Page 71 of Midnight Auto Parts

First things first, I had to drive the Suarez du Jour to Bonaventure and get Matty back.

With Carter working, and Matty not tied down to anyone, there was no reason us Marys—plus Kierce and Badb—couldn’t stay in, watch a movie, and begin healing the rift created by my secrets.

And, if luck was with me, I might have thought up a way to do a little covert detecting of my own.

The level of comfort oneiros craved meant Matty had the largest, plushest couch and the softest pillows. His apartment was the natural choice for movie nights even before Josie moved in with Carter. We had a few configurations us Marys used to ensure maximum comfort without crowding one another. The ideal position meant we could stretch out but not touch. Even as adults, we had broken into plentyshe (or he) is touching mefights.

But, with Kierce joining us, I strove to be more mature as I staked out our cushion for the evening.

Using the spinner from a game we had lost forever ago, Matty flicked the arrow and waited for it to land on a letter. The spinner was our secret weapon, the key to our eclectic taste. Mostly because none of us liked to watch the same thing, and it saved time and drama to let fate select for us.

“Looks like we have anR.” He scrolled to the menu on our favorite streaming app. “Racing for Love. Red Moon Rising.Rate our Date?—”

“That one,” Josie and I said together then grinned at each other.

“It sounds horrible.” Matty smiled back at us. “I’m in.”

Once I was snuggled into Kierce’s side, he tapped my arm. “The goal is to find the worst option?”

“Not really but yes.” I chortled at his confusion. “Half the fun of having siblings is tormenting them.”

“No onewantsto watch drop-dead-gorgeous twentysomethings date other drop-dead-gorgeous twentysomethings.” Josie, who had been in charge of snacks, flopped beside me. “Unless they’re sadists.”

“Or masochists,” Matty interjected. “The suffering we inflict on ourselves, hour after hour, by watching pretty-girl and pretty-boy problems play out on screen is more rewarding than the show.”

Kierce made a thoughtful sound but settled in to watch with Badb on his shoulder.

Partway through the first episode, Kierce asked, “Why do they call it reality television?”

“That’s the million-dollar industry—I mean question—isn’t it?” Matty shook his head. “It’s so scripted.”

“Are you trying to tell me that Trish doesn’t really want Logan to give her a pink carnation?” Josie sucked in a shocked breath. “Just because she was making out with Andy in the closet five minutes ago and had a heavily implied threesome last week—complete with night-vision footage of three sets of toes rubbing one another—doesn’t mean her love for Logan isn’t real.”

“How can you tell any of them apart?” I tossed Badb a piece of popcorn she caught in her beak. “Trish and Andy could be identical twins. The whole female cast is interchangeable. There’s more variety in the guys, but that’s not saying much. And who’s cleaning the furniture? They never wear shirts, and theirabs are always glistening. You can’t tell me that’s not oil. Do they budget for new furniture weekly or what?” I noticed everyone staring at me. “What?” I munched grumpily. “I have questions, okay?”

“You’re focusing on the wrong things.” Josie hit me between the eyes with a piece of popcorn. “This isn’t a show about oil, furniture, or even love. It’s about abs. Boobs. And more abs. And then more boobs.”

“She’s not often right,” Matty allowed, “but I’ll award her the point this time. Frankie, you’re putting too much thought into what’s supposed to be mindless television. Watch the flexing abs and the bouncing boobs and enjoy yourself.”

When Kierce rested his arm across my shoulders, the brush of his hand over my nape could have passed as accidental, but the slide of his fingers under my hair proved the touch was intentional. A slow twirl of his fingers and a slight tug tipped my head back, and Kierce leaned down to brush his lips across my ear.

“You could watch me instead,” he murmured, his grip tightening, and my stomach tumbled at his tone.

Resting my head on his chest, I stared up at him, watching the gray in his eyes glimmer into silver.

We sat like that for an eternity, until Badb pinched my finger in her beak. On accident. Probably. I jerked up to find my popcorn eaten, and her stomach as round as a beach ball. The last kernel rattled in the bottom, trapped under my thumb, which I had been using to balance the bowl on my lap.

As I sucked the drop of blood off my skin, I became aware of eyes boring into me.

Matty and Josie sat shoulder to shoulder. Having abandoned all pretense of watching the show, the two of them stared at Kierce and me while polishing off their snacks. Neither exhibiteda lick of remorse over being caught. They just grinned, their chipmunk cheeks stuffed with popcorn.

“Kierce and I should get going.” I cleared my throat and fed Badb the final kernel. “Good night, siblings.”

“I told you watching live reality TV wouldn’t work,” Matty said to Josie as I nudged Kierce ahead of me.

“We were just getting to the good part,” she called after us. “Hair pulling always leads to?—”

“Ick.” Matty made gagging noises. “You told me that part would fade to black.”

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