Page 35 of It Should Have Been Me

“Ah, here we go again,” I say with a suppressed laugh.

My father is always taking jabs like that at me, but I know he’s proud of me and what I’ve achieved, especially because I achieved it all on my own. I haven’t taken a cent from my parents since the day I left home.

“Hey, Eddy,” Keith calls from the kitchen. “You want some breakfast before we leave?”

“Sure, Keith.” My dad leaves us to join Keith, Dylan, and Mrs. H in the kitchen.

Taking a step toward her, I close the gap between us, my eyes fixated on her perky tits. It’s really hard to ignore them. “Starla, Carla, you ladies lookamazingthis morning.” My gaze travels up from her chest to meet the unimpressed smirk on her face. “Cat...you’re kinda cute, too.”

“Did he just greet your boobs?” Peter asks from beside me.

“Yeah.” Cat gives a slow nod, as if it’s simultaneously offensive and expected. “They have names now.”

“Hmm...can I meet them?”

“I’ll fucking slaughter you, Pete.”

He laughs even though he knows full well that I’m not joking. “Geez, relax. You know I’m just kidding. I’m totally holding out for her mother.”

“I heard that,” Keith yells from the kitchen.

Peter steps away from us and into the open-plan kitchen, taking a seat next to my dad on a barstool at the island. “What’s for breakfast this morning, Mrs. Diaz?”

“It’s Mrs. Hart,” Keith corrects, but Pete pretends he doesn’t hear him.

“Any chanceyoumight be on the menu?”

“Sorry, Peter. There’s onlycaballeros pobresonon the menu today.” Mrs. H giggles at his antics because she knows he just does it to annoy Keith.

“What about tomorrow? I could come by when your husband’s not around.”

Keith just shakes his head. “When are you going to stop flirting with my wife, Peter?”

“When she stops being so attractive, Keith.”

“So...never?”

“Yeah, about then.”

Their chatter becomes background noise when I focus my attention on Cat again. She stretches her arms before doing a few lunges, stretching out her legs as well.

“Going for a run?” I ask.

“Yep, I’m gonna go for a...long, hard...run. I can’t think of anythingbetterthat would get my lungs burning and my legs numb,” she teases with a sassy smile. “Can you?”

I chuckle but don’t reply to that question.

She tries to keep a serious face as she straightens again. “And then I’m going to come back and eat some cake. I hear the combination doesincrediblethings for the body.”

I catch the strap of her tank top with my forefinger, toying with it as I urge her closer. “Incredibleis an understatement.”

And there it is. That unmistakable intensity in her dark brown eyes. I’m not deluding myself. She still wants me.

“This is becoming a habit of yours.” It’s unclear if the firmness in her voice is directed at me or herself. “You need to stop touching me, Scott.”

“You need to stop letting me, Cat.”

I wink at her, and her annoyance only amuses me more, but I end the conversation there and walk to the kitchen to have breakfast with the rest of the guys. After polishing off Mrs. H’s deliciouscaballeros pobreson, the five of us load up into my SUV and drive to the basketball courts behind the school I used to tutor at.

---