Page 3 of Unraveled

“Really? You don’t mind? Cuz I could stay and help.” She put her hands on her hips, and her elbow sent a few flip flops flying from a neighboring rack. “Crap.” She bent to pick them up.

I didn’t know whether to grimace or laugh. Megan had asked me to hook her sister up with a job here at Riptide. Which was fine. But the girl was clumsy. I’d been picking up more shifts here lately, too, in place of working at my dad’s shop, wanting to respect how Annie felt about me working with Ruby, the new girl my dad hired a couple of months back. It wasn’t a big deal working less at the shop since I’d finished training her, but now, I was right back into training another employee with Katy.

I helped her pick up the shoes and grimaced when she almost backed into the wall of surfboards. “It’s fine. There’s not much to help with today.”

“Yeah, it is kind of dead in here. Can I use the phone to call Megan for a ride? Mine died.”

“Sure, have at it.” I motioned to the phone by the register. “Or do you need to use mine for her number?”

“Nah, I know it.”

I followed her back to the front counter and had just picked up the invoices again when Katy set down the receiver. “Um. So, I might need your phone after all. I just blanked.”

Smirking, I pulled it from my pocket and spotted a text I’d missed.

Mom: Can you check on your cousin today when you get off?I’m worried.

I sighed, swiping through my password and pulling up Megan’s number before handing it over to Katy.

“Here.”

“Thanks.” She stepped off to the side to make the call, and I tapped my fingers absently on the counter, my thoughts now on that text and how I was going to deal with Nic. Something had definitely been up his ass this morning.

Archer and Colton had talked us out into the backyard pretty early, our asses dead and dragging after the late party last night, and we were in the middle of teaching Nic American football when he’d walked over to the fence to take a call. My jaw set thinking about how things went down after that…

“Heads up!” Colton threw the ball to Nic when he hung up, and he practically snarled when he barely managed to snatch it from the air in time.

“Not now.” He pushed it into my stomach before storming inside. I’d bit back my own retort, watching the boys exchange confused looks at Nic’s sudden mood shift.

“I’m sure he just got a bad call,” I told them. “We’ll get him to play later. Go long, Archer.” I pulled my arm back.

It had worked to distract them, and when I went inside to get ready for work, I found Nic scowling as he poured over something on his laptop in the living room.

“Bad work call?” I leaned over the back of the couch to ask.

“Does it matter?”

My brow raised at his tone. “You don’t have to be a dick. I can deal, but Archer and Colton sure didn’t deserve it.” I motioned to where they were still playing outside.

“Yeah, well, I live to disappoint, right?”

My brow furrowed, thrown by that one. “I don’t know. Do you?”

Nic shut his computer with an irritated grunt and gave me a look. “Apparently. But I guess we can’t make everyone happy, right? Life’s a bitch and all that. I’ll try not to be adickall the time.”

“I didn’t say it was all the time. What the hell’s up with you?”

“Nothing,” he grated just as Mom came into the room. She held out my phone.

“Jet, Emma called. You left this in the kitchen.”

“Thanks.” I took it, dropping it into my pocket as Mom turned to Nic.

“Nic, honey, would you mind going to pick up your…” Mom paused, her eyes closing as she touched her fingers to her temple. My brow furrowed, about to check on her when she shook her head. “Sorry. Just got a little dizzy for a moment. I feel like I’m running on fumes after waiting for y’all to get home last night.” She gave me a stern look, and I lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Anyway.” She looked back at Nic. “Will you pick up Harper from her friend’s house? I hate driving your uncle’s car, and he’s in the middle of changing the oil on mine right now.”

Nic shot up, tossing his laptop to the couch, and grabbed the keys off the hook. “Sure. Anything Aunt Helen wants, Aunt Helen gets, right? Forget anyone else’s plans. Text me the damn address. And you’re going to be late for work, Jet. Get moving,” he snapped, slamming the door behind him.

Mom and I had exchanged confused looks, and I filled her in on what I could before taking off for a shower.

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