Page 30 of Just Like That

“You like pie?” I slid a small paper plate with a slice of pie in front of him.

Teddy poked it with a fork and tried to dissect it.

“Here.” I took a large forkful of pie from my plate and shoved it in my mouth. “See? It’s good.”

Satisfied, Teddy took a scoop and shoved it into his mouth. He smiled and nodded, and something shifted in my chest. I bumped my shoulder into his and took another bite. When I looked up, Hazel was staring.

“What?” I asked around a mouthful of pie.

My sister MJ leaned toward Hazel. “Did your heart just melt? Because mine did.” MJ sighed and rested her chin on her hand. “You’re so cute.”

“I am not cute,” I grumbled, shoving the last bite of pie into my mouth. “And stop talking about your melting heart. We’re Kings.”

The women laughed, and I suppressed the smile that threatened to spread across my face. I needed to keep my attention on Teddy. I was supposed to be getting to know him, not obsessing over his far-too-tempting aunt.

MJ and Hazel had started talking about her skoolie when their conversation piqued my interest.

“What about taking a hot bath? Or even a shower?” MJ asked.

Hazel smiled, seemingly used to the question. “No baths, unfortunately. There is a shower in the skoolie, but it’s not great. A lot of times I find it easier to visit a campsite with showers rather than having to constantly empty the gray water tanks.”

I frowned. That was inconvenient ... and also kind of gross.

“But even with the rooms there’s hardly any privacy, right? You’re practically on top of one another, I’d guess.” MJ was curious, but I still noticed the subtle shift in Hazel’s energy.

There wasn’t a malicious bone in MJ’s body, but I could detect that Hazel wasn’t used to the nosy, direct questioning of my curious little sister.

To make matters worse, my ever-wary brother Abel decided to step in. “You should be mindful of predators. A woman and child traveling solo is a risk.” He’d spent time in prison and couldn’t help his mind from wandering to the worst-case scenario in many situations.

“If you want,” he continued, “the brewery has twenty-four-seven security cameras. It wouldn’t be a problem if you parked there.”

“Or if you need a break from the bus,” his wife Sloane interjected, “there’s a cute little bed-and-breakfast we love—the Wild Iris.”

It was clear we weren’t all in on some inside joke as Abel’s cheeks flamed red and Sloane playfully leaned into him with a giggle.

Lee Sullivan leaned far back in his chair. His eyes sparkled with mischief. “There’s a couple of guys down at the fire station who wouldn’t mind a little security detail. They’re used to overnight hours and would be happy to make sure no one bothered a pretty woman like yourself ... maybe even show you around town on their days off.”

His eyebrows waggled.

When my eyes narrowed to slits in his direction, he tipped his chin toward me. “Besides, that’s not really your kind of thing, right, boss?”

Royal cackled from his seat at the end of the table. “You’re not wrong. JP was born with a ledger in his hand and a stick up his ass.”

The collective laughter grated on my nerves.

“There’s a reason they called himJohnny Protocolin high school,” Wyatt offered with a chuckle.

“I thought it wasJust Perfect?” Lark asked her husband with a frown.

Apparently busting my balls had become a cross-family affair.

“Are we done?” I asked, doing my best to appear unaffected by their playful ribbing. In fact, none of the childish nicknames from high school carried any weight.

I followed protocol because Ihad to. I tried to be perfect because if I wasn’t, I was met with my father’s disdain.

It became clear early on that the weight of King Equities was mine to bear, and every decision I made was so that they didn’t have to.

I did it to protect my siblings, whether they knew that or not.

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