Page 31 of Cloudy With a Chance of Bad Decisions

What transpired next was the most heinous thing I’d ever witnessed.

Namely, Roderick making these awful hand-over-hand motions. He pulled the siblings across the yard like a cowboy—and in response, instead of becoming disgusted, Juniper giggled. She hopped toward us with exaggerated wiggles, happy to play along.

The whole thing would’ve been cute if I weren’t dying of second-hand embarrassment.

Pausing halfway, Juniper downed both the beers she’d been clutching and promptly belched into the sunny afternoon air. The crowd of flannel-wearing, barbecue-devouring people that populated the yard cheered. After tossing the empty bottles, Juniper grinned and hiked up her massive, blue ball gown. Shiny black cowgirl boots poked beneath the lifted hem. With an air of importance, she continued to hop the rest of the way toward us, eating up her fiancé’s smile with a happy shimmy.

Alex was a silent shadow behind her.

He didn’t hop.

He didn’t speak.

Simply content to observe his sister with obvious fondness. His eyes evenhad the audacity tosparkle. This was a side to him I hadn’t seen at the airport, and I tried not to be affected by it. To be honest, I was relieved to have his focus off of me.

It didn’t take long for the siblings to reach us, or for that feeling of relief to evolve. When they arrived, pausing on the other side of the table, I sat up taller, fighting the urge to shrink and run, or crawl under the table to hide.

Please, please, please don’t mention Neil, I begged—though knowing my luck, the plea would be fruitless.

During that short walk, something…changed.

The heat in Alex’s eyes was gone.

He was…cold.

Which felt odd, considering how doggedly he’d pursued me while on the plane. It was almost like I’d imagined the whole thing. He barely looked at me, before his attention moved back to his sister. She leaned over the table, dark silken hair a wild mess as Roderick rose to smack a kiss right on her mouth.

Pulling back, Juniper grinned at the both of us.

“You must be George.” She turned her full attention to me. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

My cheeks heated, eyes flicking to Alex as my earlier worries came back full force. “Good things, I hope?”

“Oh, definitely.”

That was better than the alternative, right? That Roderick, and potentially Alex, had been talking shit about me. Though, it also didn’t mean Alex hadn’t told her about the dildo during their drive over here.

Speaking of Alex…his expression was guarded, lips pressed into a flat line. Juniper elbowed him, but he didn’t flinch, nor did he greet me.

Was this a game to him?

“Juniper, right?” I scrambled to find something to say. I was aiming for polite, but I wasn’t sure I exactly nailed it, distracted by her brother and his hot-to-cold switch-flip.

“Yessiree.” June bobbed her head.

A beat passed. No one said anything, including me. I glanced at Alex again, even more confused. Why wasn’t hereactingto seeing me? Was he not surprised? When his gaze finally met mine, his expression was still closed off.

Like there was a wall of ice between us.

“Congratulations on your pending nuptials.” The words spilled out before I could stop them, directed at June, but pointed in Alex’s direction. Roderick laughed, the sound breaking the awkward mood that’d settled.

Alex’s mouth twitched.

It was the first sign that the man on the plane hadn’t been an apparition.

“He said that to me too,” Roderick told June.

“Thank you.” As she spoke to me, she turned her attention Alex’s way, frowning at where he stood beside her, a silent shadow. “We’re happy you could make it.”

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