Page 46 of Wicked & Wildflower

“I don’t know what I’ve done to be so offensive,” I mutter under my breath.

“You’re prettier than they are,” Everett says immediately.

“It’s okay. I’m Public Enemy Number One,” Darby adds from my other side with a chuckle.

I rear back, turning beneath Everett’s arm as I look at my sister. “You? The All-American golden girl? How could anyone ever possibly hate you?”

My sister scowls at me, and I wince. I’ve never been resentful of her, never blamed her for being the good girl, the perfect child, growing up. Rebelling was my way of protecting myself, and conforming was hers. I know she resents that, though, and I know she’s still trying to find her way out of it, to figure out who she is.

“Sorry,” I murmur.

“It’s fine.” She rolls her eyes at me. “But I’m not joking. The teller at the bank is rude to me. The barista at the coffee shop downtown always spells my name wrong, and I’m pretty sure she purposely messes up my orders. The owner of the antique store I love glares at me every time I walk through the door.”

“Why?” I ask. “Didn’t everyone here love Grandma? Didn’t they loveyouwhen you spent that summer here years ago? What could you have done now?”

“She took Leo Graham off the market,” Everett says next to me.

Leo lets out some kind of annoyed growl from next to him. “That’s bullshit.”

Everett laughs. “No, it’s not.” He turns sideways at the same time Leo does, the four of us forming our own little circle as we wait for Lou’s game to start. “Leo was just starting to gain attention around the time Darby spent that summer here, but by the time he turned eighteen…” Everett lets out a low whistle. “Everyone in Southern California knew Leo Graham and that he’d be a legend.”

Leo’s cheeks heat as he dips his head bashfully. My sister glances up at him, beaming with pride.

“He was a hot commodity, but he was also like this sad little puppy. Everyone knew about the girl from that summer who broke his heart. Every girl in this town wanted to be the one to mend it.” Leo lifts his head, glaring at his brother. Everett only shrugs. “It went on like that for years. Leo got more famous, made more money, and more women threw themselves at him. He dodged them all. Then, all of a sudden, he runs off to steal a bride on her wedding day?”

“It didn’t happen like that,” Leo mutters.

Everett laughs again. “You come back to town with that same girl from all those years ago, and you retire early just so you canspend all your time with her. You buy her a house, buy her a business, and ask her to marry you after a month together.”

“Technically, my grandma bought the business,” Darby chimes.

“Logistics.” Everett waves his arm in the air. “Of course people are going to take time warming up to you. You got what so many others wanted for themselves, what parents wanted for their daughters. It’s all small-town jealousy. It’ll pass eventually.”

My sister shrugs. “I’m not worried about it. I won anyway.”

A slow grin creeps up on my cheeks. “That’s my girl.” The old Darby would hyper-focus on what others thought of her, would hate herself for the actions and opinions of others, even the things she couldn’t control. I’m proud of the growth she achieved and the happiness she found. “But why are the parents at Lou’s school being bitches to me, then? I didn’t steal anyone’s surfer boy wet dream.”

Leo snickers. “No, just their tattooed, motorcycle Hercules one.”

My jaw drops as I turn to look at Everett. His thick brows furrow, full lips pout, and deep brown eyes—almost amber in the sunlight—narrow as he scowls at his brother. “Trust me, I’m nobody’s wet dream.”

He’s my wet dream.

I don’t say that, though.

“Most of those people,” I nod toward the group of parents, “are so much older than us, though. I thought that was why they didn’t like me. Because I’m a trashy teen mom.”

“You are not,” Darby gasps. “Don’t fucking say that shit about yourself.”

The three of us gape at her. My sister rarely curses.

“Sorry,” I murmur.

“I told you, Wildflower; it’s because you’re younger and hotter than them. They’re jealous.” Everett rolls his eyes when he adds,“Plus, the PTO is run by Tana Miller, and you know how she likes to hold a grudge.”

Leo scoffs while my sister eyes him curiously. “Who is Tana Miller?” she asks.

“Oh, my dear Darby, I think you’d be more familiar with her younger sister.” Everett smiles mischievously. “Amaya.”

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