Pieces of Summer(10)

Or I’m just being vain.

Then again, she did build our motherfucking bowling alley, so it’s possible vanity is in order.

Whit pushes her door open the second we’re parked, and I slam my truck door behind me. My appetite is completely gone, and the last thing I want to do is sit inside a restaurant while everyone gawks at the James boy.

I’m starting to wonder why I ever even came back to Hayden. I knew it was a bad idea.

As soon as we walk in, I regret not scanning the parking lot. At least I would have been prepared to see her and him. Mika is smiling at the dick as he tells her something. There’s no heat to her gaze though. If anything, it’s more of a friendly smile, not the smile she gets when she’s flushed and excited about something. Not the smile she gives when she’s about to—

“You’re seriously staring again? How about I make this easier on everyone. It’s time you two had a freaking conversation.”

My eyes widen just as Whit walks across the restaurant to Mika’s table. Mika’s eyes almost dislocate from their sockets when she sees Whit. The guy with her has the audacity to let his gaze drop to Whit’s body, running his eyes over her like he’s considering things he shouldn’t be considering. Mika really knows how to fucking pick them.

“Chase, dear, Aidan says they have room for us over here,” Whit says sweetly, sliding into the booth beside… Aidan? That’s fucking Aidan? Mika’s twin?

Time really changes people.

Then my eyes narrow on Whit. She’s sitting beside Aidan, which only leaves the seat beside Mika open. Mika looks like a deer in headlights, and my entire body is tense.

“Have a seat,” Aidan says wryly, glaring over at me like he wants to take a swing.

With a lot of reluctance, I walk over and lower myself to the spot beside Mika. Our arms brush each other’s, and she stiffens before noticeably shrinking farther into the booth and pulling away.

“Should be fun catching up with you and your girlfriend,” Aidan says under his breath.

Awkward silence follows that statement until the waitress asks for our drink orders.

“Water for me,” Whit chirps, acting like the tension at this table isn’t suffocating.

“Same,” Aidan tells her.

The second the waitress looks our way, I say, “Whiskey on the rocks,” at the same time Mika says, “Vodka martini.”

Whit lifts an eyebrow in my direction, but I ignore her. I don’t know what she’s trying to prove, but this isn’t funny. The waitress brings the two glasses of water and places them in front of Whit and Aidan. I wish she had my drink. I need it.

“So, Aidan, I know a lot about your girlfriend, but I don’t know anything about you. Mika hasn’t even mentioned you.”

My lips twitch when Aidan sputters his water and a disgusted expression crosses his face. Mika just stares at the table, but I only glance at her from the corner of my eye.

“Mika is my sister. My twin, to be exact. Not my fucking girlfriend. Thanks for ruining my appetite,” Aidan groans.

Whit’s smile falters, and a confused expression shifts her features. She thought I was jealous because he was her boyfriend. Until I realized he was Aidan, I was jealous. However, she doesn’t know that—and I’m not stupid enough to tell her. She probably thinks I recognized him.

Twelve years definitely changes someone. The last time I saw him, he was four inches shorter and had zero muscle mass. His hair was longer and always in his eyes.

Mika… Mika has definitely changed. She was scrawny and her hair was light and short. Now she’s curvy, her boobs are fucking huge, and her hair is dark and long. She looks like something my seventeen-year-old self would fuck my hand to.

Silently cursing my ever-hardening cock, I grit my teeth. Apparently it doesn’t matter if she’s skinny and tom-boyish, or curvy and feminine, my body can’t seem to act right around her.

And my head is still fucked up even after all these years.





Chapter 11



MIKA



The second the waitress sets our glasses down, we both guzzle the drinks. I drink until the martini is gone, and I set my empty glass down at the same time Chase does.

The waitress’s eyes are wide, and my brother’s mouth is hanging open, just as Whit parts her lips.

“You… want another?” the waitress asks.

“Yes,” Chase and I say in unison. His jaw tics like hearing my voice is nails on a chalkboard.

Way to play it cool, Mika.

Aidan glares at me, because I’m not supposed to have alcohol, but I still drink it on occasion. And I’m just fine.

Whit keeps looking between us. Why did she put us on the same side? Why the hell wouldn’t she sit beside me or let my brother sit by me?

The waitress walks away, leaving the four of us suspended in the awkward silence once again.

“So, what did you say you did?” Whit asks Aidan, but there’s a sad sound to her voice. She’s getting this all wrong. Why are they even here? She knew this was where Aidan and I were going, because he pretty much announced it.

“I actually do some freelance photography. I like the freedom it gives me,” Aidan says absently as he studies me with a wary eye.

“Great,” Whit says quietly.

Worst. Dinner. Ever.

After the waitress takes our orders and brings a second round of drinks, Whit stands up and motions for Aidan. “Help me find a drink at the bar.”

Gee, that’s not obvious.

“I’ll help you find something,” Chase growls.

“You stay put and talk to Mika. I’m sick of this weird tension. I like her. I like the bowling alley. You two find a way to not hate each other. Aidan, you come with me.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Aidan says, glaring at Chase.

“Well, since I’m the only one who apparently doesn’t know what the hell is all going on, how about you come give me the details? While I drink. I need something strong now.”

Aidan looks questioningly at me, like he’s asking for permission as Whit walks toward the bar.

“I’m not telling her anything. This isn’t my fucking problem. You don’t talk to him. Find me in ten minutes.” He cuts his eyes toward Chase. “You fucking humor your girlfriend, but don’t even look at my sister. Then tell the pretty blonde all is well, and stay the fuck away from Mika. Got it?”

Chase starts to say something as his fists clench, but I beat him to it.

“It’s fine,” I say, glaring at Aidan.

It’s not fine at all. As soon as they leave, I’m going to get the hell out of here and walk to the house. It’s just across the bridge behind the restaurant and down the street about a mile from here.

Aidan reluctantly allows Whit to pull him away when she returns and grows impatient with his dawdling, and I turn to ask Chase to get up at the same time he cuts his cold eyes toward me.

“What the fuck are you doing here, and why the hell did you build our bowling alley?” he bites out.

Definitely wasn’t expecting him to ask that.

“I just want to go home. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you still lived here, okay? Last I checked, you moved. And yes, I did check.”

“I moved back,” he clips out.

“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”

We glare at each other for several long minutes until I get annoyed with the fact my body is actually reacting to him. His voice is like sex on gravel. Well, sex on gravel sounds painful, but then again, so is hearing the way he speaks to me.

It’s a deep voice with a rough undercurrent. His hair is inky black and longer than the super short strands he once kept. It’s that slacker sexy look, peeking out from under the hat in a messy way. How it makes him look sexier, I don’t know.

His body is strong and toned, but he’s not bulky. It’s like the boy I knew was swallowed up by the man in front of me. The cold man with no trace of warmth left in him.

“What happened to you?” I ask without thinking.

His lips thin, and he cocks his head to the side. “I grew up. Now tell me what the fuck you’re doing here.”

The harsh tone startles the woman in the booth behind us. Several pairs of eyes swing our way, everyone looking at him more than me. His dad used to have a nasty reputation for beating the shit out of Chase’s mother. At least until Chase got big enough to fight for her. Not that she deserved the love or care Chase showed her.

Now everyone is looking at him like he’s going to do the same thing to me. No matter how much he’s changed, that’s one thing I’m not worried about.

“I bought my dad’s house,” I say quietly, not willing to elaborate.

“Why? And why did you fucking buy the bowling alley? Why aren’t you a doctor in New York or something?”

Why the hell would I be a doctor in New York? How does he know I was ever even in New York?

Just the mention of it has a cold chill spreading across my neck.

“Probably because I never went to medical school. Can you please let me out? I want to get away from all of this tension. I have to work with Whit. It’s awkward enough. Why did you tell her I took your virginity?”

I immediately regret saying that so loud when the woman behind us makes a strangled noise. Chase’s lips twitch as he leans closer.

“Because it’s the truth. Saying I should have lied to my girlfriend?” he asks, sounding as though he’s taunting me.