Page 34 of Grumpy Darling

“Where’s the basement?”

I ignored each of her queries and pushed her toward the stairs. The house was oddly quiet. The boys had headed straight to Matt’s place after the game, and I was guessing the rest of the family were still out. “No snooping, Bonnie.”

She gasped and placed a hand against her chest. “I would never snoop.”

“Snoop is practically your middle name.”

“Come on, Paige. Please?” she persisted. “It’s not snooping, it’s just a little healthy poking about. I can’t have my best friend staying in a house that has a meth lab in the basement...”

“Oh my god. That rumor is ridiculous! The Darlings don’t even have a basement.”

“Backyard shed?”

I gave her a stern look. “This isn’t really about my health and safety, is it?”

“Okay, fine.” Bonnie threw her hands in the air. “It’s public-interest journalism, Paige. The people deserve to know the truth about their idols.”

“You know better than to listen to rumors about Gray and his brothers. Pretty much none of them are true.”

“Which means some are . . .”

“If you want the truth, just ask Gray. You hang out with him all the time.”

“No, I hang out with you, and Grayson suffers my presence. He’s not my biggest fan.”

“That’s just Gray being Gray. He likes you. He’s just not great at showing it.”

“Uh-huh.” She seemed far from convinced, but I knew it was pointless to try and tell her otherwise. The only thing that might change her mind was if Grayson said the words himself, but even then she’d be skeptical.

“Whatever,” she muttered. “Just let me get this straight. You’re telling me, I’m not allowed to raid the boys’ underwear drawers to find out if they prefer boxers or briefs?”

“Definitely not. I thought you said this was public interest.” I laughed.

“I think you’re underestimating how interested in these boys the public are.”

“Look, let’s just go get dressed for tonight.”

She reluctantly agreed but didn’t stop asking what was in each room we passed, or from slowing down whenever there was an open door she could look through.

Just as we reached Cammie’s room, I received a text from Grayson.

Gray: Are you still at the rink?

Me: No, I’m home now. Bonnie and I are getting ready for tonight. Apparently, what I wear to Matt’s party is a big deal.

Gray: Just wear what you had on at the game. You looked perfect.

Me: I was wearing your jersey.

Gray: Like I said . . . perfect.

I rolled my eyes. Wearing his jersey to the party would be a bad idea. Especially if I wanted to make a move on Damien. I needed to look hot tonight, and I certainly wasn’t going to catch his attention with another guy’s name and number on my back.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t sure looking hot was something I was capable of. The clothes in my closet were entirely chosen based on vibes. Nothing particularly matched, and I normally chose my outfit for the day based on how I was feeling. And, right now, I felt like I should be donning my biggest winter coat, a massive fuzzy scarf and a pom-pom hat. I was nervous, and that made me want to cover myself in as many layers as possible. Tonight, it seemed, I was going to have to step beyond my comfort zone in more ways than one.

“Wow, so this is Cammie Darling’s room,” Bonnie said. “It’s not nearly as menacing as I expected. Where’s the coffin she sleeps in each night?”

“That’s not very—”

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