Page 64 of Subscriber Wars

It’s not a no, but it isn’t a yes.

“Does it have to do with your sister’s illness when you were little?”

My fingers stop. “How do you know about that?”

She tries to pull her head up to face me but then thinks better of it. “When we were friends you told me that your sister had been sick when you were little.”

I try relaxing when the tech comes by to check on the progress. “I forgot I told you.”

She tightens her grip when she hears the tech placing a bottled water on the table. “You used to not mind sharing,” she manages to get out.

“You used to make it easy to talk to you,” I admit.

She pulls her face up and levels me with so much sincerity in those big brown eyes. “I don’t now?”

I touch her hair and let my fingers trail along to the bow of her lips. “No. Now, it’s definitely harder.”

She watches me for a second, both of us locked in a heated stare laced with months of lies and friendship, before she notices the blood and slams her face back down onto my shoulder. “I’m still the same person, you know?”

I wrap my arm back around her and make sweeping strokes with my fingers along her back. “I know,” I finally whisper.

“Aspen’s family owns this place?” I tip my shades forward, so I can get a better view of the three-story lake house. Stone nestles the wooden accent beams across the deck. “This is…”

She cuts me off with a wave of her hand. “Lavish, I know. But it’s home. I can remember spending many summers here.”

After we finished with the blood donation, we stopped by a taco place for lunch—a chain restaurant this time—and had lunch, which fueled her vocal cords, so she could sing to me the rest of the way to the lake house.

I’ve never been so happy to get out of the car.

Vee smiles and flashes me a playful wink. “Come on, playboy. Get out of the car. We have an audience to impress and we aren’t leaving until we make this look like one hell of a romantic getaway.”

I straighten and get out of the Jeep, piling a couple bags on my arm from the back. “You’re sure Aspen said we can use the boat?” If I were Aspen’s parents, I wouldn’t trust two college kids with my boat and million-dollar house for the weekend. I wouldn’t care how close my friends and I were. No one would fuck around with my expensive toys.

Vee shoves me aside and grabs the board. “I’m sure. Come on, we’re losing the good light.”

Right.

The contest.

A half a million dollars and a new life away from Georgia.

Focus, Bash.

We take the steps up to the front door, and Vee pulls out a key.

“I’m surprised you actually have a key,” I tell her.

I had my doubts since I never see her with any.

She turns back and grins. “I only break into my neighbor’s house.”

I shake my head and follow behind her as she pushes the door open into the grandeur of her summer home.

“Wow,” I tell her. “Not a bad way to spend the summers.”

She smiles. “It wasn’t summer camp, but it was fun.” She points to the sofa that is stark white and plush with red, white, and blue throw pillows. “Just set the bags over there. We can put everything away when we get back.”

She shoves the bags of groceries in one of the two refrigerators, leaving the cooler we brought on the floor.

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