Page 49 of Tasting Innocence
DEX
Chapter Nineteen
Violet doesn’t bother knocking,she just pulls open the screen door and walks right in. Voices filter in from the left.
“I just don’t know what to do. How do you even go about—”
“We’re here,” Violet chimes in before I can hear the rest of what Trevor was saying.
When we turn into the kitchen, all three of them spin around with surprise on their face. “Hey!” Zo announces.
“I know we’re early,” Vi says. “But apparently we’re not the only ones.”
Trevor grins before sharing a look with Ronan.
“What’s going on? You good?” I ask Trevor since he looks a little distressed.
“Yeah,” he replies, standing up from the dining table. “All good. I didn’t have anything else going on, so I just showed up early.”
“What’re you making?” I ask Renzo, sniffing the air as I make my way to the stove.
“Steak and chicken fajitas with some rice, and Ronan made some french onion soup with bread.”
“Look at y’all, being little chef boyfriend ardees.”
Violet snorts. “Stupid.”
Renzo rolls his eyes. “Anyway. Did y’all come together?”
My tongue feels thick as I attempt to come up with an excuse. I swallow, feeling my heart slam against my ribs.
“My car’s almost out of gas and I didn’t feel like filling up, so I asked Dex to pick me up,” Vi lies smoothly.
Zo shakes his head, looking at his sister. “I’ve told you not to let it get under a third of the way full.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she says, swiping her hand through the air. “You and Dad both.”
I turn my attention to Ronan. “The big two one tomorrow. You ready to get drunk? Everyone has to get completely wasted when they turn twenty-one.”
“Definitely in the plans,” he answers.
“How would you know? You’re not even twenty-one,” Violet quips with a small smirk.
I glance down at her and grin. “It’s in the rules. I’m already planning my twenty-first. At the top of the list is to buy the alcohol I get completely shit-faced with.”
She shakes her head, laughing.
A knock on the door, followed by a loud, “Hey!” lets us know Jayden’s arrived.
“In the kitchen,” Zo calls out.
“Shit, it smells good in here,” Jayden says. “I’m fucking starving so I hope you made a shit load of whatever it is you made.”
“I’m always sure to have plenty of food with you around, Jay,” Zo says.
“Good man. Can I get something to drink?”
“Sure, you know where to look,” Ronan answers.