Page 66 of Broken Pieces

Chapter Twenty-Six

Raelynn

I slump into a chair next to the pool. Aware that I looked thoroughly fucked. But I can’t really hide much now. Tacoma texted me this morning to kindly ask where I was when she couldn’t find me in the house. I tried to think of a million excuses, but one look in the mirror and I knew nothing would be able to hide that fact that I was screwing Brooks’ brains out for the last few hours. I just told her I was at the pool and hoped she believed that’s where I had been all morning.

I hear a chair scrape against the ground. And glance over to see my sister looking worse for wear.

“What’s wrong with you?” I ask her.

She pulls her sunglasses over the tip of her nose and glares at me, huge bags under her eyes. “Why the hell did I drink so much?”

“That ain’t my problem, Tacoma. You were downing drinks like water last night.”

She pushes her glasses up her nose and humphs. “Whatever.”

“Don’t blame me for your hangover. I told you three times to slow down.” She doesn’t say anything for a while and I think she may have fallen asleep when I notice from the corner of my eye, she is staring at me. She starts at my neck then makes her way down my body, her eyes passing over the scars she already knows are there.

“Tell me Raely, why do you look like you have been fucked from this way to Sunday?”

I grab the book I placed in my lap earlier and put it in front of my face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Her finger pushes the book down as she sits on the edge of my chair. “No way.”

“What?”

“I had my suspicions. I guess I was right. You are fucking Brooks, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” I try to move the book back in front of my face, but she rips it from my hands and tosses it aside.

“You totally are. Don’t even lie to me. I saw the way he was looking at you all night. And I saw you stealing glances at him. And you look like you just spent the entire night getting thoroughly fucked.”

Okay, she hit the nail on the head. But I could still try to deny it, right?

“You can think what you want.” Maybe not my best answer.

“Oh, I know what I am thinking, and I know it’s the truth. You weren’t anywhere in the house this morning. And that lie about you being at the pool, I am not an idiot. I looked out the window. You were not around. But I did see you a few minutes later walking out of that cottage he stays in.”

Perfect opportunity to keep the denial going and wipe that smug smile off her stupid, hungover face. “News flash, Tacoma. I live in that cottage too.”

“Rae, I told you he was bad news and to stay away from him,” she scolds.

I roll my eyes at her. “And I do stay away from him.” Lie. “He has his room, I have my room.” Not a total lie but I never sleep in my room anymore. “I barely see him.” Kind of true. I don’t see him when we are working.

She eyes me skeptically over her glasses. “Whatever you say. But I am keeping my eyes on you.”

“Fine.”

She still doesn’t seem to believe me. I can’t argue with her much more because the sky opens up and rain starts pouring from the sky. We run into the house, drenched from the sudden downpour.

“Well this fucking sucks,” she says.

Not to me. I love rain days. It’s rained three days since me and Brooks started hooking up and I quickly learned he doesn’t work when it rains. Which means we get to spend a lot of time in bed.

“Maybe we should go shopping,” Tacoma says.

There are other things I would much rather do, but I need to keep her suspicions down. “That sounds like fun.”

“Oh please, you hate shopping.”

“I do. But I know you love it so we can spend quality time together. I’ve missed you, Tacoma.”

She looks me over as if she is trying to figure out if I really mean it. And I honestly do mean the part where I said I miss her. I don’t have any friends here. She is the only person I talk to about things other than baking.

“Alright fine,” she says. “I’ll ask Summer if I can borrow her car and we can go into Chattanooga.”

I smile at her and hug her. “I’ll be ready in thirty minutes.”

“You better be!” she shouts as she turns toward the stairs.