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“Do you mind if I make myself a drink?” I ask, not sure what he’ll say. But Tammy is close to Gillian, and if I order a non-alcoholic drink for Briar, she might casually mention something to Gillian. Nothing is safe in our small town.
“Why you wanna make your own?”
I lean in close to his ear, looking around the space. “I’m trying to impress someone, and she has a favorite drink that I’m trying to replicate for her. You know, it’ll help me score some points.” I pull back, and Melvin laughs.
“You found someone you want to put effort into impressing?”
His humor is warranted. I’ve never really cared that much about any of the girls I’ve either hooked up with or dated.
Now that I think about it, I’m doing so much for Briar, and I’m not getting anything in return. I’m not even expecting or really hoping for anything, given the situation she’s in.
Shit, that’s a realization I hadn’t had before.
“Have at it.” Melvin motions toward the bar. “Tammy, Emmett’s coming back.”
“Good, he can help me with his obnoxious cousins.” She doesn’t seem bothered, which is good.
“Thanks, man.” I pat Melvin on the back and round the edge of the bar.
Usually, I’m boisterous, asking who needs a drink, but I need to do this on the sly. My eyes are trained on Gillian and my cousins to make sure no one sees me. Thanks to the internet, I found a recipe for a Margarita Mocktail and memorized it while waiting for Briar to get ready.
Do not think about what happened before you came here.
I keep the glass low, pouring juices and sparkling water into a margarita glass. I put salt around the rim and add a lime. Pretty damn good if you ask me.
Grabbing myself a beer, I nod a thanks to Melvin and step out from behind the bar.
“Already done?” Tammy asks, eyeing my drinks. She was way too slammed to have noticed how I made the drink.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back.” I wink, and she rolls her eyes.
My female cousins and their friends sit at a picnic table while all the guys sit at a high table off to the side. I haven’t really talked to Jude or Ben since our fight. I take Jude’s instruction when he gives it, and I’m thankful he’s a quiet guy who doesn’t like discussing feelings. So I don’t expect him to actually apologize or talk to me about what went down. We’ll do what we mostly always do—brush it under the rug and move on.
I set the drink in front of Briar, and immediately all my cousins’ attention falls on me.
“You got Briar a drink?” Lottie asks.
“Jealous?” I ask.
“That’s gross. I’m your cousin. Never say that again.” Lottie sips her usual frozen drink from the machines The Hidden Cave invested in a couple of years ago.
“I guess if my name was Brooks, it’d be a different story.”
Her jaw twists, and she narrows her eyes. “Go hang with the boys.” She shoos me with her hand.
“You sure? Brooks is over there. Should I ask him if he has his handcuffs on him?”
“He’s like a brother to me.” Lottie tries to blow it off, but I’m certain there’s something between those two. The question is whether they’ve figured it out yet or not.
Gillian disregards me and turns to Briar. “So, is it horrible living with him?”
Briar looks up at me with an expression of save me, but the rest of the table looks at me like when are you going to fucking leave. I’m tempted to sit my ass down just to annoy them further.
“Thanks for the drink,” Briar says.
Gillian’s head rears back, staring at Briar as if she had said she was pregnant. I get Briar’s terror in telling her sister now.
“Why are you being so nice to him?” Romy asks.
