Page 12 of Treacherous

"My daughter Hope is in your grade – although you haven't met her yet," Lee said with a smile. "We just got back last night. We've been out of state visiting family for most of the summer."

"Oh cool, I …ah met the rest of your family last weekend." Shifting awkwardly I added. "I meant to stop by and thank Mr. Carter again for what he did – he kinda saved my butt with the next-door neighbors."

I wrinkled my nose in distaste and liked my new neighbor even more when she did the same.

"Ellie and Noah." Lee nodded wisely as if she felt my pain. "Hope and Ellie have been at each other's throats since freshman year," she mused. "Noah's so different to her …troubled."

I raised my brows in distaste. "Oh he's trouble alright…"

"Mom."

A male voice bellowed and my attention immediately fell on the huge man-child walking down the Carter's driveway.

"That douchebag fucked with the shower on purpose. The water's off and I'm cold, I'm wet, I'm fucking late for school and I'm covered in some pink shit that I can only describe as Hope's lip-gloss."

Which Carter brother was he again? I could barely tell them apart…

"Did you ask him nicely?" Lee asked what appeared to be her son.Her son on steroids.

Holy hell. What was in the water around here? Were all the guys in Boulder this…buff?

"Yes," the man-child – the seriously sculpted, half-naked, wrapped-in-a-teeny-tiny-towel man-child – called back sarcastically. "But I'm afraid I don't speak horse."

Man-child's attention fell on me and he grinned unabashedly at me.

"How's my Galway girl?" he purred with a wink and I immediately remembered which Carter boy I was looking at.

He was the slutty brother.

"Hey Cameron," I said with a small wave as I mentally scolded myself for giving him that piece of information. I especially regretted it when he began to sing Galway girl at the top of his voice, wrapped in a towel, in his driveway.

"This is bad," Lee muttered under her breath before glancing nervously at me. "Last time this happened I had to take Cam to the emergency department. Colton switched his body lotion with baby-oil." Lee winced. "It was awful," she whispered. "He slipped and broke his nose on the side of the bathtub."

I struggled to keep a straight face when I nodded and said, "That must've been awkward."

"Tell me about it." Lee sighed heavily. "I could barely look the doctor in the face when I arrived back to the hospital less than two hours later with a different son – Cam broke Colt's nose in retaliation."

"Yeah," Cam snapped, suddenly serious again as he stalked over to where we were standing and took the bear – dog's – leash out of his mother's hand, before pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Glad you're home, mom," he grumbled as he sauntered back towards his house with Ralph. "But here's a little warning, you're gonna be minus a son if he doesn't turn it back on."

Lee sighed wearily before shaking her head and following her son back to the house.

"Oh, have a nice first day at school, honey," she called out.

I should have felt creeped out that Lee Carter was calling mehoneyhaving met me less than five minutes ago, but there was something about her. Warmth oozed from her and I found myself grinning like an idiot and waving back at her.

****

Chapter 3

Noah

Please, Noah, I know what you said last time you visited, but you can't do that.

You know what he'll do if that happens and I… I need this.

You can't abandon me like I'm nothing.

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