Focus on forever, not for now.
Be strong.
Another deep breath, another fake smile, and I walk toward the girls—Dez, Lexi, Joss, and Jules. I slip into the booth just as Scar walks through the door. She stops to hug Grandpa Boone where he’s hovering nearby, and then she drops down into the seat beside me.
Grandpa Boone insists on giving her a hard time whenever they’re in the same room, and I love every second of it.
“Well, if it isn’t the heartbreaker,” he says, and Scar’s face instantly turns red.
“Why, whatever do you mean?” That coy smile my sister flashes next does nothing to fend Grandpa off.
“Ohhh, you know what you did,” he laughs. “I don’t think my grandson has ever not had a girl fall at his feet when he snaps his fingers. You dinged his pride a bit.”
Scar belts a full-blown laugh this time. “Something tells me your grandson recovered just fine. That was years ago.”
“Yeah, but he still talks about you,” Grandpa says, and Scar’s still smiling, but she’s thoughtful this time.
My sister made quite an impression on Linden, West’s cousin who was nothing more than a playboy music hopeful back in the day. But today, he’s got a few million followers and gigs booked across the country. Still, even with so much having changed, it’s no secret that he still thinks about Scar.
“Can I at least tell him you send your love?”
“How about you just tell Linden that I say hello. Deal?”
“Deal.” Grandpa grins at her, then plants a kiss on her forehead.“You know, he’ll want to know what you’ve been up to these days, too. So, you may as well just tell me.”
Scar’s laughing again. “Well, you can tell him I’m working with Joss now. She agreed to let me intern with her PR firm, and I basically love it,” she says. “So much that I think I’ll stick with it.”
This is news to me, but I love everything about it. Shadowing Joss will make Scar a powerhouse in the industry, so she’s in the best hands ever.
“Public relations,” Grandpa says thoughtfully. “It suits you.”
The light in Scar’s eyes brightens with the compliment. “Thank you.”
“You’re quite welcome. Now, if you ladies will excuse me, I think I’ll go eavesdrop on the menfolk.”
“Bye, Grandpa,” we all say in unison as we wave.
“He’s so freakin’ sweet,” Jules gushes. “My grandpa maybe says five words to me when I see him.”
“You’re lucky. Mine passed a decade ago, but before that, he married a woman half his age and hauled ass to Mexico,” Dez says.
Lexi laughs as she sips her water. “Yikes.”
“Yikes indeed,” Dez nods.
“So, where’s my little lady-killer?” Joss asks, and we all know she’s talking about Jaxon.
“Amelia’s babysitting him at Mom and Benny’s. That’s the only way I trust her watching him,” Lexi laughs. “With someone watchingher.”
“She settling in okay?” Jules asks.
“Surprisingly, yes. She’s working a couple jobs and still manages to make her AA meetings. Never thought I’d say this, but… I kind of like having her around.”
“Love hearing it,” Dez says, stirring her milkshake. “Also… I’m Glad you came tonight.”
It’s a loaded statement, and I don’t think any of us miss Dez’s sly way of pointing out how many gatherings Lexi has recently avoided. And lucky for her, Tiffany’s hundreds of miles away in Florida.
Lexi shrugs, and I don’t think she means to, but her gaze flashes toward Sterling for a fraction of a second. It isn’t long, but it’s long enough for me to see there’s still sadness there.
