The guys and I charge into the locker room, and I’m one of the first ones out of the showers.
“See you on the beach,” I call to Pash and Dom. Then I turn to Bran. “You coming, too?” When he hesitates, I give him a stern look. “Come, man. You’re the star tonight—gotta show up and accept your reward in the form of free booze and hot girls who’re dying to ride your dick.”
Bran smiles slowly. He really is a decent guy. I’m relieved he not only took the money this morning, but also forgave me for being such a jackass at the pier. “Fine. I’ll make an appearance,” he agrees.
“You do that, Superstar.” I’m snickering as I leave the locker room.
At home, I’m not the only one who decided to make a pit stop. The twins beat me there, only they’re not raiding the liquor cabinet like I am. In fact, they’re changing out of their ripped jeans and T-shirts into the sweatpants and wifebeaters they usually wear at home.
“What are you guys doing?” I ask from Sawyer’s doorway. “Aren’t you coming to the Worthingtons’?”
“No.” Sebastian sounds reluctant to admit it.
“Oh. What are doing tonight, then?”
“Lauren wants to chill here,” he mumbles. “She’s on her way over now.”
Christ. Of course she does, and of course she is. Honestly, I thought Lauren was pretty cool last year, but that was before she started hanging around for more than just the occasional visit. The more I get to know her, the more I dislike her. She treats my brothers like they’re interchangeable. Like they’re just two little toys designed to amuse her.
But Seb and Sawyer seem to be okay with that, so I guess I have to be, too.
I follow my brothers downstairs. We reach the foyer just as the front doors open and Ella, Val, and Hartley appear.
“Hey, sexy ladies,” I say, whistling at my girls.
Ella and Val roll their eyes, but Hartley is too busy looking around the grand entrance. Her apprehension is obvious as she examines the twin staircases, endless ceiling, and smooth marble beneath her feet. I use her moment of distraction to examine her.
She looks cute tonight. She’s wearing jeans with rips on both knees, a dark purple tank top, and an unzipped black hoodie. Her hair is down, and she even put on a bit of makeup—mascara, and shiny lip-gloss that makes her mouth look wet and sexy.
The best thing on her, though, is my necklace.
She’s wearing it. Like, actually wearing it. And it looks great around her throat. I want to lay a kiss right at the bump of her collarbone.
“I forgot my phone,” Ella explains before darting upstairs to her bedroom.
“And I gotta hit the loo before we pay a visit to the Wicked Bitch of the East Coast,” Val declares and then disappears into the hall.
I snicker, but the humor dies once Hartley and I are alone. I’m dying to comment on the necklace but am afraid she’ll take it off, so I pretend not to notice. She continues to take in her fancy surroundings, but I don’t get the feeling she’s judging me. If anything, she looks sad.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
She nods, but she’s biting her bottom lip, an action I’m starting to associate with her nerves. Then her lips part and she releases a quick, shallow breath. “It’s just…” Her tone grows wistful. “Your house is really beautiful, Easton. All the glass…”
She’s referring to the enormous windows that make up most of my coastal mansion. “My mom loved the sunshine,” I admit. “She wanted the whole house to be full of natural light.” Except in the end. By then, there was no light in Mom’s life. Only darkness and depression that eventually pushed her over the edge.
Silence falls over the massive entryway. I hear Ella’s soft murmurs coming from upstairs, and the sound of running water from the hall bathroom.
“You know what,” Hartley says suddenly. “I think I’m just going to take off.”
Disappointment shoots through me. “What about the party?”
She shrugs. “I’m not in the mood.”
“Aw come on. You can’t bail now.”
Obviously she’s made up her mind, because she pulls her phone out of her pocket. “I’ll get an Uber.”
“That sucks,” I complain.
Her gray eyes slowly meet mine. “I really don’t feel like going to a party tonight, Easton.”
Something in her tone, that weird chord of sadness, has me dropping the issue. “Okay, fine. Then we’ll stay in.” I grab the phone from her hand and close the Uber app.
“What are you doing?” she protests.
“Listen up, Hartley Davidson. We played a ridiculously awesome game tonight and won the hell out of it. I want to celebrate.” I raise one eyebrow. “With my best friend.”
Hartley laughs out loud. “You’re really milking this best friend crap, aren’t you?”
“It’s not crap. I like chilling with you. And if you don’t want to go to the party, then we’ll chill here.” Felicity will lose her mind if I bail on our big performance, but she can fake break up with me any time. It doesn’t have to be tonight. “The twins and Lauren are staying home, too. We’ll all hit the game room and shoot some pool, or watch a movie in the media room. Or we can take a swim—the pool’s heated.”
She shifts awkwardly in her feet. “I don’t know…”
“It’s not even ten o’clock on a Friday. Live a little.” When she doesn’t answer, I challenge, “Are you working in the morning?”
“No,” she admits.
“Good. Then we’re hanging out here tonight. Forget the party.”
“That sounds like the best idea ever,” comes Ella’s voice.
She descends the stairs, but Val, who appears in the doorway behind us at the same time, immediately nixes that idea. “No,” she says to Ella. “I told you, we’re making a show of force tonight.”
“I think you’re totally giving Felicity too much credit,” Ella argues. “She’s harmless.”
“No, she’s not,” I say grimly. “I have to agree with Val on this, baby sis.”
Ella glowers at me. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. She’s already told me a bunch of times that she wants to run the school and how she has no problem taking you down.”
Ella’s eyes blaze with anger. “She really said that?”
“Yup.”
Val pins Ella with a stern look. “See? We need to show the bitch that Ella Harper O’Halloran Royal isn’t afraid of her.”
“Just Royal will do. And fine, I’ll go. But I still think you guys are making a big deal out of nothing.” Ella glances at me and Hartley. “So you guys are staying here?”
A tiny thrill shoots up my spine when Hartley responds with a quick nod. Those big gray eyes briefly lock with mine as she says, “I guess we are.”
Chapter 20
“Movie? Game? Food?” I offer after Val and Ella leave. I turn to the twins. “What are you all up for?”
The twins shrug and look to Lauren.
“Game is fine.” She eyes Hartley speculatively. “Unless you guys need alone time.”
“No, but I’m not good at games,” Hartley answers. “Unless we’re playing Pokémon. I can do that.”
God, she’s sweet. I chuckle. “I was thinking board game.”
“A board game?”
“Yeah, we have a ton of them. My…” I trail off as I remember Mom playing Chutes and Ladders with the twins and me when we were little. We’d sit in the nook in the kitchen. Her dark hair would come alive in the sunlight. I remember getting distracted trying to count all the colors.
“Your what?”
I shake it off. Not gonna get sappy tonight. “My mom used to love them. Remember when we played Chutes and Ladders with her?” I ask the twins.
“When we were five,” Sawyer says.
I hurry to change the subject. “How about Monopoly?”
The twins defer to Lauren. Again.
She smiles. “I’m good with Monopoly.”