Page 86 of Revelation

“Oh, and she plays Bunco with her friends, too.”

“What’s Bunco?”

“It’s this stupid dice game. It’s basically craps with wine. But I think the dice are just an excuse to get drunk. I can’t be sure of that, but that’s my strong hunch.”

Josh laughs. “I love your mom already.”

I bite my lip. I know Josh meant that comment as a throwaway—a figure of speech—but it made my heart flutter nonetheless.

“So do you cook like your mom?”

“Not really. She’s always wanted to teach me, but I’m too frickin’ lazy to learn. Dax is an awesome cook, though—he’s the one who always hangs out with Mom in the kitchen. And Colby cooks in the firehouse all the time, so he’s pretty good, too—but he only knows how to cook in quantities for ten guys.” I laugh. “Ryan’s adequate—a little better than me—but he makes the best guacamole. And Keane is freakin’ hopeless. The dude can’t boil water.”

“Well, thank God you’re at least better thanPeen,” Josh says. “Or else I would have had to un-friend you.”

I grin. In one of our many conversations this past week, I told Josh a bunch of stories about my brothers, including several that showcased Keane (also known as “Peen” in our family) as the beloved fuck-up of our family.

“Hey, can I get you something to drink?” Josh asks.

“Thanks. Do you have sparkling water?”

“Club soda okay?”

“Yep, same-same. Thanks.”

Josh moves across his kitchen and pulls a couple glasses out of a cabinet. “Would you care for a little vodka in your club soda, Party Girl? I’ve got Belvedere and Absolut.”

I shrug. “Why the fuck not?”

Josh laughs. “Words to live by. Which one?”

“Surprise me. I feel like living on the edge.” I lean my butt against the counter.

“A girl after my own heart.” He grabs a bottle of Belvedere from a low cabinet. “So what do you guys call Dax?”

“Dax is actually his nickname, a contraction of David Jackson.”

“I didn’t realize that. Cool.” He fills the glasses with ice. “And Colby?”

“Cheese.”

“Well, shit. That’s not fair. You’re Jizz and Kum Shot and Baby Gravy and Keane is Peen, but Colby gets to be something as G-rated as ‘Cheese’?” He pours vodka into the glasses. “Not fair.”

“Oh, it all evens out in the end,” I say, enjoying the view of Josh’s ass as he bends over to grab something from his fridge. “No one gets off easy in my family, I assure you. We all get raked over the coals somehow, just in different ways.”

Josh closes his fridge, a bottle of something in his hands. “What about Ryan?”

“Ryan is RUM, Bacardi, Captain, Captain Morgan.”

“Oh yeah, you said that in your application.” He grins. “RyanUlyssesMorgan.”

“That’s right.” I grin. “Sometimes, when he’s dressed up to go out—which he is a lot—he’s ‘Scion’ or ‘Pretty Boy.’ Ry is basically you if he had amuchbigger budget to work with.”

“I like him already.”

“You would, trust me. You’d love him. He’s perfectly groomed and put together at all times, slays it with the ladies, charm oozing out his pores. The other guys ride him mercilessly for how pretty he is and how much he cares about his appearance. I can only imagine how much shit my brothers would give you if they ever met you.”

Josh chuckles. “Well, thanks for the heads up. I’ll make sure to dress down when I meet your brothers. I’ll take a page out of Jonas’ book and go with a T-shirt and jeans.”

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