Everything in Between

Chapter 14

May 2019

We are lying on the pool deck at Zach's parents' house, basking in the sun. It's my birthday and a plan we'd had to celebrate since the beginning of the school year: poolside drinks, swimming and suntanning, and an evening bonfire and sleepover in the pool house.

Zach's parents are vacationing in the Caribbean for a few weeks, so we have the whole place ourselves.

Cece is on one side of me, Zach on the other. Reggie is doing cannonballs into the pool, Austin is grilling burgers, Bridget is reading a book, and Katrina is suntanning on the upper deck.

"Wow. The subwoofers on that vehicle coming down the road are so freaking loud and irritating," Bridget says, turning the page of her book.

"It must be Brett," Zach mumbles. "He's home for the week."

"That's so awesome," Austin says and then grins. "He's always fun to be around."

A horn honks in the driveway, and we all sit up to see a black Range Rover come to a crunching stop on the gravel.

"Fucking great," Zach says, glancing at me and jumping up. "He better not be staying here." He spins in a half circle, fisting the front of his hair and looking like he's panicking, then walks through the back gate. A minute later, he appears behind Brett and two other guys, who must be Brett's friends.

One is medium height, with thick dark hair and an average, handsome face. The other is a taller redhead with a sporty but thick build and big green eyes. He's extremely attractive.

I take note of this internally.

Katrina says something to Zach, and he nods and then looks over to where Brett and his friends are standing. Brett waves at me. I wave back with a wide, welcoming smile and then acknowledge his hot, redheaded friend.

"Who is that?" I ask Cece.

"Which one?" she asks with a quick scan between them.

"The redhead."

"No idea." she shrugs. "I've never seen him with Brett before. Are you interested? I thought you liked Tom."

"I do, but..."

"The redhead is super cute, though?"

"Exactly."

Cece was right; I did like Tom, which is why I decided not to casually hook up with him on the night of the hockey banquet. We've been texting non-stop since, but I've told him I'm not interested in anything serious. I'm leaving for New York soon. I was hired back at Friar McKinley Capital Investments, but this time in a paid student position for the summer. Tom told me he wasn't into pursuing a casual relationship but wanted to keep in touch. I was more than happy to keep Tom at a distance for now. I was also happy with the possibility of a casual hookup with a cute redhead.

"I think I should give myself a proper birthday present and introduce myself."

Cece looks at my face and laughs. "Oh, this should make for an interesting night."

I know instantly Zach is not happy to see Brett. He doesn't like how Brett sucks all the attention away from him, even though he'd never admit it to anyone.

"Happy Birthday, Little A," Brett says, walking toward me. His friends follow closely behind him. When he is finally in front of me, he hugs me and ruffles the hair on my head.

"Thank you."

"Oh, how I've missed you." He spins me under his arm, and says after a low whistle, "Nice bikini."

I laugh. God, Brett is such a flirt. He's not wrong, though. My bikini is super nice. I bought a frilly pink two-piece that hugs me in all the right places, specifically to wear at my birthday pool party. I'm glad Brett appreciated it, and I thank him.