Page 34 of Fast

The only guys I’ve been hanging out with since being sent to boarding school are my roommate, Sydney’s brother and his friends. I’ve been spending every holiday in Florida with her family after that first disastrous Christmas reunion with Mom.

There have been a couple of dates, a few good-night kisses, but nothing serious or noteworthy.

I should probably stop staring at them, but I can’t. I’m not the only one who’s staring anyway. Chance and Levin’s eyes are fixed on me too. I know they remember me, because they’re looking at me as if they’ve seen a ghost.

Taken individually, each of them is hot. But side by side? They’re like a dream come true.

Chance is almost too good looking with his golden blond hair and his intense, ocean blue eyes. Levin is just as tall and muscular, but he’s the epitome of dark and handsome. His dark brown hair is cut short on the sides and the back of his head, but it’s a little longer on the top. A lock of hair falls down onto his forehead in a sexy, almost defiant way. His eyes are an intense shade of emerald green.

My heart picks up its pace under their gazes. The memory of dancing between them on the beach, of kissing them both, has resurfaced in my mind countless times in the past two years.

Every time I was out on a date with one of Sydney’s friends, I couldn’t help but compare their kisses to Chance and Lev’s. That’s why none of those dates has ever turned into anything more. Because nothing has ever compared to how Chance and Lev made me feel.

I’m so caught up in the surprise of seeing them again that I don’t realize that we’ve been standing here for much longer than appropriate. My hand is still in Chance’s grip.

The spell we seem to be under is broken when someone clears their throat. “Chance,” Scott Hunter is looking at us with a mixture of surprise and irritation in his blue eyes. “Are you going to give Zara’s hand back any time today?”

Chance’s eyes widen, and he lets go of my hand as if it was on fire. He murmurs something about me looking familiar; that’s the confirmation I needed that he remembers me too.

“You too,” I smile. “And Lev.”

Scott claps his son’s shoulder, but his smile is directed at me. “Star Cove and Shell Cove are neighboring towns. It’s possible you saw each other around. But you’ll have all the time in the world to discuss that later. Why don’t we help Zara with her bags and give her some time to get settled and changed for dinner? I would have loved to grill some steak outside on the deck tonight,” his smile is apologetic. “But the town’s small business owners are hosting a special dinner at the Country Club. As mayor, it’s my duty to attend, and I thought why not make it a family outing at the same time? I’ll have to give a speech and shake a few hands, but after that, we’ll have time to talk and get to know each other.”

Mom chimes in, clapping her hands. “That sounds great. Why don’t we show Zara her room and then we can meet downstairs in about one hour? We’ll do a proper tour of the house tomorrow morning, before work.” Her tone is upbeat, and she’s smiling from ear to ear.

I haven’t seen Mom this happy since forever. Since Dad.

“Hmm, thank you, Mr. Hunter. But I?—”

“Zara,” Mom’s fiancé smiles. “Please call me Scott. I know you have a father, but we’re family now and I really hope you and I will become friends. With time, I would love to becomeanother paternal figure to you. I know we’ve just met, but it’s my intention to build us the kind of relationship I have with my sons. I’ve always wanted a daughter, and I feel like this is my chance.”

Mom takes his hand, her eyes shiny with barely contained tears. “Aww, sweetheart. That’s so sweet. I’m sure you and Zara will be great friends. She’s always been close to my ex-husband and she’ll be lucky to have another amazing man calling her his daughter.”

I don’t know how to feel about what she just said. Dad is far from perfect, but I love him.

I swallow those words, however. This is my second chance to build a better relationship with Mom. If Scott is part of the deal, I can give him a chance, too.

“Thank you, Scott.” I smile. “Dinner at the Country Club sounds great. I hope I have something suitable to wear. At school we had uniforms and I?—”

“I got you a couple of things, sweetie,” Mom intervenes. “We can go shopping this week to make sure you have more options for school, too. But I took the liberty of getting you a couple of dressy items to get you by until then. After all, you’re the mayor’s daughter now. Everything is already in your closet.”

My smile falters, but I do my best to hide it. I don’t know how to act around this new version of Mom. When I was a child, she was sweet but firm with me. After the divorce, her affectionate side had almost disappeared. She was so strict that I spent most of my time trying to elude her million rules.

It looks like Scott brought back her sweet side, but I can feel the underlying tension in her demeanor. She’s desperate for this blended family to work out, but she’s worried that I’ll fuck this up.

I guess she has a point being worried. We haven’t been on the best of terms since she shipped me off to boarding school. To be honest, we haven’t been on any terms.

The reality is that she could have written me off. I’m eighteen and she doesn’t really owe me anything. This might be her overcompensating for the last two years; and while her intensity is a little disconcerting, I appreciate her attempt to salvage a relationship between us.

“Thank you, Mom.” I smile. “Hopefully, what you got me will fit me.”

Her smile widens. “Of course, baby girl. Don’t forget that I had to sign all your school paperwork, including your uniform orders.”

Right.

Then all I can hope is that she didn’t get the same style of clothes she always tried to put me in when I was in my tweens and early teens. Mom has always been a girly girl, while I would live in jean cut-offs and tank tops.

“Chance, sweetheart,” Mom smiles. “Do you mind helping Zara with her suitcase? You know where her room is. I need to get ready too and I don’t want to make the mayor late. Unfortunately, the times when a little lip gloss and a swipe of mascara were enough to look pretty are long gone.”

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