Page 4 of Darling Obsession

“Mine, too,” I admit. “But knowing the person I chose it for… probably not.”

“Fucking great,” Jamie says. “Minecouldbe fast, but yeah. Probably not.”

“Well, Granddad gave us the one-year deadline, and he knew exactly what was on the cards,” Graysen reminds us. “So he believed we could do it.”

“If we put aside the ninety days for Jameson’s challenge,” Damian says, “and six months for whoever gets Savannah’s challenge, that leaves three months for the rest, in total. So let’s split it. One month each. That’s the fairest way. Anyone finishes faster, it just adds more time for the others.”

“Any objections?” Graysen asks.

No one objects.

Have they all forgotten that I’m the only one who hasn’t even seen the fucking challenge on the card that’s still dangling from Savannah’s hand like it’s dusted with anthrax?

They all look at me, maybe waiting for me to take the card.

I struggle to still my finger; the end of a stiff upholstery thread, not a quarter of an inch long, pokes out of the seam of the chair under my fingertip, and I can’t stop flicking it. Trying to run my nail over it in exactly the same spot with every flick. It’s impossible to do. The thread’s too soft. It just bends.

Does Graysen know about this thread? How does it not drive him crazy?

Because he’s normal.

He’s not like you.

“Anytime, Harlan,” Jamie grumbles. “It’s not like we have anywhere to be.”

It’s Monday afternoon. We all have places to be.

Graysen plucks the card from Savi’s fingers irritably. “Remember, there are rules here, Harlan. Like it or not, you have to play by Granddad’s rules.”

I’m aware. And it won’t be easy to cheat. Because ultimately it’s up to my siblings to decide if I’ve successfully completed my challenge, if I win or lose the game.This in itself is a no-win situation for someone like me. I value privacy more than I value my next breath.

I won’t live without it.

And having my brothers and sister all up in my personal business?

No.

“And even if it’s the hardest rule…” Savannah adds gently, “you can’t tell anyone about the challenge.” This time, the sympathy in her eyes is clear. “Even her.”

I swallow, the sick taste of dread gathering in my throat again. I don’t even know why.

I don’t know what “her” Savannah means. I barely talk to Mom. And whether my siblings realize it or not, I swore off love long ago. There’s no woman in my life.

Graysen thrusts the card at me. “One month,” he says gravely.

I take the card.

Then I lounge back in my seat to read it, striving to look unaffected, as if the one thing I value most isn’t about to be ripped away by a few handwritten words.

INTRODUCE US TO DARLA

Chapter 1

Harlan

Iwatch the waitress across the room, standing at the bar, her back to me. Herturquoise hair dusts her shoulder blades in soft waves.

That color should look ridiculous on a grown woman.

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