Page 10 of Second Chance Savior

She parked, and Megan and Cora jumped out, sprinting toward the house. Once, I had looked forward to these June visits with equal enthusiasm. But this year, I dreaded it.

Well, Ross wasn’t so bad. We were friends.

But River? Ugh.

“Come on, Char, help me unload.”

We got out and rounded the car to the trunk. We’ve been at an art fair since early. Mom had sold most of the quilts and framed cross-stitch designs she’d brought. In fact, it had been a great day. Bright and sunny. The hillside lush with green. We’d gotten ice cream from one of the vendors.

But now, that chocolate pop dipped in coconut shavings was turning rotten in my stomach.

I grabbed a wooden crate. “Why do they still have to come here? They’re too old to need babysitters. And this isn’t a summer camp.”

I started toward the house, but Mom took hold of my sweatshirt and tugged me back toward the car. “You’re the one who’s too old to be acting like this. You’re sixteen, Charlotte. You should be setting a better example for your sisters.”

“Yeah. I’ll be a senior next year, and I want to spend time with my own family. Why can’t they spend time with theirs?”

“I do consider them family,” Mom snapped. “Their mother has been my best friend since childhood. It’s not Natalia’s fault that…” She pressed her lips together, not finishing.

The boys had been coming to our house in the mountains since Ross and I had been ten and River had been eleven. Back then, I hadn’t questioned why. I’d just been excited for more friends. Especially two boys who somehow lived in both California and New York. Big cities, places I’d never visited myself, even though Mom had grown up in Venice Beach.

Then a couple of summers ago, River had decided to start being a jerk to me for no reason. Mocking everything I did. Proving at every turn how much smarter, faster,betterhe was than me.

And then, over the last winter, I’d finally figured out who their father was. The man was anactual movie star.

Ross and River went to an exclusive boarding school during the year, and in the summers, their parents wanted the boys to get out in nature and have some sort of rustic experience. But their parents never joined them, as if our home was beneath them. It made me feel weird. Like they were using us. Maybe even laughing at us.

Did River think we were living a quaint, simple life here, in our house that looked like a log cabin with my mom’s art hanging all over the walls? My dad had a wild beard and wore nothing but ratty cargo pants and shirts with theMcKinley Outdoor Adventureslogo. River and Ross were probably used to limos, designer labels, and fancy restaurants.

“He’s older than I am. He’s the one who picks onme.”

“Which isn’t nice, but you’re hardly innocent. You egg each other on. It’s like you both have a little crush and are chasing each other around the playground.”

“Um,what? I thinknot.” I scoffed, frozen in place as Mom carted her box of unsold quilts inside.

When I caught up, I heard delighted shrieks and laughter coming from inside. My sisters were still too small to understand the reasons they shouldn’t like River so much.

I stepped into the mudroom to find him twirling both of them around. Ross watched with his hands in his pockets, shaking his head. The moment Ross’s eyes caught on me, his smile widened. “Charlotte! There you are.”

He stepped over to me, arms going out like he was going to hug me. But he changed that to a pat on the shoulder at the last second.

“Hey,” I said. “Didn’t know you guys were getting in early.”

My gaze slowly dragged over to River. My sisters were stillhanging off of him, but he’d stopped spinning to focus on me.

He looked different. Taller and older than seventeen. His smirk was smirkier. “Hi, Grumpy Charlie. I bet you missed us.” River’s tone said he knew that I hadn’t.

“Sure. Like the obnoxious older brothers I never wanted.”

Ross actually wasn’t older than me. He was a month younger. He wasn’t obnoxious either. But that was beside the point.

“Grumpy Charlie! Grumpy Charlie!” my sisters repeated, giggling hysterically.

Ross nudged my arm with his elbow. “Your dad told us about your new bow. Sounds awesome.”

“Yeah. A recurve. I’m shooting at thirty yards now.”

River and I were still staring at one another. His black hair was short on the sides but longer on top, hanging into his eyes. It looked shiny and soft and stupid. I hated it.

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