Courtney shook her head.
“What about Gibson?” Courtney asked. “You were just going to leave him here alone all by himself?”
“No, I was not. BecauseIwas planning to be here.” He felt the old game between him and his sister starting up. This was how it had always been, the back and forth he always looked forward to with her.
“But that’s not what you wanted me to tell Mom and Dad.” Courtney’s brain games, along with what he’d just done with Becca, were both jacking with his ability to think straight.
He leaned against the island countertop. “Tell them I have a cat sitter.”
Courtney crossed her arms loosely. “If you’re going to lie to Mom, you better get your story straight.”
He growled, but they both knew he didn’t mean it.
That’s probably why Courtney clearly didn’t care.
Becca smiled and watched like this was a nineties sitcom and she had a front-row seat. All they needed was canned laughter and they’d be golden.
“If anyone knows how to pull one over on Mom, it’d be you,” he said because Courtney was, in truth, the best at that.
“Because I think things through before I add them to my story.” She slipped a wink to Becca. “He hasn’t learned that his lie is getting deep.” She squinted at him. “You really think Mom won’t sniff it out?”
The heavy feeling he always got in his chest whenever he even thought about lying to his mother started to press. His mother’s special skill was uncovering his fibs. She probably even listed it on her resume. The woman was practically a walking, talking, human lie detector when it came to Linx.
That ability had really wrecked his chances of pulling anything over on her during his teen years. Courtney didn’t have that problem—she could throw up smoke and mirrors better than anyone. Lucky for them all, she didn’t do it often. He was pretty sure. Who could really know when she was such a pro?
Becca watched him with what seemed to be increased interest.
“You’re thinking hard over there,” she said, bumping her arm against his.
“He does that.” Courtney waved a hand and went about making another batch of microwave popcorn. “But soon he’ll realize that there’s only one choice. That choice is to say hello to our parents and welcome us with open arms.”
“Open arms?” he asked.
“Yeah, open arms.” She smirked, pulling the crinkling plastic wrapper off the bag of popcorn.
He held his arms wide. “Then come here and give your big brother a hug with his open arms.”
She looked to Becca. “He wants to give me a noogie or a wet willy. I know his game. When he starts speaking about himself in the third person, it’s time for me to walk away.”
Noogie was the direction he leaned. And, yes, he was hoping her walking away with his parents was a solid option. But since Courtney had his number, he slung his arm around Becca instead. She seemed to melt into his side.
“Courtney?” Mom called. “Is Cedric here?”
“Hi, Mom,” he called back, as cheery as his sister. “Just got home.”
“Did you bring your lady friend with you?” Mom shouted across the house.
Linx elected not to respond to that by shouting across his house. Better that he keep his trap closed.
“You told Mom about Becca?” he whisper-asked.
Courtney popped the popcorn sleeve into the microwave and pressed start.
“I toldDad,” she said.
“I told your mom. It was all me.” Dad sauntered into the room and raised his guilty-as-all-fuck hand.
Becca ticked her head to the left a touch, taking an observing role that was much less fun that what he'd planned to do with her before his family showed up.
