Page 32 of Winter Glam in Amsterdam

No wonder. This bar is fancy. The whole room is decorated in a dark green, accents like golden lamps and black-white images framed on the walls taking away from the dark ambience. Feeling the stares, Reed rolls his eyes and turns the chair back around.

We barely sit when a waitress already appears at our table, handing each of us a heavy drink menu. I’m just happy she doesn’t attempt small talk.

“Johnny Walker, please. On the rocks.” I hand her back the menu and she makes a note on the smartphone-like device she’s carrying. Reed orders a beer before he hands her back his menu as well.

"Thank you, Beautiful." Reed's words along with a wink make her blush before she scurries off to get our drinks.

It's not too often I grant myself the pleasure of strong alcohol, after all I need to keep my voice in shape and usually stick to tea as a result. But when do I get to have whiskey, if not during a vacation?

"So, for real, brother dearest," Reed says and pinning me with a glare. "What are we doing here?"

"Having a drink?" I say, but my eyes betray me as they jump over his shoulder as Summer and that guy from the bus enter the bar. Fuck, she’s beautiful. Even from here I can see she’s put on makeup for their little date, and it makes her look downright radiant.

"Ah," Reed says, following my gaze over his shoulder before he turns around again, his face serious. "Luca's sister? Really, Tanner?"

My whole body stiffens, and I fight to keep my expression neutral, but I don’t think it’s working very well.

"Nothing is going on between us," I whisper, swallowing the ‘anymore,’ my eyes following her as she takes a seat at the bar with her new friend, a wide smile on her lips.

"Is she the reason you've been all but gloating today?"

I take a deep breath, trying to not let a grin betray me. Of course, Reed would know, even if I evaded his eyes, because he would see the truth in mine immediately. He’s my brother. He’s seen me lie off my teeth on more than one occasion, and even more often he was right next to me, bullshitting his way along.

"Tanner?" He reaches over the table and boxes my upper arm, a mixture of fury and admiration. "Are you for real?"

I sigh. There is no use lying to him anymore. "I mean, yes,” I hiss, urging him to lower his voice. “Last time I checked, a one-night stand isn't a crime."

Our conversation immediately stops when the waitress appears at our table and sets down our glasses, walking off after we both thanked her.

“Of course it’s not a crime. I couldn’t imagine your whining if it was. ButLuca’s sister?”

"We're both adults. We decided to spend the night together. Not Luca. And that's it."

"You know as well as I do that that's not ‘it.’” He rolls his eyes. “Otherwise, we wouldn't be here." He lifts his glass and holds it out to me so I can clink mine against it before we both take a sip.

"Well.” He takes a deep breath. “I guess that makes it three to two."

"What do you mean?"

"Now, Zoey and I will be the single pringles of this family. Cheers to that."

He takes another sip before he sets the glass down with theatrical sigh.

"Hey!" I nudge his calf with my foot. "Don't start acting all depressed. For one, Summer's not my girlfriend. And secondly," I narrow my eyes at him, "and I hate to say it, but we don't know shit about Zoey."

His eyes go wide, like he never considered the possibility that now with her in college, she might have a boyfriend.

"Are you saying…?"

"I'm just saying we don't know," I interrupt him with a shrug. "For all we know, she could've run off to Vegas with somebody and already have a ring on her finger."

"Don't even make me think about it," Reed groans and hides his face in his hands. “It’s bad enough she’s pulling away, I don’t even want to think about what kind of shenanigans she could be up to.”

Speaking of shenanigans. My eyes dart over to Summer and the new guy again. While I can barely see her profile behind his, I can tell they are hunched over their drinks, heads together as they attempt to have a conversation over the murmur of the room.

Damn it. I was hoping to eavesdrop. And that revelation is making me start to question my sanity. I’m not the kind of guy who gets jealous. Who feels the need to eavesdrop when his former one-night stand is out with another guy?

That’s not me.

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