Page 84 of Roses, Pearls, and Hot Summer Nights
The saleswomen gushed over me as we paid. Barrett still did his best impression of his father Kit—was Kit his father or was he an uncle? Suddenly, I wondered if they were all technically half-brothers? I set the question aside as too confusing while the saleswomen continued bending over backward to help him.
What did Dina say?She learned how to make the world bend to her will. It didn’t make sense to me, though, to be meaner if I wanted other people to behave nicer.
The shoe store was simpler. Even I knew the slightly open-toed heels with the pink hue were perfect. I couldn’t help but be amused, because everything I would wear was going to be pink.
“Did I miss it?” Phoenix ran up as we exited the store. “I did, didn’t I? Damn it. Did you take photos?”
“No.” Barrett glanced at his phone. “You can see her in it tomorrow. Shit.”
Phoenix hugged me against him. He had the look he usually got when he’d popped his ADHD pill and not the ketamine blur that seemed to come over his eyes. I had only seen him outright sober once, and then it looked like withdrawal.It must be exhausting for him to constantly keep up with it.
“What?” Jeremy nodded toward Barrett. “What’s wrong?”
“They want me back to be in the room for a family business meeting.” Barrett glanced at the sky for a second like he was in pain. “I hate these fucking things.”
Jeremy shook his head, his eyebrows reading pissed off. “I would give anything to be in those meetings, and they only want you.”
I looked between them, and Phoenix sighed. “Barrett is expected to be the guy in charge. They expect him to take overa family business, to run things. He has other things he would prefer to do. Jeremy only wants to run things for the family, but they only have eyes for Barrett. Arguably, Jer is the better student and all around more of a type-A problem than our eldest brother could ever be.”
That earned him a grin from Barrett. “Thanks.”
Jeremy didn’t thank him. Instead, he turned his back to all of us, suddenly interested in the traffic on the street.
“Come on,” Barrett finally said. “Let’s get you into the meeting.”
Jeremy spun to face his brother, surprised. “They’ll tell me to leave.”
“So don’t listen.” He made it sound so easy. “You do that enough, they’ll start to include you and then I can leave. Maybe. I’m sure of them, including you, but I’m not sure I can get away that easily. We might end up both being on the hook for it, but if you want in? Push open that door.”
Jeremy stood up slightly straighter. “Yes, okay. I’ll come. Let’s go, guys.”
Phoenix shook his head. “Just got here. You’ve all had dates with Alatheia, so it’s my turn. Gorgeous necklace, by the way. It’s perfect on you. Which one of them got it for you?”
Jeremy lifted his hand, and Phoenix gave him a chin nod in acknowledgement. “Good work.”
“Thanks.” His smile gleamed, beaming with newfound hope. “All right, if Alatheia is up for a date, we’ll leave you two and head to the business meeting. Have fun!”
Phoenix’s grin was huge. “See? Much more type-A. You up for it, Alatheia?”
I didn’t want to go back there just yet, since it meant facing his parents myself. I missed Dina, but I wasn’t ready to really face her, either. Besides, what would a date with Phoenix entail? I couldn’t imagine.
“Sure. Let’s go do something.”
Barrett leaned over and kissed my cheek. His lips were warm, and I closed my eyes for just a second while his lips lingered. “Give me your dress and the other clothes, I’ll bring them back for you. It was so awesome spending time with you today. I … I want every day like this, but I know that’s not possible, so I’ll take these scraps of time. Phoenix, get her home safely.”
I handed him my bags, still reeling from his kiss.
His youngest brother crossed his arms over his chest. “She’s safe with me.”
Jeremy kissed my temple, the bite of a little stubble on his cheek rough against my skin. I loved it. “See you later. I presume we’ll all be going somewhere tonight to escape the house. The night before the big party isn’t the time to be stuck at home. Otherwise, we’ll be up to our ears in setup. It’ll be a late night. When I finally do go to sleep, I’m going to dream about you in those pearls.”
Phoenix tugged my hand. “Come on, Alatheia. Let’s get away from the cheese. Wow. You are both suddenly so verbose. I had no idea.”
My cheeks had to be bright red, but I loved what he said. It was ridiculous how much I enjoyed the flirtation.
We left his brothers, strolling down the street hand-in-hand. “Up for a walk?”
“Sure. Are you?” I squeezed his hand. “Where are we going?”
