Page 11 of Crash

“Me and that viper? She’ll probably die alone. And I’m not dating ever,” I remind her.

I feel a sharp slap at the back of my head.

“I told you to shut up about that,” Jake says.

I rub the back of my head only to get a nasty look from Chris.

“Why is everyone so protective of her? She’s mean. Whatever it is, I’m siding with her dad. The man put up with her all these years. Can you imagine what his life has been like living with someone so—”

The bedroom door opens, and Jake warns me to keep my mouth shut. I continue to wipe the now clean counter as the three women walk back into the dining room. Vivienne is in the middle, and Tash and Sandy both have an arm around her. I try to resist the eye roll, but I’m not successful. She sees it and her sadness immediately morphs into anger. Her nostrils flare and her eyes form into angry slits. We stare at each other, both of us daring the other to speak first.

“You want something to eat, Vivi?” Tash asks.

“I’ll fix her a plate, Tash. Sit down, sweetie.” She finally breaks our glaring contest and takes a seat at the table. She sits at the head of the table, giving me her back. I’d bet my trust fund she did that on purpose.

Fine by me. She’s a mess from what I saw. Her hair is a mess, as usual. The dark brown hair is wavy, but it’s untamed. Someone should introduce her to a brush. The few freckles on the bridge of her nose were visible. She usually does a better job of covering them with makeup. Her dark brown eyes are red and puffy from crying, as are her cheeks. Her black sweats are wrinkled and much too big for her lithe body.

She’s normally more put together than this, but it’s not my problem. I do take some comfort in knowing she probably hates that I’m seeing her like this. I should leave and let her have some peace, but I won’t.

Instead, I pour myself a glass of water and take the seat opposite her. Her brown eyes land on mine immediately. Her plush lips automatically purse as if she’s tasted something sour. She cuts her eyes at me and looks away.

“You can come home with me and Chris, Vivi,” Tash says as she gently strokes the she-devil’s hair. I could swear I saw horns. “We have a wedding to go to tomorrow though.”

“That’s okay. I can just hang out there.”

Sandy puts a plate of food in front of her and slowly picks up the fork.

“Sweetie, you should be around people. You stay with me and Jake, okay?”

She-devil looks at Jake, who smiles at her and nods. No surprise there. He does whatever makes Sandy happy.

“I don’t want to intrude. You two are practically newlyweds,” she says, her voice small.

I practically live here, and no one cares. Why is she acting like them being newlyweds is a big deal? Since when does she have manners?

“It’s no bother, Vivi. You stay as long as you like,” Jake says.

“Thank you. I’d rather not be alone.”

I can’t help it. I can’t hold in my snort. Rather not be alone? She’s going to die alone. Didn’t she get the memo? She turns her devil eyes on me again. Tash and Sandy fuss over her, while Chris, Troy, and Tracy gather their kids. Soon, everyone has left, but I still haven’t made any move to leave. I watch, fascinated, as she eats the entire plate of pasta and meatballs. It was piled high. Too high for someone so tiny, but she doesn’t leave a bite.

“You headed home, Luke?” Jake asks.

“The creator and mom are out of town. You know how much I hate being alone in that big house.” I shrug at my big brother. This is the part where he tells me to get lost, and I ignore him and crash in the guest room that I’ve claimed for myself.

Before he opens his mouth, the little minx snorts. I turn to face her, and she smirks at me before giving me a dirty look.

“Well, go home or go stay with Troy,” Jake says.

“Food’s better over here.” I stand up and do an exaggerated stretch. My shirt rides up, exposing a good part of my lower abs. I don’t miss Vivienne’s gaze on my body. I also don’t miss the eye roll. “I’ll take care of the dogs for you two in the morning so you can sleep in.” That’s always my ticket to spending the night. The idea of sleeping in always works on Jake. “I’ll take my usual room.”

I don’t wait for him to speak as I start my way down the long hallway to the guestroom.

“Let Vivi sleep in that room. You take the other one,” Jake yells behind me. I stop in my tracks and turn around.

“But my stuff is already in that room, and the other bed is too small for me.” I’m the same height as Jake, at six feet three inches. I need a king-sized bed to sleep comfortably. Tinkerbell can sleep on an ottoman and be fine.

“Well, too bad,” Jake says.

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