I shrugged and looked away.
"Sam." He grasped my shoulder and I squeaked. I threw a look at Logan, but quickly glanced away. Too late. Mason followed my gaze and saw his brother. "Tate's in town?"
Logan's head lifted and a haunted look was in his eyes. "Yeah."
"When?" Mason's voice was biting.
"She came last Saturday. She was looking for a chick that Sam's quarterback was banging."
Mason looked back at me. His eyes were cold. "What does she want with you?"
"Becky and I lied to her. She seems like the type to hold a grudge."
"What the hell, man?"
It took me a second to realize Mason wasn't referring to me. I looked up with his hand still on my shoulder and saw something pass between the two brothers. Logan backed up and gave him a tight smile. "What do you want?"
"You're still covering for her."
Though Mason's statement came out quiet, there was a dangerous feel to it. The hairs on the back of my neck stood upright and I was frozen in place. His hands gripped my shoulder tighter. A bruise would appear there, but it didn't hurt. I didn't feel a thing at that moment.
"Sam, honey?" My mom's voice came up from the stairway.
Everyone reacted.
Mason shoved me away. When I caught my balance and looked up both of their doors had been shut. I hurried into mine and locked it when my mother turned the knob. "Sam, can you please talk to me? I'd really like to talk to you about David. And James told me he had a word with you. I'd like to talk to you about him as well." She waited a moment. "Please, honey?"
I stood on the other side and held my breath. My heart was pounding, but it wasn't from my mother, for once. And then when I heard her walk away, I let out that deep breath and sagged against the door. My hands and legs shook when I made my way to the shower so I slid down the wall and let the water slam over me.
It was an hour later before I went downstairs in sweats and a tank. My hair was pulled back by a headband and my body felt strong from the latest run. When I went into the kitchen, I expected everyone else to be gone, but drew up short. Logan sat at the table in the dark. A glass was in front of him and a bottle of Brandy beside that.
He looked up at me and his lip curved upwards in a snarl. "Hey, thanks."
"For what?" I eyed him, but relaxed when he didn't stand up.
"Tate."
"Where's Mason and Nate?"
"Where do you think?" he bit out and raised his glass for a drink. He set it down hard.
"What?" I couldn't believe this. "Are you being punished? Did they go out without you?"
He sighed and looked away.
"Are you twelve now?" Where had the cocky smooth-talker gone? Or the vindictive guy who had humiliated Jessica for me?
His voice came out low. "There's a lot of history that you don't know about."
"Why are you telling me that?"
His eyes found me and the seriousness in them held my breath. "So that you can tread carefully from now on." He pushed up from the table now. "My advice: shut up about what you don't know." He brushed past me as I stood still and finished the rest of his Brandy before he put the empty glass away. The bottle was left on the counter.
He left a second later and his yellow Escalade tore from the driveway.
It took me a moment to realize that my heart wasn't pounding. My legs were strong. And a sense of calm settled over me. What that meant, I had no idea.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
My phone woke me the next morning and I groaned when I saw that it was past eleven. "Hello?"
"Hi!" Becky chirped at me.
I swore under my breath and buried my head under my pillow. "Whatdoyouwand?"
"What?"
"Hold on."I sat up and wiped at my face. I needed to wake up. I couldn't handle how alert she sounded at that moment. "Hi…"
"Did you just wake up?"
When I tried to straighten my legs, they cramped up and I bit back more curses. Pain throbbed in them and I knew it was from the running. How long had I gone last night?
"Sam!"
"What?" I readjusted the phone when I felt myself waken more. "Tell me you're not going to bed now."
"I'm not." She giggled. "But my folks are going to the Fallen Crest Country Club with Adam's family. My mom wanted me to invite you. We'd pay for your entry and everything else is on Adam's dad. He has some account with the club, I think."
"Since when do you guys go to the Country Club?"
"My parents aren't members, but we go with Adam's parents sometimes. They're members."
That sounded right.
And then a different thought formed. "Is my mom a member there?"
She giggled again. "Do you mean is James Kade a member?"
I groaned. I'd forgotten she knew, hell—everyone knew. Maybe. I could spread a rumor that I paid the Kade brothers to act like they knew me. People would eat that up in an instant. Things would all go back to how they should've been, with me being alone.
"I have lots of gossip to tell you about last night too." She sounded breathless in her excitement and I perked up. Whatever it was would be good, or I hoped. I could use some gossip that had nothing to do with me.
"Okay. What time do you want me over there?" I swung my legs over and stood. They were a bit wobbly, but I pushed past it and hurried into my bathroom. "Should I meet you at the club?"
"We could pick you up?"
"Becky."
"Okay, okay. Yeah, meet us at the club. We're going to leave soon so call me when you get to the parking lot."
"Sounds good."
"Oh and I think Adam's bringing Tanya."
"Who's Tanya?" Then I remembered. "Is her cousin going to be there too?"
"I hope not." Becky kept giggling. "See you there!"
"See ya," I mumbled into the phone before I ended the call and set it down. I frowned at it for a moment. She sounded very perky and very excited. Becky like that, with Adam bringing a girl, couldn't mean anything good…could it? Was I being paranoid?
I rolled my eyes at my reflection and went to work. My hair was a ratted mess, but by the time I had dressed in black skinny pants and a loose white long-sleeve shirt, my hair was back to its normal self. Straight and a little dull. It was how I liked it. I tucked it behind my ears when I slipped on some heeled sandals and grabbed my purse. This was the country club, I'd need to dress a little bit of the rich part.
"Sam." He grasped my shoulder and I squeaked. I threw a look at Logan, but quickly glanced away. Too late. Mason followed my gaze and saw his brother. "Tate's in town?"
Logan's head lifted and a haunted look was in his eyes. "Yeah."
"When?" Mason's voice was biting.
"She came last Saturday. She was looking for a chick that Sam's quarterback was banging."
Mason looked back at me. His eyes were cold. "What does she want with you?"
"Becky and I lied to her. She seems like the type to hold a grudge."
"What the hell, man?"
It took me a second to realize Mason wasn't referring to me. I looked up with his hand still on my shoulder and saw something pass between the two brothers. Logan backed up and gave him a tight smile. "What do you want?"
"You're still covering for her."
Though Mason's statement came out quiet, there was a dangerous feel to it. The hairs on the back of my neck stood upright and I was frozen in place. His hands gripped my shoulder tighter. A bruise would appear there, but it didn't hurt. I didn't feel a thing at that moment.
"Sam, honey?" My mom's voice came up from the stairway.
Everyone reacted.
Mason shoved me away. When I caught my balance and looked up both of their doors had been shut. I hurried into mine and locked it when my mother turned the knob. "Sam, can you please talk to me? I'd really like to talk to you about David. And James told me he had a word with you. I'd like to talk to you about him as well." She waited a moment. "Please, honey?"
I stood on the other side and held my breath. My heart was pounding, but it wasn't from my mother, for once. And then when I heard her walk away, I let out that deep breath and sagged against the door. My hands and legs shook when I made my way to the shower so I slid down the wall and let the water slam over me.
It was an hour later before I went downstairs in sweats and a tank. My hair was pulled back by a headband and my body felt strong from the latest run. When I went into the kitchen, I expected everyone else to be gone, but drew up short. Logan sat at the table in the dark. A glass was in front of him and a bottle of Brandy beside that.
He looked up at me and his lip curved upwards in a snarl. "Hey, thanks."
"For what?" I eyed him, but relaxed when he didn't stand up.
"Tate."
"Where's Mason and Nate?"
"Where do you think?" he bit out and raised his glass for a drink. He set it down hard.
"What?" I couldn't believe this. "Are you being punished? Did they go out without you?"
He sighed and looked away.
"Are you twelve now?" Where had the cocky smooth-talker gone? Or the vindictive guy who had humiliated Jessica for me?
His voice came out low. "There's a lot of history that you don't know about."
"Why are you telling me that?"
His eyes found me and the seriousness in them held my breath. "So that you can tread carefully from now on." He pushed up from the table now. "My advice: shut up about what you don't know." He brushed past me as I stood still and finished the rest of his Brandy before he put the empty glass away. The bottle was left on the counter.
He left a second later and his yellow Escalade tore from the driveway.
It took me a moment to realize that my heart wasn't pounding. My legs were strong. And a sense of calm settled over me. What that meant, I had no idea.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
My phone woke me the next morning and I groaned when I saw that it was past eleven. "Hello?"
"Hi!" Becky chirped at me.
I swore under my breath and buried my head under my pillow. "Whatdoyouwand?"
"What?"
"Hold on."I sat up and wiped at my face. I needed to wake up. I couldn't handle how alert she sounded at that moment. "Hi…"
"Did you just wake up?"
When I tried to straighten my legs, they cramped up and I bit back more curses. Pain throbbed in them and I knew it was from the running. How long had I gone last night?
"Sam!"
"What?" I readjusted the phone when I felt myself waken more. "Tell me you're not going to bed now."
"I'm not." She giggled. "But my folks are going to the Fallen Crest Country Club with Adam's family. My mom wanted me to invite you. We'd pay for your entry and everything else is on Adam's dad. He has some account with the club, I think."
"Since when do you guys go to the Country Club?"
"My parents aren't members, but we go with Adam's parents sometimes. They're members."
That sounded right.
And then a different thought formed. "Is my mom a member there?"
She giggled again. "Do you mean is James Kade a member?"
I groaned. I'd forgotten she knew, hell—everyone knew. Maybe. I could spread a rumor that I paid the Kade brothers to act like they knew me. People would eat that up in an instant. Things would all go back to how they should've been, with me being alone.
"I have lots of gossip to tell you about last night too." She sounded breathless in her excitement and I perked up. Whatever it was would be good, or I hoped. I could use some gossip that had nothing to do with me.
"Okay. What time do you want me over there?" I swung my legs over and stood. They were a bit wobbly, but I pushed past it and hurried into my bathroom. "Should I meet you at the club?"
"We could pick you up?"
"Becky."
"Okay, okay. Yeah, meet us at the club. We're going to leave soon so call me when you get to the parking lot."
"Sounds good."
"Oh and I think Adam's bringing Tanya."
"Who's Tanya?" Then I remembered. "Is her cousin going to be there too?"
"I hope not." Becky kept giggling. "See you there!"
"See ya," I mumbled into the phone before I ended the call and set it down. I frowned at it for a moment. She sounded very perky and very excited. Becky like that, with Adam bringing a girl, couldn't mean anything good…could it? Was I being paranoid?
I rolled my eyes at my reflection and went to work. My hair was a ratted mess, but by the time I had dressed in black skinny pants and a loose white long-sleeve shirt, my hair was back to its normal self. Straight and a little dull. It was how I liked it. I tucked it behind my ears when I slipped on some heeled sandals and grabbed my purse. This was the country club, I'd need to dress a little bit of the rich part.
