Page 15 of Sweet Chaos
“I’m good. But thanks. It wouldn’t feel right taking money from you. It would feel like cheating.”
“I’m your sister. And I’m loaded with money. Don’t be so stubborn. If you need it, just ask, okay?”
“Yeah, sure,” I said, although we both knew that I never would.
“How’s Remy?”
“She’s great. She—”
Banging on the front door stopped me mid-sentence.
I took my sister off speakerphone and held the phone to my ear, filling her in on Remy’s life as I crossed the living room to the front door. Remy used to be Sienna’s best friend. But after her break-up with Dylan, they’d drifted apart. “Anyway, she’s really good and everyone is so excited about this baby.”
“That baby is going to be gorgeous.”
“Yep.” I swung open the door and there was Ollie. He brushed past me and walked inside like he owned the place.
“I’ll talk to you later,” I told Sienna. “Ollie’s here.”
Since I’d never told Sienna that Ollie and I had ventured out of the friend zone, she didn’t question it. I cut the call and followed Ollie into the kitchen. He was like a bloodhound, sniffing out food everywhere he went. By the time I reached him, he’d already helped himself to the other half of my sandwich. I smacked his arm and he held the sandwich hostage above his head. At five foot four, I had stopped growing whereas the scrawny boy I used to play with had become a hulking giant of six foot three.
“Back off, Smalls. I’m a starving artist.”
“So am I.” I flicked him on the arm and he flicked me back then finished the sandwich in two bites and washed it down with milk that he drank straight from the carton. Some things never changed, but I was happy that he was acting like my friend again, without all the weirdness.
“What are you doing here? Besides stealing my dinner?” I asked as we stood side by side making two more sandwiches.
“Look. I know this won’t sound good coming from me,” Ollie said, getting to the real reason he’d stopped by. “But be careful.”
“Careful about what?” I had some idea what he was talking about, but I played dumb hoping he wouldn’t go there.
“Dylan. He’s trouble. And I’m saying this as your friend with only your best interests at heart. Your parents suck. Your dad’s a prick. Your mom… I don’t know what the hell she is except self-absorbed. Don’t lose your sister because of a guy. He’s not worth it.”
He’s not worth it. I’d heard those same words spoken about Dylan—to Dylan’s face—by my father ten years ago. I’d been getting a snack in the kitchen with the French doors wide open when my father laid into Dylan. I’d been privy to things I never should have known about.
“You’re nothing but a no-good punk…”
“If you think for one minute I’d let my daughter bring your worthless bastard into this world…”
“You’re not good enough for my daughter and you never will be…”
Dylan was worth it. But I knew that Ollie was just trying to look out for me. While I appreciated it, sort of, it was unnecessary. “I have no intention of getting involved with Dylan so don’t worry about it.”
Famous last words.
6
Dylan
“We have a team meeting in twenty minutes,” Cruz reminded me as I pulled into a parking spot outside Starbucks and cut the engine.
“When have I ever missed a meeting?”
“Never. But try to play nice. Whenever you’re around, Melanie gets nervous. I’ve had to ease her fears on more than one occasion. She’s hot though so it’s not too much of a chore.”
I hadn’t even noticed. She was a people pleaser, she was efficient, and she got the job done. As far as Melanie was concerned, that’s all that mattered to me. “She’s our PA, for fuck’s sake. We don’t need a lawsuit because you can’t keep your dick in your pants.”
“I’m not boning her. Do you take me for stupid? Where are you anyway?”
