Page 20 of Seeds of Malice

Dax stares at me for a moment, then sighs. He shakes his head and turns to his brother. "Fine. You can come."

"Well, don't do me any favors."

"Then stay home."

"No. All of us can go," I interject, appreciating Cooper's love of sailing and excitement around it.

"And she's a do-gooder," Avery mutters.

"Shut up," Dax spits at her.

I ignore her. "So it's settled, then? The three of us will go tomorrow once I finish unpacking?"

"And me," Bobby interjects.

"Plus me. You wouldn't want to exclude us, would you, Ivy?" Avery whines.

My gut dives, but I force myself to smile. "No. Of course I wouldn't."

"Great. Have you sailed before?" she asks.

"No," I admit.

"Sorry. That was a dumb question." Her lips turn into a thin line.

My chest tightens.

"Snob," Dax and Cooper say at the same time.

Bobby drops a platter of burgers on the counter. "Time to eat."

Cooper grabs a bun and cheeseburger and puts it on a plate. "Ivy, what do you want on yours?"

"She can make her own food. You shouldn't be waiting on her, anyway. So inappropriate," Avery scolds.

"Inappropriate?" Cooper snarls.

"Please. Her dad's on payroll."

"Jesus, Avery. Knock it off!" Dax warns.

Heat floods my face. I shouldn't be embarrassed. My father does work for their family.

"Does your face always turn red so easily?" Bobby asks.

"Bobby!" Dax threatens.

"What? She looks like the tomato she just cut up," he claims.

My face turns even hotter, and I scold myself for reacting, but I can't help it. Since I was little, I've shown my embarrassment through my cheeks.

Why am I embarrassed about my father working here?

I'm not.

I don't belong here.

I blurt out, "Maybe I should go home and finish unpacking."

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