Page 68 of Joey

“Who’s the baby?” I ask. Because he’s got the same fair hair.

“Their little cousin, Zach.”

I scroll up, but the timeline jumps right to college stuff. “There aren’t any more?” I ask.

“Now you know how we feel,” Huck says.

“What?”

“About you. We want to see little Brooke. You must have pics somewhere, right? Get them. I want to see them.”

“I really don’t,” I say. And it’s not even a lie.

“That’s not possible, Brooke. Everyone has at least one. Even Joey Boston has one. And if you’re telling me your life has more secrets than his does…” He huffs a laugh. “Well… that’s a very interesting development right there.”

I meet his gaze for a second. Find it filled with unexpected expectations.

I think I got Huck wrong yesterday. It’s easy to see him as the clown. The joker. The good-natured entertainment.

But he’s not.

He’s smart. He’s just as much a thinker as Joey and Wald.

“It’s a very long story,” I say.

“I have time,” he counters.

“I’m not sure where to start.”

“The beginning?” he offers.

But I shake my head. “The beginning is the worst place to start.”

“What are we talking about?”

Huck and I both turn quickly and find Wald coming onto the terrace through the blowing curtains.

“The socials,” Huck says. “And your cool profile pic.” Mercifully switching the direction of the conversation.

“I don’t even want to know,” Wald says, dropping down onto the lounge chair next to me. “Did you sleep OK?” he asks.

“Fine,” I lie.

“Where’s Joe?”

“Still sleeping, I guess.”

“So no morning sex?”

I blink my eyes and shake my head. “Uh, no. He made it pretty clear last night that there will be no more sex.”

“That’s because you made it pretty clear that you can’t handle it.”

All three of us turn around and find Joey standing in the doorway, the sheer, white curtains flowing around him like he’s some sort of daytime apparition.

I stare at him, but I know that Huck and Wald have turned their attention back to me. “I can handle it. But whatever,” I say, playing it off. “I’m not here for the sex.”

I glance at Wald and find him perplexed. Brow furrowed. Mouth downturned. Eyes narrowed. “What’s he talking about?”