Page 10 of Strictly Business

Elizabeth doesn’t answer, her attention turns back to the food spread. It’s quiet for a moment while we wait for her answer, but she never does. I look between the siblings who share a knowing glance, a private conversation I’m not privy to, before Nina motions toward me.

“Okay, well, I’m gonna go see if Mom and Dad are here yet,” I say, but no one acknowledges me. Only after I step outside do I feel like I can breathe again. The vibe quickly shifted to something much heavier when Kai brought up Josh. Now that I think about it, that’s the first time Nina hinted at knowing I was in the room — her eyes quickly shifting toward me before glaring back at her brother. I was missing a piece of the puzzle, something between the three Villa siblings that the rest of us weren’t aware of. I don’t know what that could have to do with my brother.

I take a quick step back when a black Escalade pulls into the circle parking in front of the steps. Tinted windows hide the driver from view. Who the hell is this?

Seconds later, a white Mercedes zips down the driveway pulling into the garage — found Josh.

“I didn’t know they were offering valet service.”

That voice. There’s no fucking way. They wouldn’t invite him. He’s not even family. Shouldn’t he be in Prague or Amsterdam or whatever the latest party city is in Europe right now.

“Why the long face, Shortcake? Not happy to see me?”

Finnley Sheffield.

God, I wish I could smack that smug look off his face.

“I thought that was you!” My brother clamps down on Finn’s shoulder disrupting our stare-off. “Glad you could make it.”

“You know I wouldn’t miss a chance to hang with the fam.”

“What is he doing here?” I hiss at Josh.

“Oh, c’mon, Shortcake, don’t be like that. I know you missed me.” Finn outstretches his hand toward me like he’s going to ruffle my hair, but I swat him away.

“Don’t call me that.” I despise the nickname. Shortcake. He has always called me that and I cringe every time. Where did it come from? I have no idea, probably because I’ve always been the shortest person around. I can’t help it if I was the only one in the family not to inherit the Davis height genes. I turn back to my brother, “What is he doing here?”

“We ran into each other in town yesterday, so I invited him over,” Josh shrugs like it’s no big deal. “Mom and Dad will want to see him before he jets off again.”

“I’m going to be sticking around for a while,” Finn says. He opens the back of his Cadillac and pulls out a decent-sized box covered in wrapping paper with the poop emoji on it. So glad to know we’ve all grown up.

“What did Mommy and Daddy cut off your allowance?” I roll my eyes when Josh shoots me a glare.

“From those split ends and your outfit, I’d say Nina did too.”

“Alright, you two, enough,” Josh laughs. “Can’t we agree to get along for one day?”

“Easier said than done, Joshy-boy,” Finn says walking past me up the steps.

Josh rolls his eyes but turns to me with a pleading look. “For Dad and Uncle Jim, can you please not start any shit today?”

“I’m not the one who started it!”

“Just behave for one day; that’s all I ask.”

Is Josh telling me to behave? He invited the devil himself to our family party. You can’t invite Jabba the Hut to the party and expect me to be okay with it.

Behind us, I hear two cars pull up; they park behind Finn’s Cadillac in the circle. Josh wastes no time turning away from our conversation to greet them.

“The party has arrived!” Dad says before rushing to the passenger side to help Mom out of the car. One of the small things he’s always done for her — opening the door whenever she’s getting in or out of the car, absolutely refusing to let her do it herself, even if it means getting soaking wet in the rain or sweating his ass off a few second longer in the summer heat.

“We were starting to think you got lost,” Josh jokes, hugging our parents and then Uncle Jim.

“Your father decided this morning was a good time to trim the trees around the house,” Mom remarks shooting him a glare.

Dad shrugs, “Needed to be done.”

“Well, c’mon. Everyone else is here and food should be about done. I just have to throw the burgers on the grill.” Josh ushers them up the steps and into the house, shooting me another warning glare on his way.

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