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She blinks at me, a devilish smile curving her lips. “I think it’ll be tight on you, but sure.”
“Funny.” I smirk at her for a second. “I want something that smells like you to keep under my pillow.”
“Aww.” She snatches the top out of my hands and sets it on top of a pile of clothes. “I just washed it, though. How about,” she teases her fingers under the hem of her pink T-shirt, “I leave you this one?”
I skim my gaze over the light pink tee with the skeleton ribs and red heart on the front. “You love that shirt.”
“I love you more.”
“Deal.” I hold out my hand.
“Now?” She laughs. “I promise I’ll leave it under your pillow before I go.” Her laughter cuts off.
“It’s okay,” I assure her even though it feels less than okay that she’ll be leaving soon. “We’ll spend all next weekend together. And then the weekend after we’ll be at the reunion.”
“God only knows what fresh hell that’ll be,” she grumbles.
She’s got a point.
An unfamiliar engine rumbles outside. Too close to the house to just be a neighbor. “Keep packing. I’m going to see who that is.” I pat her hip.
“It’s probably a delivery from Amazon,” she calls after me. “They’re always dropping stuff off at weird times.”
“Be right back.”
Barefoot in my gym shorts and T-shirt I open the back door and step onto the porch.
And find Torch at the bottom of the steps.
We stare at each other for a few seconds. Surprise spreads over his face. Annoyance flows through my body.
“So, I take it you two are back together?” A disappointed smirk tugs at the corners of his mouth. “I should’ve known when she suddenly got too ‘busy’ to text me. I thought she was pissed at me for skipping the carnival.”
“Nope.” My heavy footsteps thunder down the old, wooden steps and the screen door snaps shut behind me. “Your ‘hanging out’ with my girl days are done, bro.”
He holds up his hands in a “no harm intended” gesture. “Hey, Remy asked me for a favor. Who am I to say no to taking his little sister out?”
That only pisses me off more. I lean in close, and I’ll give him credit, he doesn’t flinch away. “We both know Remy isn’t the reason you said yes.”
“You’ve got me.” He holds up his hands in surrender, but his lips curve into an even more obnoxious smirk. “What’re you gonna do about it? Go full caveman on me?”
The door behind me squeaks open. My eyes close briefly. Please tell me she didn’t overhear any of this.
“What did you say?” Molly asks in a small, timid voice full of hurt.
I glare at Torch. “You need to leave.”
“No,” Molly says. “Stay, please.” Anger simmers beneath her words. Better than the hurt I first sensed. “Did I hear that right? You were spending time with me as a favor to my brother?”
I glance at her on the top step glaring down at us with her arms crossed over her chest.
“I…” Guilt and dread wash over Torch’s expression. His sorrowful gaze slides between Molly and me. At least he feels bad about being an asshole.
What the fuck’s wrong with me? I don’t want him to have feelings for Molly. How is that better?
I can’t stand Molly having her feelings hurt, though.
“It’s not like that,” he says. “Remy was worried about you.” Torch flicks his gaze to me again, as if he’s weighing his words carefully. Or maybe he wants to throw the blame on me somehow. Like Molly doesn’t know I’m the reason why Remy was so worried. “I would’ve asked you out eventually. Wanted to for a while.”
