Page 130 of Seven Lost Summers
Scarlet’s lips curve into a sweet, innocent smile as she fires back, “Good.”
The sound of footsteps carries in from the hall. A second later, Xander and a small pink-haired woman step into the room.
The woman moves forward first, her steps steady, eyes scanning the room before they land on me. For a heartbeat, I can’t move. She’s composed. Her gaze dips to the camera in my hand, then back to my face, and a small smile tugs at the corner of her mouth.
“Quinn,” she says, extending her hand.
My fingers hesitate before they meet hers. Her grip is firm. She holds my hand a second longer than necessary.
“It’s good to finally put a face to the photos,” she says.
“Yeah,” I manage, my voice thinner than I want. “You too, Kit.”
Ace moves forward, slipping his hands into his pockets. “We should really get started.”
“What the fuck, already?” Theo groans.
Ace glances at Theo completely unbothered. “Yes. You can breathe when the album’s finished.”
Theo lets his head roll back with an exaggerated sigh. “Scar, remind me again, what the fuck do you see in him?”
Scarlet grins. “Forearms, and the fact he doesn’t make me want to staple my ears shut when he talks.”
Ace’s mouth curves. “And the fact I don’t sound like a rejected cartoon character going through puberty every time I speak.”
Theo puts a hand to his chest, mock offended. “Wow. Did it take you all night to come up with that, or did you phone a friend?”
“Nah,” Ace says. “That one’s been sitting in the vault for a while.”
Xander is the first to move down the hall. “Every time you two talk, I lose brain cells. Studio’s waiting.”
Theo calls after him. “Aw, come on, pretty boy. Don’t pout because the spotlight’s not on you for once.”
Ace smirks, eyes still on Xander. “Pretty boy had girls lining up in high school just to watch him walk to class.”
Theo lets out a laugh that bounces off the walls.
Xander doesn’t even turn around. “You two done giving each other hand jobs, or do I need to come back with a towel?”
Nate groans. “Jesus Christ. Can we go five minutes without needing therapy?”
Then the door swings open and they step through. The room falls quiet.
Kit lets out a breath and drops her folder onto the table with a soft thud. “You know, managing those four is like running a daycare... if the toddlers had tattoos and unresolved trauma.”
Scarlet laughs. “But you love them.”
Kit lifts a brow. “Unfortunately.” She raises her hand and starts counting them off one finger at a time. “Xander says two words and suddenly thinks he’s carried the entire conversation. Last week, he didn’t talk to anyone for an hour because someone moved his water bottle and messed with his flow.”
Scarlet snorts.
“Ace communicates in grunts, head nods, one word texts and that one eyebrow twitch that means either ‘I agree’ or ‘I hope you fall down a flight of stairs.’ Still somehow knows everyone’s schedule better than I do.“
Scarlet’s already shaking with laughter.
Kit moves on, lifting another finger. “Theo’s like a drunk squirrel with a Wi-Fi connection. Always moving, always talking, always one bad idea away from a lawsuit. I once caught him googling how to stage dive off a vending machine.”
Scarlet wheezes. “That sounds like Theo.”
