Page 30 of Rare Blend
He shrugs, uninterested. “Hey, so I heard the new chick is hot.”
From one conversation to the next, I can’t seem to escape her. Although this is Shane, he could be talking about anyone.
“What new chick?” I ask, indulging him.
“Robert’s daughter. My boy Andy saw her at Novel yesterday. Said she’s a sexy little Mexi.”
My brain grabs on to that last word. “Don’t call her that. It sounds racist as shit.”
His eyes widen. “It’s not racist,” he practically yells. “It’s a compliment.”
“Who’s being racist?” Elyse asks, walking in with Ariana right behind her.
Shane sits up. I can tell by his red, flushed skin that he’s getting worked up. “What I was saying before this fucker called me a racist, is that Robert’s daughter, who happens to beLatina,is fine as fuck.”
“Her name is Marisa. Call her by her name,” I tell him.
All eyes turn to me. Elyse, in particular, looks way too interested.
“She’s my neighbor,” I explain. “Dad has her staying in the cottage next to mine.”
“Talk about easy access,” Shane says. “So, you gonna hit that, or can I call dibs?”
“You’ve never even met her,” I say, my voice rising.
Shane cackles. “So? I will eventually. And I’m calling dibs.”
I close my eyes, inhaling deeply.Murder is wrong. Murder is wrong.“No one is calling dibs. Keep your dick in your pants. You know how close Mom and Dad are to Robert and Jenn. Have a little respect.”
Shane rolls his eyes. “Fine. I won’t hit on her. You suck the fun out of everything.”
“I met her,” Ariana chimes in. “She seemed nice.”
Great. That’s the problem with Red Mountain. It’s too damn small to escape anyone, especially when they’re your neighbor.
The front door opens, and Gavin walks in with Lily, effectively moving us on from this ridiculous conversation.
“There’s my favorite girl,” my dad says, walking toward Lily.
Lily wiggles her hand out of Gavin’s and races to our dad, whose arms are wide open for her. “Grandpa!”
He catches her in a hug and lifts her. “Come on, Lily Bear. I need a hand in the garage. You know how to check the oil in a car, right?”
She giggles. “Nooo.”
“Sheesh, what’s your dad been teaching you?” he says as the door to the garage closes behind them.
“Oh, you know, just how to be a good person,” Gavin says, with his head thrown back, looking at the ceiling in frustration. Our dad enjoys teasing Gavin a little too much, because he’s the only one of us that’s a parent. Gavin hates it. He sits in the leather recliner and leans all the way back in it, lookingexhausted. He always looks so fucking exhausted, it’s no wonder he turned down the job.
We all hang out in the living room, bullshitting. The only one missing is Layla, because she’s away at school. I skipped a lot of Sunday family dinners while I was away, and I’m realizing how much I missed this. My siblings drive me crazy, and growing up with them was total mayhem, but I’m glad to be back and seeing them a lot more often.
“Food’s ready,” our mom shouts from the kitchen.
“When are you going to let me cook family dinner?” Shane asks our mom as we all take our seats at the dinner table.
She laughs like it’s a ridiculous question. “Just because we trust you enough to handle the dinner shift at the restaurant doesn’t mean you get to cook in my kitchen. You can cook family dinner when I’m dead and not a day sooner.”
Dad and Lily walk back in from the garage, Lily sporting grease and motor oil stains all over her clothes.
