Mindy Sue beamed and jumped up and down, excited. She excelled at shopping. “Yes. Definitely.”
“And I’ll take you up on the salon day you always offer and I decline. Hair. Nails. The works. But when we get back to school.” She didn’t want Cody to think she was doing it to catch his attention. She wanted to settle into the new her away fromeveryone here. She didn’t need anyone teasing her about trying to be different when all they saw was the same old her.
The next time she came home, she’d be who she wanted to be.
Mindy Sue bounced on her toes. “It’s going to be so much fun.”
Marco walked up and hooked his arm around Mindy Sue’s shoulders. “Are you two going to join us or what?”
Mindy Sue leaned into him. “Yes. We were just making plans for when we get back to school.”
“Ugh,” Jeramiah groaned. “Let’s not go there. It’s summer. No school talk. We’re here to have fun.”
Brooke settled on the grass and took the plate of food Mindy Sue handed her. “Thank you.”
“I wanted to be sure you actually ate at your own party.” They bumped shoulders.
Brooke glanced at Simon beside her. “Who won the cornhole match?”
“Believe it or not, Adam.” Simon glared at the guy next to him, who had that kind of cute geek vibe. “Dude smoked us.”
Adam pushed his empty plate away. “Do you know how many county fairs and summer picnics I’ve been dragged to over the years by my old man?”
“Sorry you had to be at this one, too.” Brooke didn’t know Marco’s friends well, but Adam she’d seen several times at various get-togethers, usually lurking in a corner or out of the way of everything as his father, the governor, took center stage. He’d been to the ranch a few times in the past, though they’d never really spoken.
Simon, on the other hand, spent a lot of time with Marco, and with Brooke by extension of Mindy Sue dating Marco. She liked Simon. He was laid-back and addicted to coffee and his phone. The biology student was obsessed with plants and their medicinal uses. He loved researching other cultures and the plants they used for healing.
Brooke found it interesting, but also a little creepy that he could name ten plant toxins that could kill you off the top of his head.
Adam draped his arms over his knees and clasped his hands. “At least I’ve got you guys here to give me an excuse to ditch the parentals and their bullshit. Fake smiling and feigning interest in everyone is exhausting.”
Marco rolled his eyes. “Everyone fucking kisses your ass because you’re the governor’s son.”
Adam rolled his eyes, too. “Exactly. They don’t know me. They don’t give a shit about me. It’s all about him.”
“So what are you into?” Brooke asked. “Are you a poli-sci major?”
His gaze dropped. “Yes.”
He didn’t seem happy with his choice. “I guess you’d have to be with a governor as your father. So, is it an expectation or a calling?” She’d bet expectation based on his tense shoulders.
“Mostly it’s an expectation. I like it though. My background makes it easier to relate to the material in my classes.”
“Are you thinking of following your father’s footsteps into public office someday?”
Simon and Marco scoffed.
Marco explained why the idea seemed ludicrous to them. “You might be the first girl our boy Adam has ever spoken to without some liquid courage.”
Adam’s cheeks flamed red and Marco laughed.
“You’re so fucking awkward, dude.” Marco flinched when Mindy Sue tapped him in the gut. “What was that for?”
Mindy Sue stared daggers at him. “Be nice. Adam’s shy.”
“Yeah, he and Simon are going to be virgins for life at the rate they actually interact with the opposite sex.”
“Fuck you,” Simon barked.
