“Boo!” Piper jolts her shoulder into mine. “Are you free, big brother?”
“Yeah, I’m free.” My gaze is still lost in Cassidy’s direction. There’s no way I wanted her to be late for class, but the intro would have only taken a second. “I was about to introduce you to someone, but it looks like she got away.”
“She?” Her eyes spring wide, blue as twin robin’s eggs. “Let’s get a cup of coffee, and you can tell me all about her.”
We head down to Hallowed Grounds, and I buy us both something tall, dark, and bitter while Piper prattles on and on about the good time she had this weekend with Owen.
“So, what did you do other than hang out?” I ask, trying my hardest to be happy for her—and I am, with the exception of knowing what Owen might be doing with her after dark. Still can’t wrap my head around that, don’t want to.
We head back outside with our dinks and fall into a couple of seats that just opened up at a table near the front.
“Saturday morning, we picked up his little sister, Ava, and went to see Aubree. She’s the one in prison.” That’s right. Owen’s sister is doing time for pushing some poor chick off a fucking cliff, then trying to cover it up by making it look like a suicide. I look skyward for a second, wondering if madness like that can be passed down in the gene pool. Piper and Owen are pretty serious. I know for a fact they’re thinking long-term. If they get hitched one day and have kids—
“Would you stop with the runaway brain?” She kicks me from under the table. Piper has always been pretty good at deciphering what I’m feeling. “Owen and I are perfect. There’s no dark, spooky, shadow waiting to pop up in our future.”
“Got it.”
Every ounce of sarcasm drips from her features—a difficult feat, considering she specializes in the art.
“Speaking of dark, spooky, shadows popping out to frighten people,” she whispers.
“Piper James, is that you?” a female voice calls from behind.
I cringe and close my eyes a moment before turning around. Sammy Spears isn’t a horrible person. I wish she were. It would be that much easier to ignore her. But she’s basically a good person who seems genuinely sorry for what’s happened to us. And that’s what makes this moment right here pretty much unavoidable.
“Hey, Sammy.” I nod up at her as she lands in the seat between Piper and me.
“Sammy Spears.” Piper’s sarcastic drawl is back stronger than ever. “If you’ve trekked all the way to North Carolina looking to bag my brother’s roommate, I’m happy to tell you you’ve wasted your time. He’s a fucking canine who isn’t interested in bitches like you. Go on and scuttle back to the airport. You need a ride? I’ve got a broomstick you can borrow.”
Sammy leans back and shrugs. That sweet smile of hers that I used to think was so cute reprises itself and disarms the situation.
“I get it. You’re still pissed. But I’ve apologized, and Cade has agreed to try to start over again—as friends.” She’s pleading with Piper to understand. Her hair is slicked back tight into a ponytail, giving her that severe look that makes her look a little less friendly than she really is. With Piper, you need every edge you can get. “I swear I’m content with that.” She shoots me a look through the side of her eye that contests this on some level. “I just saw the two of you sitting here and wanted to say hello. I didn’t mean to interrupt your conversation.”
“The hell you didn’t.” Piper isn’t letting up. “In fact, why don’t you stick around? We were just getting to the good part. Cade here was about to tell me all about this hot new girl who’s warming his bed.” She cuts her gaze to me. “What was her name again?”
Crap. “No.” I sigh at my sister. “Look, this isn’t the time or the place.”
“What?” She inches back, affronted by my refusal to knife my new girlfriend into Sammy’s back. I’m not about that. I’ve never been about that. “Are you afraid of hurting Little-Miss-Let’s-See-What-Dave-Barn’s-Penis-Tastes-Like?”
“Piper!” I bark her name out so loud, every person in the vicinity turns to look in our direction.
“Don’t worry.” She collects her things quick as a hurricane. “I get it. You’re too much of a gentleman to hurt Sammy Sunshine’s feelings. Well, I’m not too much of a lady!” She hoists her backpack up over her shoulder and leans into Sammy’s face. “You’re a two-timing whore who’s sorry she ever cheated on my brother, and, now, you’re here sniveling to have him back. Well, guess what, skank? He’s taken. He’s taken, and he’s in love. That’s right. You heard it here first. He’s so in love he can’t see straight. So anything you’ve got cooking in that little bag of tricks of yours isn’t going to work. Roll it up and go home. Game over. You lose.” She struts off into a bloom of sunshine that whitewashes my sister and all of the sins she’s just committed. I may not be in love with Sammy anymore, but I sure as hell don’t want to see her treated that way.