Lou is my aunt Dahlia and uncle Everett’s eldest daughter. She’s twelve years older than her brothers and myself, so she always felt more like a big sister than a cousin. Fierce, confident, and incredibly intelligent, she’s been a role model to all of us our entire lives, and the embrace she’s giving me now is a comfort I didn’t know I so desperately needed.
“Didn’t sleep well,” I murmur. “But I missed you too.”
She squeezes me tightly before pulling back. “How are you feeling?”
“Honestly? I don’t know.”
Lou smiles softly as Liv steps up beside her and hugs me too. “That’s okay. You can feel however you need to feel to get through it.”
“All feelings are valid. Not feeling is also valid.” Lou nods. “Since Liv had to drive down today to work with your dad’s newsurfer, I figured I’d tag along. We’re staying with my parents for the week, but I thought I’d stop by and have breakfast with you.”
“Don’t you have to work?” I ask.
Lou is a senior agent at one of the top sports talent agencies in the country. Liv is an Olympic surfer and travels all over the world during competition season, but they’re settled in Los Angeles in her downtime.
“I can work remotely most of the time.” She shrugs.
“Thought I heard voices out here.” My dad rounds the corner from the hall that leads to my parents’ room. “Hey, Lulu. I’m glad you came.” He hugs my cousin, then her wife, and as he pulls back he says, “Thank you for helping out this week.”
“Oh, yeah.” She claps her hands, rubbing her palms together. “I love breaking a man down to nothing but sweat and tears.”
“Well, he’s eager and waiting for you,” I say. “He’s already down at the beach, suited up and ready to go.”
Liv checks her smartwatch, brow raising with a nod of her head as she realizes the time.
“You were in the cove this morning?” Dad asks, leaning a hip against the counter.
“Wanted to watch the sunrise.”
He inhales deeply, a contemplative look crossing his face. Whatever the thought is, he shakes his head—like he’s ridding his mind of it. “I’m going to go down with Liv to check in with Weston before they get started, but I’ll be back in a little bit. I’m going to get some of your favorite things—food, snacks. I think I’ll grab a new heated blanket and body pillow for you too.” He steps into me, kissing the top of my head. “When you get back from your appointment with your mom, I’ll have a whole nest set up for you in the living room. We’ll watch your favorite movies, and you’ll have everything you need. Okay?”
“Thanks, Dad.” My voice is cracked and strained, emotion pricking the back of my throat.
“Love you, Sugar,” he says as he and Liv head out the back door.
“Love you!” I call back.
Lou does the same to her wife before leaning across the island on her elbows and resting her head in her palms, smiling at me. “Penelope is teaching a class on Wednesdays at Golden State this summer, so we thought if you’re feeling up to it, we could have everyone come over Wednesday night for book club instead of waiting until the end of the month?”
“Has everyone read the book, though?”
“Who cares?” She shrugs. “We can just talk about other books instead.”
I laugh. “That sounds fun.”
My mom, both of my aunts, Allie, her mom, Penelope, Lou, my grandmother, and I have had a book club since Allie and I turned eighteen and could openly admit to reading steamy romance novels. Every month we rotate who chooses the book, and we do our best to meet up once a month to talk about it over dinner or dessert. It’s harder during the school year when I’m in Berkeley, or when Lou and Liv are traveling, so it’s been three months since our last meeting—when I was home for spring break.
“Good.” She jumps up, spinning toward the pantry. “Now, what do you want for breakfast?”
“I haven’t had much of an appetite.”
She chews her cheek, peeking at me over her shoulder. “You know, I make strawberry French toast almost as well as my mom.”
“Listen, totally sympathize with the tummy issues, Low, but I’m going to need some of that French toast.” Allie’s voice has me jumping, startled. Lou and I both whip to the side, watching as she enters the kitchen in her pajamas, wild dark curls sprouting in a thousand directions, yawning as she smiles at me.
Lou laughs, pulling Allie in for a hug before they begin rummaging through the pantry for supplies.
CHAPTER 8
