Page 30 of Along Comes Trouble

“She’s in for a rude awakening, then isn’t she?” David grabs the deck of cards and starts shuffling. “There isn’t a romantic bone in Colton’s body .”

Sarah swipes up her cards and sits back. “That’s what I keep trying to tell her but apparently, whatever you did to her knocked something loose up there.” She twirls a finger near her temple .

Liam laughs. “There is no way this is going to end well, is there ?”

“Man. I am begging you.” David leans toward me. “Claire only has, like, six months left in this poor woman’s class. Please, please hold off on ruining things until the summer .”

“Dude. You wound me.” I put a hand over my heart. “Who says I’m going to break her heart ?”

“You’re busy banging and she’s making sweet, sweet love. I’d say that’s the first step towards heartbreak if I’ve ever heard it.” Ty leans back in his seat. “And, for the record, some of us have wives and children that will put a time limit on our afternoon. So, if we could get this game started sooner rather than later, that’d be great .”

Liam and David nod their agreement and everyone studies their cards. I clamp my mouth shut on my next remark because I don’t want their commentary on whatever this is between Tessa and me, especially if they’re going to be assholes about it. I’m the one who started it, but as soon as the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them. As much as I’d love to know how Tessa is feeling, that’s between her and me, not me and my family and friends .

“Has Tessa seen your trailer yet?” Sarah asks as she studies her hand .

I shake my head. “Nope. Not yet .”

“Oh, man.” Sarah widens her eyes. “Does she even know about the trailer yet ?”

I draw my eyebrows together. “I don’t know. Maybe? What’s it even matter ?”

“Wow.” Sarah rearranges the cards in her hand. “This is not going to go well. Tessa is way more about the white picket fence and neighborhood get-togethers than double wides out in a field .”

Sarah’s words trigger a memory of Tessa admitting to driving past the diner a million times and never once considering going inside. It spins in my stomach and for the first time since I bought the thing, I worry about what my trailer might say about me .

“What is this? Gang up on Colton night?” I flip my hat around backward. “Can’t we just play cards and stop worrying about all the ways Tessa and me won’t work?” I stand for another beer, mostly needing a chance to calm myself down before these assholes start in on me again. I get it. I’m easy to make fun of. And I’m well aware that Tessa is out of my league. I don’t need my so-called friends pointing it out for me during what’s supposed to be a fun Sunday afternoon .

Thankfully, by the time I sit back down, the conversation has moved on. We get the game underway and Sarah fits in like she never left .

“You know,” David says to her after several bad hands and good jokes. “You should consider stopping by for breakfast someday. I know Mom and Dad would love to see you .”

Sarah shakes her head. “Uh-uh. No way. It’s weird enough being here with you two fools. I’m not ready to face the inquisition that will be waiting for me with Mom and Dad .”

David covers her hand with his. “I know you guys have some shit to work through, but they’re good people, Sarah. It’s time to let bygones be bygones, you know ?”

“That’s super easy to say when you’re you. Colton and I had a very different experience than you did, Captain America .”

David removes his hand from hers. “I hate it when you call me that .”

“Why? It’s not wrong. You’re an overachieving champion of right. The golden boy who can do no wrong.” She shakes her head, her eyes flashing with decades of pent-up frustration .

“Come on, Sarah. That’s not fair .”

She sighs, visibly forcing herself to relax. “It’s not your fault. I get it. You can’t help that you were born first and earned all of Mom and Dad’s…everything. But what is there for Colton and me? You get the house. The farm. The legacy. Meanwhile, he’s living in a trailer in your backyard and me? I’m just glad I got the fuck out of here .”

“Sarah…” I fold my cards together and put them on the table .

She points a finger at me. “No way. Don’t start. You might be perfectly fine to take his table scraps, but I’m not.” She shakes her head. “It was made clear early on that I’m on my own. Not only was I born last but I had the audacity to be a female, and you know what? I’m better off without them. I’m happy to forge my own path. I like who I am and what I do, and Mom and Dad will never understand that. So, no. I don’t think me coming to a breakfast would be a good idea .”

I frown, my sister’s words echoing in my head. Take David’s table scraps? That hits home. Hard. From giving up on football so Mom and Dad had the help they needed, to losing my place here on the farm because he threw away the dream I handed him to come home. I’ve spent my whole life being second to David, but no one forced those choices on me. I made each one all by myself, fully aware of the consequences. And in the long run, what does any of it matter? Sarah says she’s happy, setting out on her own and abandoning the family like she has, but actions speak louder than words. There’s not much about what Sarah does that makes me think she’s happy .

Liam and Ty stare at their cards, their laps, anything except the three of us. David looks like he’s moved passed offended and gone straight to royally pissed off. His nostrils flare and he smacks the table. “I never did anything to deserve your hatred, Sarah. You’ve always been such a…” David rubs a hand over his mouth and closes his eyes. “You know what? Forget I even said anything. It’s not worth it .”

This would be the perfect time for a joke because the mood needs lightened and pronto. I try on a quip about me banging Tessa, but for some reason, it falls flat in my head. Instead, I settle on poking fun at Ty .

“Are you taking notes right now?” I ask him. “So you know what to avoid with Gabe and Christian ?”

He bobs his head. “Most definitely .”

Liam rearranges his cards. “And I’m starting to think Bailey is smart to make us wait to have kids. I would have sworn the Carmichaels did everything right, especially compared to what my mother called parenting.” He shakes his head and raises his eyebrows .

I lift my beer. “To family,” I say, smiling as widely as I can. My siblings and friends lift their bottles and clink them against mine .

“To family,” they say and we all drink deeply .

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