As the door chimes, I glance over my shoulder, knowing I will be back. I’m not going to let anything keep me from the things I love anymore, and that includes Jimmy.
Chapter 12
It’s all fun and games until the cops show up.
Ilinger on the sidewalk, looking into some of the old stores I’m familiar with and the newer additions. There’s a trendy coffee shop and a bead boutique, but the most intriguing store is a spell shop. It’s not one of the big chain ones, but a small place where everything seems to be handcrafted.
A curly mop of red hair draws my attention, and I recoil. I know that hair almost as well as I know my own name—it’s Tammie Turnbuckle. What the hell is she doing behind the counter in a place like this?
“Was that…?” I hook my thumb over my shoulder, indicating the store I sped past.
“Tammie.” Felix nods and presses his lips into a line. “Sure was.”
“There’s got to be a good story there. What happened to her?” I glance between Felix and Remy.
“Shit changes, Frankie. You’d know that if you ever cared to find out,” Grayson snaps.
Ignoring him, Felix tells me, “Winston caught her cheating. Not that he didn’t already know, but it was so obvious, he couldn’t ignore it anymore. He finally kicked her out, and she shacked up with the Curtis brothers for a while, but I think she was seeing one of the uncles on the side, so it didn’t last long.”
“What happened to Winston?” If there was anyone I expected to be the mayor, it was him. I can’t help but look at Grayson.
“You have a lot in common with my brother, actually. He cut town and ran. Sound familiar?” Grayson looks me dead in the eye, and I can see just how angry he is. It feeds my own irritation. I open my mouth to say something to him—it would probably be nasty and only half deserved—but I manage to snap my lips closed.
The car locks disengage, and Felix opens the rear door. Instead of climbing in, like he was offering, I walk around to the other side of the SUV and open my own damn door. I’m about to get whiplash between the three of them. I need to remember things are definitely not the same between us.
The delicious food in my belly turns to lead once we’re all back in the car. The tension is as thick as proverbial pea soup. I want things to be better between us, but they are acting like I’m the only one to blame for our separation. Nothing stopped them from coming to me. Hell, I barely left my shitty apartment for the first month because I was certain they were going to show up.
I stare out of the window for most of the drive. At night, everything blended together, but now in the light of day, the area is more familiar. I sit up a little straighter when Remy slows his vehicle and turns into a drive I’m certain wasn’t here years ago. That makes sense, because their house wasn’t here years ago, but it’s so close to our spot—our secret oasis that we went to whenever we had a spare minute or skipped out of school, which wasn’t often. Having a cop for a dad can be a downer in certain situations.
I’ll never forget the night we snuck out and came here. Of course Dad caught us. I had no idea how at the time, but it turns out he was way smarter than I gave him credit for. Looking back now, I’m sure he knew a lot of the shit we got up to, but he just let it slide. It wasn’t like we were bad kids, but I’m sure no father wants to find his daughter skinny dipping with three boys.
“This is…” I croak, looking at the trees on the side of the lane in a new light. I wonder how far the pond is from the house.
“Grayson bought it,” Remy states, looking over at his friend.
“It was a good price,” he defends.
“It wasn’t even for sale,” Felix counters.
“I stand by my statement.” Grayson tips his chin in the air a little bit. That posh breeding we all know is under his casual exterior is coming out to play.
“It’s really amazing, and the house, Felix…you really outdid yourself.”
“You knew it was mine?” He gives me a shy smile.
“The moment I laid eyes on it,” I admit.
“Wait until you see my contribution.” Remy turns in the seat and grins at me. For a moment, I forget all the mess between us and meet his smile with one of my own.
“Let me guess, you designed the sex dungeon?” I tease.
He looks over at Grayson. “I knew we were missing something.”
Grayson cracks the smallest of smiles, but it disappears just as quickly as it appeared. “Familiar with those, are you? We shouldn’t be surprised. You always did like variety.”
His words cut to the quick. I actually react physically, like I received a blow to the stomach. My shoulders hunch, and my head lowers. I guess I can’t be too mad, I kind of walked right into that one. “That’s the root of the problem, right, Grayson? I never could choose between the three of you, but…” I pause and tap my chin, even though my chest hurts and all I want to do is get the hell out of this SUV so I can’t see or smell them anymore. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t you the one who promised me I would never have to?”
Grayson jerks around in his seat so he’s facing the rear. His cheeks are red and ruddy, as if he’s been holding back this entire time and he’s about to let loose. “No one asked you to choose!” he shouts.
