Page 30 of Starry Skies, Stolen Kisses, and My Best Friend's Brother

“He’s already keeping us apart.I’m not listening to anything that’s implied.”

“What are you guys blabbering about?”Abi throws her hands on her hips and glares at us.

Seth lets out a sigh.“I don’t think it’s a good idea, but if you want to, go ahead.”

That’s all the permission I need.Seth drops into a chair on the other side of Mark, and I spill the whole story.

“That’s asinine,” Mark says.“He’d ruin everything.There’s no way in hell he’d do that to Dad.”

“We can’t take the chance that he would.This is your home, your livelihood.Mark, you’ve given your whole life to this place.I’m not going to ruin that,” Seth says, his face twisted.The fact that he’s worried so much about his family makes me appreciate him even more.

Mark takes a drink of his beer, a somber look on his face.“Are you sure you want to put all that work into this place, knowing it can be taken away in a second if Keith sells out on a whim?I didn’t realize he’d even considered it.”

Seth clenches his jaw.“As long as I stay away from Mae, we’re fine.”

“I just sat here and listened to y’all negotiate like a married couple over whether or not to tell us.You won’t be able to do it.If Keith’s gonna be an ass, I say call his bluff now before you dump hundreds of thousands of dollars into this place.If he knows he can threaten you with that, you’ll always be on edge.”

Seth shakes his head.“I’ve already dumped money into it.And it’s not about that.I can’t do that to Dad.It’ll be fine.Mae and I can be professional about this whole thing.”

Levi approaches, carrying a red Solo cup, and drops a hand on Seth’s shoulder.“I know at the dance you claimed you wore suits because Mom called them fancy parties, but this is a barbecue.T-shirt and shorts are required.”

Seth’s still wearing his tie, and he looks damn good.

“I came straight from work.I didn’t have time to change.”

“You work up at the office, and your cabin is less than a five-minute walk.You had time to change.”Levi snorts and shakes his head.“See, this is the problem.You left us all and decided you’re better than us.”

“That’s not true.I left Green Bank, not you.And I won’t apologize for going out and making something of my life.”

Mark reaches over and hits Levi’s arm.The cup tips and drenches Seth in bright red liquid.He splutters, curses them, and storms off.Part of me wants to chase after him, but that would be a bad idea.He’s going back to his cabin to change.

Images of Seth wearing nothing but his boxers pop into my head, and I swallow.I really shouldn’t follow him.

Levi takes Seth’s abandoned seat with a chuckle, and I welcome the distraction to my fantasy because I’m seconds away from following him.

“That wasn’t very nice,” I say and punch Levi’s biceps.I swear, even though they’re all older than me and Abi, they act like children sometimes.

“What are you hitting me for?Mark’s the one who spilled the drink.”Levi gives me an innocent look, and I want to smack him again.

“You two planned that.”

“Yeah, well, he prances around here like some pretentious asshole.Those suits cost more than my car.He needs to stop wearing them.”Levi is completely unapologetic.But if they keep acting like this, they’ll chase him away for good.

“You two need to stop ruining them.”

Mark gives me a long, hard look, then sighs.“As long as he’s wearing suits, he’s putting himself above the rest of us.His plan to change this place up is a good one, but it’s never gonna work if he doesn’t see us all as equal partners.Though I have to admit, his sheets are amazing.”

I gape at him.“You’re using the sheets you stole from him?”

“I washed them first.But yeah, I wanted to see what the big deal was.By the time I was ready to give them back, he’d already ordered new ones, so I kept them.”

These guys are impossible.

“I, for one, hope he never stops wearing the suits.”I do sorta see their point, but I understand Seth too.And I love the look.He’s not the same as the rest of them, and that’s okay.

NINE

Mae

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