Page 5 of Flipping the Script
“How are you finding things now that you’re back?” Mr. Dawson asked me.
“Things are good.” I made sure to keep my smile and voice neutral. Wallace Dawson was one of my father’s oldest friends and a giant gossip. I’d spent the better part of my youth dodging him and his equally nosy wife. The less I said around him, the easier my life was.
“That’s good.” He rocked on his feet like he was trying to appear breezy and carefree, but his piercing look made it clear this was a fact-finding mission. “Your father told us you’re taking a bit of a break now that you’re not chasing the spotlight. Any idea of what you want to do when you’re ready to get back to the real world?”
I forced another smile. “My father was mistaken. I’m not taking a break.”
His forehead wrinkled in confusion.
“I work at a tattoo shop.” I stuck my hands in my pockets because I knew it would piss him off.
He grimaced, or maybe it was supposed to be a smile. I couldn’t be sure. Either way, it was similar to the face babies made the first time they tried lemon. “Of course, of course. But what are you going to do when you’re ready to start your career?” He flicked his gaze to Hannah. “Are you reconsidering your father’s offer?”
I shook my head. “I’m happy where I am.”
He folded his lips into a tight line, obviously unhappy with my vague answers. “Well, it was good to see you again. I’ve got some people to talk to.”
“Enjoy the party.”
“I’m sticking with you,” Adam said when he was gone.
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“Because everyone is so curious about you, they forget to grill us about our five-year plans or when we’re getting engaged.”
I glanced between them. Hannah and Adam had been together since they were sixteen, but they’d been friends since kindergarten. They’d been fielding questions about their future marriage plans for years. I didn’t blame them for being over it.
“So you’re our deflector shield today,” Adam finished with a grin.
“Why is everyone so old?” I asked, looking around the yard. “I only recognize a handful of people, but no one here looks like they’re from your guest list.”
Hannah laughed. “Guest list? You’ve been gone for too long, big brother. None of this is for us.” She swept her hand in front of her. “It’s just another excuse for a summer garden party.”
“Good to know they haven’t changed.”
Our parents loved to entertain, and they were known for their lavish parties. Unfortunately for Hannah and me, that meant the milestones in our lives had been overshadowed by our parents’ pathological need to show off.
Every birthday party, graduation, or accomplishment had been celebrated with a lavish affair neither of us wanted or asked for.
Adam’s eyes lit up as he focused on something behind me.
Instinctively, I glanced over my shoulder. My gaze landed on Jesse, Adam’s older brother, as he strode toward us with all the confidence of a king.
I raked my eyes over him, checking him out.
Of course he was even hotter than the last time I’d seen him two years ago. He still had broad shoulders and a wide chest that tapered into a slender waist and thick thighs. His artfully messy, dark blond hair gleamed in the sunlight, and his dress pants and short-sleeved shirt fit him like a glove.
Jesse had always been hot and had never gone through that awkward teenage stage the rest of us mere mortals did.
While I’d bumbled my way through puberty like every other guy in our class, he’d gone from gangly teen to cover model seemingly overnight.
Between his classic good looks, his natural athleticism, and his ability to make friends with everyone, Jesse had always been one of those guys who didn’t have to work for anything. People adored him, and he knew how to use that to his advantage.
The pang of dislike that hit me wasn’t unexpected, but it was stronger than I’d anticipated.
Two years wasn’t enough to erase the animosity between us, and the way his smirk faltered when he came to stand with us told me he still felt it too.
“You’re late,” Adam announced.