“Just to check on you?” Madison laughs. “Girl, that was not just checking on you.”
My face heats. “It’s not like that—”
Elle laughs as we glance back over our shoulders.
The guys are still standing by Jax’s car. All three of them. Staring at me.
Not at Madison. Not at Elle.
Atme.
Heat blooms in my chest, spreads down my arms, and settles low in my stomach.
I turn away quickly before they see me blushing.
Before we walk up the driveway, I grab both their arms tightly.
“Wait,” I whisper. “Don’t mention anything in front of Zinnia, okay? And be careful of the cameras. My dad—”
“Say no more.” Elle squeezes my hand. “We’ve got you.”
That eases my nerves as we walk quietly into the house.
Peyton and Hailey are on the floor with Zinnia, finishing up a game of Uno. Zinnia’s laughing at something Peyton said, completely oblivious.
Relief floods through me.
She believed Madison when she told her we were going out to the car to grab something.
“We should probably head out,” Hailey says, checking her phone. “It’s getting late.”
The girls start cleaning up, folding the Catan board, and tossing the empty popcorn bowls into the sink. They gather their jackets.
Madison tugs on my arm, pulling me around the corner into the hallway.
She holds up her phone.
It’s a text from Callum.
A picture of himself, and I blush immediately. He’s grinning at the camera like an idiot, hair messy, eyes bright.
The text below it reads: Show this to Tiger.
I love that he calls me Tiger.
“He’s so hot,” Madison whispers, blushing as she looks at the image.
Elle appears behind us. “What are you two talking about?”
I giggle. Actually giggle. I can’t remember the last time I giggled. It just slipped out.
“You think so?” I ask Madison.
She nods like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
I take her phone, getting a better look at Callum’s face.
He has quite a pointy nose, a few freckles scattered across his cheeks, and blue-green eyes that look like the ocean on a sunny day. Full lips curved into that stupid cocky grin. Wavy dirty blonde hair that’s just messy enough to look effortless.
