Page 38 of How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother
Is hetryingto unravel me? Because he is absolutely unraveling me.
“My shoes are still in your yard,” I say. “Unless you happened to grab them on your way inside.”
He grins. “Yeah. No. I was not in the frame of mind to stop and pick upanything.”
We split up long enough for me to retrieve my shoes and pull my bike onto his porch. He’s already got the Gator running when I find him out back. I climb in beside him, noting how familiar this all feels. The sun-warm vinyl against the backs of my legs. The way the setting sun slants through the treetops, bathing the world in evening light. The buzzing of the cicadas as their song moves like a rippling wave through the trees.
Maybe I don’t need my own house to feel like I’m home. Maybe all I need is Brody.
Chapter Eleven
Brody
I do not wantto have a conversation about how right it feels to have Kate sitting next to me on the Gator, her shoulder pressed against mine.
I half-heartedly try to convince myself it’s only because we did this so many times as kids, but my good sense—the good sense I swear I had locked and loaded before Kate showed up at my house—has abandoned me completely. Two hours in her company, and I’m already trying to think of ways I might convince her to stay.
I also don’t want to talk about how verynakedI was for part of that two hours. I don’t even want to think about it, though hearing Kate say she enjoyed the view might have been worth the embarrassment.
I’ve never been so grateful for all the hours I’ve spent at the gym. And by gym, I mean my garage. Silver Creek is too small to have an actual gym, so I’ve slowly been adding equipment to my garage. Perry and now Lennox both work out with me and have contributed as well, adding extra weights and a second bench. Itdoesn’t compare to something you’d find in a bigger city, but it’s better than nothing.
When we pull up to the farmhouse at Stonebrook, Charlie is right where I expect him to be, lounging on the front porch. He lifts his head and woofs a greeting right as Olivia steps out the farmhouse door, with Monica, of all people, beside her.
Monica smiles when she sees me, but then her gaze shifts to Kate and her expression morphs into more of a grimace.
“Who’s that?” Kate asks as I cut the ignition.
“That’s Monica.”
“The Monica you used to date?Oh.Right. I guess I recognize her. Is this going to be weird?”
I eye her carefully. “Is there a reason for it to be weird?”
Kate smirks. “Well, Ididsee you—”
“Ahhhp—” I cut her off. “Do not finish that sentence. We’re not talking about that ever again.”
She presses her lips together. “Understood.”
Charlie reaches me before Olivia and Monica are down the stairs. I lean down and scratch his ears. “Hey, boy. Did you miss me? I hope you behaved.”
“Are you kidding? I don’t think he could misbehave if he tried,” Olivia says from the bottom of the porch steps. “He hardlymoved.”
“Congratulations, Charlie.” I give him another good scratch. “You are officially the laziest basset hound in the history of all basset hounds.”
Monica approaches the Gator and offers an awkward smile.
“Hey, Mon,” I say casually.
“Hey. I was dropping some wedding cake samples off from the bakery. For mom. She was too busy to bring them over.”
I nod. She doesn’t really owe me an explanation. She and Olivia are friends. But with what’s happened between us, I understand her wanting to give me one.
“When did you get back in town?” she asks, sending Kate a questioning glance.
“Earlier this afternoon.” Kate is crouching down, petting Charlie, and Monica is obviously watching her. “You remember Kate,” I say slowly. “She’s back in town for the summer.”
Monica smiles. “How could I forget?” She lifts her hands in mock celebration. “The dynamic duo back together again. Yaaay.”
