“Who’s that?”
“One of Austin’s brothers,” she said. “I don’t think you’ve met him. He looks like a rocker. He’s not a bad guy, it’s just that he likes to party. Hard. He’s not the kind of guy I want to see you get mixed up with. I don’t know if his band will be coming, but his version of partying and ours are not even in the same zip code.”
“You don’t think I need a bad boy?”
She humphed and swung her purse over her shoulder. “There’s a difference between a bad boy and a boy that’s bad for you. Jericho is bad for you. He’s a one-night stand who drinks, smokes, and does drugs.”
Definitely not my type. “What about dessert?”
“Shoot. I forgot about that,” she said gruffly. “I’m not going to stress. Guys sit around eating popcorn and trail mix, so that’ll work for me.”
“Sounds good. Cheesecake won’t feed an army like pretzels will. Plus, it’ll melt. Cheese dip or salsa will stain your floor, so if you want dip, we can grab onion or ranch and a few bags of chips.”
Lexi smiled. “I’m glad you’re coming, April. I never get to hang out with you outside of work.”
“I need to be home before three; I have something to do before coming over tonight. My friend Trevor is still going.”
“Still? Was there a reason he wasn’t?”
I cleared my throat and used my pinky finger to move away a chunk of bangs that kept sliding in front of my eye. “He got into a fistfight with Reno.”
She gasped and ripped the curtain closed again. “What? He didn’t tell me this! What happened?”
“I have no idea. Trevor thought Reno needed to mind his own business and Reno punched his lights out. If you don’t want him to come, I’ll understand.”
“No,” she said decidedly. “I’ll have a talk with Reno and make sure he stays away from you two. He’s not someone I’ve warmed up to in the house as quickly as the others. A wealth of information, but not very social and way too serious. I’m just surprised he did that; I wonder if I should tell Austin.”
“Don’t start up any family drama. Come on, Alexia. Sorry, I mean Lexi.”
She dramatically opened the curtain. “We’re going to make some tails wag tonight.”
Chapter 9
After we loaded up the truck with groceries for the cookout, Lexi drove back to her house and showed me how to get there.
“Wow,” I gasped, leaning my head out the open window. “This is huge!”
“That’s what I said last night.”
Her phone rang and I unbuckled my seat belt.
“Hold on,” she said. “Hello? Hi, Maze! Are you having a good time, sweetie? You are? … Wow. Your big sis misses you. Tell me all about the pool.”
While Lexi carried on with her little sister, I grabbed a few paper bags from the trunk and glanced at the house again. It was gorgeous. Two, maybe three stories, and a balcony filled with yellow and orange chrysanthemums. White shutters bordered each window, and a long porch wrapped around the front and sides of the house. Lexi mentioned it had once been a hotel many years ago. I couldn’t imagine who would have come out this far to stay at a hotel, but I guess some people have money and just like to get away from it all. Wooden wind chimes clacked together from a pear tree on the right, and a child’s swing hung from an oak tree a few feet away. I wasn’t sure what to make of it all. Horseshoes, rocking chairs on the long porch, a purple bottle of bubbles on one of the steps, a bunch of cars and a motorcycle to the left, and a giant wooden sign nailed on the house that said Weston.
“Austin! I need some help,” Lexi shouted out.
The door swung open and Reno stepped outside.
My breath caught.
He didn’t notice me as he jogged down the steps to help Lexi. I just stood there mutely, peering at him from between two paper bags. The closer he got, the more nervous I became and I wanted to flee. He wasn’t the kind of guy I imagined myself turning stupid over, but there I was, feeling a mantastic episode coming on.
My heart pounded against my chest with each step he took across the grass in his black boots. And then he noticed me.
And stopped.
My heart stopped too.
“Reno, you remember April. I heard you beat up her friend,” Lexi chided.
“I’m sorry,” I said, peering up at him between the bags. He squinted as if he didn’t want me to see his eyes—his beautiful brown eyes that I had only glimpsed briefly in the store. He’d shaved since I’d last seen him. Not a single rogue whisker poked out from his jaw. It was so smooth that I had a silly urge to touch his cheeks. Reno had a brush cut—trimmed on the sides and longer on the top with short sideburns. Perfectly styled and brushed. Reno’s gaze intimidated me, yet there was something familiar about him that I couldn’t put my finger on.