Series: Like Us Series by Krista Ritchie
Total pages in book: 241
Estimated words: 236417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1182(@200wpm)___ 946(@250wpm)___ 788(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1182(@200wpm)___ 946(@250wpm)___ 788(@300wpm)
Eliot caught her side-eye before I did, and he quickly began reminiscing about a morning spent with our grandfather eating cantaloupe and tracking stocks on Bloomberg. His acting chops are scarily powerful because he convinced me that he had this past bonding experience with Greg.
It was totally fabricated on the spot.
“Are we bad people?” I ask them. “For not mourning him like we should?”
“I’m not going to cry about it,” Tom mutters, staring at his coffee. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I loved him. He was always kind to me, and he took more interest in my prom date than anyone. He asked me all about him like I planned to marry the guy.”
Prom? I claw for this memory, but it must’ve happened either during or after the FanCon tour. Days, weeks, months that remain fogged.
“Calvin Cross,” Eliot informs me. “They went to prom as ‘just’ friends.” He uses air quotes.
Tom rolls his eyes. “Dude, he’s boring. I’d rather listen to Ben read the ingredients on a sour cream label than listen to Calvin discuss the fermentation of wine. He’s going to knock the socks off some dude, but not me.”
The Cross family aren’t unfamiliar to me. They grew up in the same social circles and attended all the same charity functions, and Calvin went to elementary school with us. Our grandparents are closest to Olivia Barnes and her grandchildren, but I doubt they’re as affluent as the Cross’s, who own real estate around Philadelphia and New York.
“He wanted you to marry into the Cross family?” I theorize.
Tom mimes rubbing coins together. “It’s all about wealth, Luna With No Middle. But, I don’t know, there was a part of me that felt like he actually cared. He didn’t have to ask if Calvin was a good guy, a gentleman towards me or whatever, but he did.” He pauses. “I didn’t, however, like that he chose to leave Moffy’s wedding rather than stick around.”
“No one did,” Eliot says to his brother, but then to me, he explains, “He left with Grandmother Calloway. He said he couldn’t let her fly back to Philly alone.”
“Did he not trust her?” I ask. Their relationship has never made much sense to me. I imagine finding answers would be like trying to play a dusty Jumanji board game. You’d need to battle monkeys and killer vines to reach the bizarre end.
“Or did he love her?” Eliot muses. “He loved her so much that he’d rather be at her side in her distress than be apart.”
“I’ve never even seen them smile at each other, dude,” Tom says. “If love is that cold, then I don’t want to be in it.”
Eliot would drive a sword through his heart just for family, and I can’t even imagine the lengths Eliot would go to for a woman he loved, especially if she were in distress. So I can see him sympathizing with this scenario, but it hinges on the idea that Greg and Samantha’s love ran a million leagues deep.
“I think she had dirt on him,” Tom says. “Something that’d hurt his reputation, and he chose money over being there for Moffy. That’s all I’m saying.”
Eliot nudges a log with the poker. “I can only hope at my funeral there’s drama.” He glances at me. “Grandfather Calloway is fortunate you’ve brought some.”
“Just some,” I note after a nibble of croissant. “I’m not bringing it all.” Please don’t let that be me. “But I am glad I told you two, even if it had to be today,” I realize. “Because it’s happened before—not that I can remember—but apparently I said nothing to you two last time.”
Tom’s jaw descends again. “You were caught with Donnelly or with someone else?”
I try not to cringe when I imagine someone other than Donnelly touching me. “I was with Donnelly.”
Eliot is grinning now. “You sneaky sneak.”
“The sneakiest,” I sing-song, smiling back. “It wasn’t my mom who caught us though. It was years ago, and Donnelly said when he went down on me, Jane walked in on us…” I trail off, eyes growing as two of their brothers stand in the doorway. “Uh-oh.”
Charlie and Beckett heard everything I just said.
“Brothers. Cousin,” Charlie deadpans, eyes on me for half a beat. “If you want private information to be kept secret, lock the door.”
Eliot waves the poker. “Who said we didn’t want you to hear?”
“Yeah,” Tom chimes in. “We masterfully constructed this plan.”
My face is on fire, but I nod too. “Yep. All part of the tapestry.” I shove my mouth with croissant, trying to avoid Beckett. He’s not rotating on his heels and marching out of the door like a jealous ex.
He comes forward with Charlie.
The Cobalt twins couldn’t look more different from each other right now, despite having similar lean builds. Charlie is dressed in all-white, and Beckett is in all-black. Charlie appears mostly apathetic, and Beckett seems very interested in what he just overheard. Even their hair is contrasting shades of brown.