And my dad blatantly checked her out. It made my skin f**king crawl and I’m not the one who got the once over. This is far worse than I thought it would be and I’m embarrassed.

Maybe we should leave. Maybe I should put Fable on a bus and send her back home so I don’t have to subject her to this any longer. It’s awful and I don’t want to put her through it. I’ll even let her keep the money.

“Your parents are freaks.”

Her sweet voice insulting the people who raised me shocks me so much I start to laugh. And once I start, I can’t seem to stop. It feels good. When had I last laughed like this? I can’t remember.

“Are you laughing because I’m telling the truth, or because it’s better to laugh than yell at me for knocking your parents?” Fable sounds a little nervous, but I detect amusement in her tone too.

“You’re brutally honest and I appreciate it,” I finally say once I find my voice again. “And I agree. They are freaks.”

“It was so tense in there. I don’t get it.” She glances around the guesthouse. With its open floor plan and near identical wall of windows facing the ocean like the living room in the main house, it’s still impressive, but on a less grander scale. A lot more comfortable in here, doesn’t give off that ‘look but don’t touch’ vibe. “Oh, you have a deck outside. I want to check it out.”

I watch her slip through living area, heading toward the door, which she unlocks and opens without hesitation. I follow her, curious to hear more of her observations of my freaky family and I slip outside onto the deck.

She’s already leaning against the railing facing the ocean, the wind blowing through her long pale hair. She reaches into the pocket of her thin black coat and pulls out a single cigarette and a lighter, her expression full of embarrassment. “I’ve pretty much broke the habit I swear, but I like to carry a few cigs with me in case of an emergency.”

“And what happened in there is considered an emergency?”

Fable flashes me a quick smile before she cups her hand around the lighter and flicks it once, twice. Three times before it finally ignites. The cigarette dangles from between her lips and she brings the lighter to the tip, taking a drag and causing it to light. “Oh my God, totally.” She blows out a stream of smoke over the railing and the little gray cloud hovers in the darkness before it slowly disappears. “Your dad…I think he was checking me out.”

“He was,” I agree, my voice low. “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault.” She waves her hand, as if waving away what my dad did.

“I brought you here. Technically it’s my fault.”

Another wave of her hand as she dismisses my words. “I don’t look at it that way. I’ll just say this. Next time you bring a fake girlfriend, maybe you should prepare her a little better.”

I chuckle. There’s no way I’m bringing another pretend girlfriend here again. If I had my way, I’d never come back. I don’t care how beautiful this place is. I hate it. This house is like a prison to me.

“Can I ask you a super personal question?”

A ragged breath escapes me. Girls—more like Fable—and their super personal questions are going to be the death of me. “Go for it.” I have nothing to hide.

Bullshit. I have so much to hide it scares me.

“Drew…are you gay?”

Holy hell. Why does everyone think this?

Fable

I wait breathlessly for his answer. The air is frigid, the wind whipping around chilling me to my very bones. I’m blaming the sudden inhalation of nicotine for my way too brash question. I could’ve waited at least a day or two, right? Hang out with him a bit, get some personal time in with him first.

My big fat mouth and my extra curious brain couldn’t wait one second longer. I had to know. It would make spending all of this time with him for seven long days a lot easier. I wouldn’t have to worry about him trying to make a move on me.

Or worse, secretly wishing he would make a move on me. Wondering what my problem is and why he’s not attracted to me.

Holy crap, he still hasn’t given me an answer.

“Why do you ask?” he finally says, answering a question with a question, which I hate. Owen does that sort of thing to me all the time.

Plus by doing so, Drew’s going to make me rattle off a list of every g*y suspicion I have about him. Not that I have many. I only came to the realization on the long as hell drive to his parents’ house.

“Well, you said you’ve never really had a girlfriend before. Your dad is worried about you and your lack of female company. I’ve never seen you with a girl at the bar, let alone seen you flirt with any, not that I’ve paid any attention,” I made sure to add. I’m being honest. I haven’t paid too much attention to him, but if my memory serves right, he’s not that much of a player.

“Maybe I haven’t found the right girl yet.”

My heart flares with hope, which is so incredibly stupid I wish I could punch myself in the chest. Yeah, I’m a complete idiot to think I have a chance at being the one for Drew.

The hired one? That’s all I’ll ever be.

“Are you um, saving yourself?” I force my voice to sound casual, while inside everything has turned to chaos. I’m twenty. He’s at least twenty-one. Is there really a possibility he’s a virgin? I know they’re out there, but I never figured Drew Callahan for one.

His dark chuckle tells me I’m off base and the relief that sweeps through me is near overwhelming. “I am definitely not a virgin. But it’s…been a while.”

I take a drag off my cigarette. “Why?” Whoops, there I go again. Delving into his personal life when I have no business doing so.

He shrugs, his flannel shirt stretching across his shoulders. Drew has a really fine set of shoulders. “I don’t do relationships. Sex is too—complicated.”

Interesting. I find it far too easy. “Maybe you’re having the wrong kind of sex.”

“Maybe the wrong kind of sex is all you can get.” His strong jaw goes firm and his eyes darken. He’s angry. I know this is all sorts of twisted, but he looks incredibly sexy. His fierce expression alone makes my heart go pitter-patter.

His answer is way too mysterious for me. “Sounds like you’re definitely having the wrong kind of sex.” I try to laugh, flicking the ash of my cigarette over the railing, noticing his undisguised look of disgust.

Drew’s not laughing either. I wonder if I offended him.

The cigarette is because I’m nervous and it sucks that he doesn’t approve, but I can’t help it. I smoked off and on through high school because I thought it was cool and for whatever reason, the summer after I graduated I up and quit cold turkey. For the most part.

But I keep a secret pack on me at all times, like a security blanket, only pulling one out when I’m extremely nervous or agitated and I need to calm my nerves.

Like tonight. That introduction to his parents was intense. Normally I go through a pack of smokes in six months. At the rate I’m going, I’ll be smoking a pack a day by the third day of this so-called vacation.

“If my dad saw you right now, he’d flip,” Drew said, drawing me from my thoughts.

I take another drag of the cigarette before stubbing it out and flicking it out as far as I can. Not that it’ll hit the ocean, but I like the image of it, the sizzle and hint of smoke the cig lets off upon hitting the water. In reality, I’m a common litterbug and I feel like crap, but Drew’s not chastising me. “It’ll be our little secret, right?”

“We’re going to have a ton of secrets between us by the end of the week, huh.” He’s not asking a question, it’s more like a statement and he’s right.

“Yeah, we are.” I smile at him, but he doesn’t return it. Instead, he turns on his heel and leaves the deck, slipping back into the house, the door closing behind him with a quiet click.

Leaving me all alone in the cold dark night with my cold dark thoughts.

~* Chapter Five *~

Day 2, 2 p.m.

Love is a smoke and is made with the fume of sighs. – William Shakespeare

Fable

Rich people suck. They’re rude, they act entitled to everything and heaven forbid you look like a poor person. I’m wearing jeans and a sweater, nothing fancy, and they all sneer at me like I’m some sort of bum. They flash me dirty looks like I crawled out of a gutter and then they have the nerve to look scared when I approach them. Like I’m going to pull a knife on them or something and demand all their money.

This is happening to me as I wander the cute shops that line Ocean Avenue in downtown Carmel. Drew dropped me off at the top of the hill, explaining there’s an endless amount of shops and art galleries that line the main drag as well as the side streets. He said I could explore the area for hours if I wanted to and I eagerly agreed to the arrangement since I knew his dad wanted to talk to him privately.

That’s what they’re doing right now. Sitting in some restaurant pretending to eat lunch while his dad drills him with the ‘what are you doing with your life’ questions, I’m sure. Luckily enough, Adele had a standing hair appointment and she couldn’t go, though she was ready to cancel. Drew’s dad stopped her, saying he wanted to talk to his son alone.

Her bitter disappointment was obvious to all over that one.

A shiver went down my spine. That woman gives me the heebie jeebies. I don’t like her and she doesn’t like me. At all. She tries her damnedest to spend time with Drew and he tries to avoid her at all costs. I don’t get it.

Of course, who am I to judge when it comes to screwed up families? Mine is an absolute mess.

I stop in front of a store window and peer through the glass. The shoes on display are probably so expensive, I figure I can’t afford to look, let alone walk into the place. Luckily my ringing phone saves me from doing something so daring.

“Tell me everything’s okay,” I answer.

“Everything’s okay,” Owen replies. Damn, even his voice sounds like he’s smirking.

“Shouldn’t you be in school?” It’s only two o’clock. He’s not out until three.

“It’s a half day today.”

He’s lying. The half-day isn’t until Wednesday but there’s no point in getting on him about it. I’m out of town. There’s nothing I can do. “Has Mom been home?”

“Yeah, last night she was there, but it sucked.” He curses under his breath. “She had her new boyfriend with her.”

Yuck. Glad I wasn’t there. Though if I had been, my mother wouldn’t have brought him around. She would’ve stayed at his place instead. “Is he nice?”

“No, he’s a jackass. Bossed Mom around and constantly told her to get him a beer. I finally told him to get his own damn beer.”

I sag against the wall with a groan, earning a few strange looks from passersby. “You didn’t.”

“I sure did. He’s rude as hell and he’s a drunk. Mom deserves better.”

I couldn’t agree with him because I don’t think our mom deserves better. She’s made her choices all these years and they’re always the same. I’ve lost count of how many drunken rude assholes my mom’s hooked up with. Owen doesn’t see it because I’ve sheltered him from the endless stream of boyfriends as much as possible.

“Did Mom get mad at you?”

“She didn’t say a word but the guy threatened to kick my ass if I back talked him again.”

“Holy crap,” I murmur, briefly closing my eyes. This is why I shouldn’t leave. I’ve been gone not even three full days and everything’s already falling apart. “I hope to God he didn’t lay a hand on you, or I’m calling the cops.”

“Pfft.” Thirteen year olds think they’re invincible and my brother is no exception. “Like he could touch me. I’d kick his ass first.”

“I should come home.” Panic rises inside me. I know everything can spiral out of control real quick when I’m not around. What Owen’s telling me only proves it. “I’ll hop on the bus or a train or whatever and come home tonight if you need me.”

“What about those bratty kids you’re taking care of? You just can’t ditch your job.”

“I can if you’re in trouble. No job is more important than family.” I glance around, watching the beautiful people glide past me. It was cold, fog still lingered though it was high, more like clouds, and the sidewalk is crowded with both locals and tourists. It doesn’t take a genius to tell them apart.

“Stay there and earn all that extra money I’m sure we’ll be needing.” He lowers his voice and I hear a shout in the distance, probably one of his punk friends. God, they were probably all hanging out at our apartment and eating all our food. “Mom lost her job.”

My heart sinks to the pit of my stomach. She worked part-time in a parts store at a local dealership for minimum wage. Nothing major, but we need every last dime she makes. This money from Drew is only going to last for a little while, especially now that she’s unemployed. “Great. When did this happen?”

“This morning. She texted me and let me know. Said she’s going to stay the night at Larry’s.”

“So you’ll spend the night alone.” Hell, no. The last thing I want to happen.

“I’m going over to Wade’s house, so don’t worry. I’ll spend the night there.” The words come out so breezily the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.