Page 7 of Sweetest Hate

My stomach rumbled in response to the promise of food. "Yes, please."

"Then hurry up and come make them. I'm hungry too." She giggled to herself.

I snorted, not surprised at all that she thought she was the funniest person in the room at all times. I swore it was a rivalry between my parents.

Chuckling, I heaved my heavy luggage down the hall and took in the familiarity of my childhood bedroom. A dark-gray comforter and pillow set covered my full-sized bed, and the black furniture had been kept clean and free of dust. Vintage posters of my favorite blues and rock bands covered the walls, and it smelled as if she'd recently cleaned the space, which told me it had been my room she'd been working on. After dumping my bags next to my closet, I headed back to the kitchen, where I found my mom placing cheese on the ham sandwiches she was putting together.

"Thank you for cleaning my room," I told her. "And forslavingaway over lunch."

She wiped her forehead, as if swiping away sweat from hard labor before passing me the sandwich on a paper plate across the counter. "Someone has to do the heavy lifting around here. What are you boys getting up to tonight? I don't think for a second you'll stay holed up in this house for long."

"Going out for pizza with Quinn and the guys in a little bit." Even though the trip hadn't been overly long, with the AC in my car struggling to keep up with the stifling Georgia heat, I was already tired. "Other than that, I'll probably head back here and crash."

She nodded as she snagged a coffee cup from the cupboard. "You just got home. Promise me you'll spend a little time here with us."

"I will. I'll probably sleep for days." Which sounded amazing at the moment.

My mom shot me a wry grin. "Uh-huh. We'll see." She fiddled with the coffee pot and glanced over her shoulder. "Is Quinn still heading out tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah. I think they plan on leaving for the lake pretty early," I answered after swallowing a giant bite. I carried the plate to the table where I sat and shoved the sandwich back in my mouth. She took the chair across from me, holding the steaming coffee.

"I think Quinn will have a nice time. I know he hasn't spent a lot of time with Bill, but he is nice and makes Ivy happy."

"Quinn likes Bill too." I paused, recalling my best friend's issues with his stepbrother. Curious about what she might know about him, I fished for information. "Apparently, Arsen's decided to tag along to the cabin. Did you know that?"

She shook her head and took a sip of the nasty black coffee. "Ivy didn't mention that."

"I think he changed his mind about going, today," I explained. "Quinn isn't a fan of his."

Mom's brows dipped. "Why not?"

I shrugged. "He just said Arsen's an asshole."

"Language." My mom frowned, clearly not happy with my description.

"Sorry. Just repeating what he said." I shrugged, tearing off another chunk of the sandwich.

Her nails tapped against the ceramic cup. "Ivy said he was quiet most of the time when he visited over Christmas. Maybe even a bit withdrawn, but she liked him a lot, so something must have happened. Maybe this trip will be a good thing for them. Maybe Arsen and Quinn just need to warm up to the idea of a new family."

"Maybe," I agreed, but from the way Quinn acted about Arsen I was pretty much lying. She didn't seem to have any more information on Quinn's stepbrother, so I shifted topics.

"Where's Dad. He at work?"

While nodding, she set her cup down again. "We weren't expecting you until later, but he should be home by the time you get back."

"Sounds good." I dusted the crumbs from my hands onto the plate. "I need to grab a shower before I head out. Do you need me to do anything first?"

"No, you go on ahead. I need to make a trip to the grocery store. We'll catch up more when you get back." Mom stood and dumped the remaining coffee down the sink.

Standing as well, I carried my plate to the trash and then popped a kiss on her blond hair. "It's a date."

She patted my arm, and then I headed back down the hall, grabbing some clean clothes from my bag before taking a shower.

A half-hour had passed by the time I was finally dressed in a pair of worn black cargo shorts paired with a deep red Breaking Benjamin t-shirt. Grabbing my phone, I texted Quinn.

Me:You ready?

Quinn:Yep. Shawn and a few buddies are going to meet us there.

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