. You just seem…older.”
“You’re barely legal,” blurts Jake, earning a smack on the back of his head from Brit.
“Don’t say shit like that, Jake,” she snaps. “It makes you sound like a fucking pervert.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” mutters Jake, rubbing his head and shooting Brit a wary glance. “I was just surprised, is all.”
Sienna links her arm through mine as we head into the club. “Ignore Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Eventually, they’ll tire themselves out with their idiocy.”
I snicker, shaking my head. “Why do I find that hard to believe?”
Sienna laughs and leads me to the bar, where the group buys a round of drinks while I sip on water. When they’re all sufficiently buzzed—and I’m adequately hydrated—we make our way to the dance floor, where we jump and laugh and dance until we can barely stand up. Sienna gives me discreet sips from her drink, but honestly, I don’t need the alcohol. I have a natural buzz going.
When a couple of strange guys start to encroach on my space, one of them touching my hip, Jake and Ollie come to my rescue, shielding me from the unwanted attention.
“Don’t worry, Violet. We’ve got you,” says Ollie, throwing his arm around me, but not in a threatening way. It’s more in ayou’re one of us nowkind of way, and I smile until my cheeks ache.
By the time we leave the club, Ollie and Sienna are hanging all over each other, Brit’s voice is an octave higher than I’ve ever heard it, and Jake’s deep down an ex-girlfriend rabbit hole.
“Jake, Leah is a huge bitch,” snaps Brit from the passenger seat of the Uber.
“Jake, she’s not worth it,” says Sienna from the back, having detached her mouth from Ollie’s just long enough to say her piece. They’ve been stuck together like glue for the last ten minutes. “We’ve been over this.”
“You guys never liked her,” Jake moans from the seat beside me. “Violet. Be on my side.”
Brit shakes her head at me. “Sunshine, Leah was the worst. He cannot go back to that sadist, and I will do everything in my power to prevent it.” She levels Jake with a look that’s just a little bit terrifying. “Everything.”
“Okay, now I’m scared,” mutters Jake.
“You should be.”
“What did Leah do that was so awful?” I ask.
“She broke his fragile little heart,” says Ollie.
“It was more thanthat,” says Sienna. “She’d go days without responding to him and weeks without seeing him. She was playing all sorts of games and poor Jake didn’t know the rules.”
Jake sighs and turns his attention on me. His sandy hair is stuck to his forehead, and his dress shirt clings to his sweaty chest. I’m sure I don’t look any better with my messy bun and flushed face. I definitely sweated all my makeup off. “Have you ever been in a relationship that you thought was perfect?” asks Jake. “But really, the whole thing’s a complete sham?”
