in the game?"
He groaned. "What? Who said that? Mia, of course. God damn it. She quit her job and moved in with the folks and she's a hormonal mess with too damn much time on her hands. I'm going to kill her."
He pivoted sharply, nearly wrenching his ankle when his heel slipped off the thick black rubber pad of his sandal. "Fuck. Where's my phone?" He started toward the house. "I'll call her right now. I don't know what she said to you, but—"
Serena caught up to him and grabbed his arm. "Wait. First, we settle this thing between you and me. You can deal with your sister and future sister-in-law later."
He stopped. "Bailey, too?" His temper spiked. Paul might have found a way to forgive and forget, but Austen wasn't that magnanimous. "She's signed on as Mia's minion? What a suck up!"
Serena clapped her hands to her hips. "Seriously? You're passing judgment on Bailey? You? The guy who gossiped about my personal life with your whole family?"
He blushed like he hadn't since he was in fifth grade and Mrs. Cheever caught him looking down Belinda Jepperson's shirt.
"Bailey isn't my favorite person."
"Why? I thought she was delightful."
"It's family history. She and Paul dated in high school. She was a year ahead of him. She was Fair Queen. Hot stuff. Way out of Paul's league, but somehow they got together. She got pregnant and had an abortion. Nothing good came of it."
Her brows narrowed. "How do you know?"
"I know how upset my family was after she broke my brother's heart and left town."
She shook her head. "You don't know squat. You didn't live it. You observed and made judgments based on your life experiences and opinions. Just like my stalker who thinks he knows what's best for me. He doesn't. He can't. You can't know what Paul and Bailey went through or they how they feel now."
"She did something contrary to my family's beliefs, our Catholic faith."
"Is Bailey Catholic?"
"I don't think so, but—."
"But nothing." She held up one hand, like a crossing guard. "Your rules influence how you live life. You don't have any right to judge me, or Bailey, or anybody else by your edicts. And I'm pretty sure if you looked hard enough in the good book of your faith, you'd find something about not sleeping with your neighbor on the first date. Did that come up in conversation?"
"Of course not. I don't kiss and tell."
"You said enough for people to read between the lines, apparently. Mia and Bailey brought tea and chocolate. Bailey wants to sell my alpaca crafts in her store. And your sister is ready to back you for the job of Marietta DA if I sign on as Victim of the Day."
He groaned again. Mia's wild idea. One he'd squashed. Or so he thought.
"I'll fix this. I promise. I'm sorry. You have no idea how embarrassed I am. Worse than the time in seventh grade when Mia did a science fair project that involved interviewing all the girls I'd supposedly kissed."
She uncrossed her arms. He could tell some of the fight went out of her. He wanted desperately to hold her, reassure her. But how could he, when he knew he'd screwed up—not only with his family but also by bringing her into the limelight?
"She didn't."
"Ask her. She thinks I'm the one with keen ambition and laser focus, but it's her. I like to win, but I know how to pick my battles. For Mia, everything is a battle." He shook his head, trying to get a better read on her expression. "Take my advice. Never play Battleship with her. Or Monopoly. Or any board game, for that matter."
Her shoulders lifted and fell a tiny bit. "My brother is the same, but he traded board games for computers. He plays on a level somewhere in the stratosphere."
"I was going to call you today. Have you decided what your plans are? Stay put for now or try to move? You said moving wouldn't be easy, but I know you feel uneasy about what happened the other night with Will Paulson."
She heaved a sigh that told him what a challenge this mess had been for her. He felt like the world's biggest
He groaned. "What? Who said that? Mia, of course. God damn it. She quit her job and moved in with the folks and she's a hormonal mess with too damn much time on her hands. I'm going to kill her."
He pivoted sharply, nearly wrenching his ankle when his heel slipped off the thick black rubber pad of his sandal. "Fuck. Where's my phone?" He started toward the house. "I'll call her right now. I don't know what she said to you, but—"
Serena caught up to him and grabbed his arm. "Wait. First, we settle this thing between you and me. You can deal with your sister and future sister-in-law later."
He stopped. "Bailey, too?" His temper spiked. Paul might have found a way to forgive and forget, but Austen wasn't that magnanimous. "She's signed on as Mia's minion? What a suck up!"
Serena clapped her hands to her hips. "Seriously? You're passing judgment on Bailey? You? The guy who gossiped about my personal life with your whole family?"
He blushed like he hadn't since he was in fifth grade and Mrs. Cheever caught him looking down Belinda Jepperson's shirt.
"Bailey isn't my favorite person."
"Why? I thought she was delightful."
"It's family history. She and Paul dated in high school. She was a year ahead of him. She was Fair Queen. Hot stuff. Way out of Paul's league, but somehow they got together. She got pregnant and had an abortion. Nothing good came of it."
Her brows narrowed. "How do you know?"
"I know how upset my family was after she broke my brother's heart and left town."
She shook her head. "You don't know squat. You didn't live it. You observed and made judgments based on your life experiences and opinions. Just like my stalker who thinks he knows what's best for me. He doesn't. He can't. You can't know what Paul and Bailey went through or they how they feel now."
"She did something contrary to my family's beliefs, our Catholic faith."
"Is Bailey Catholic?"
"I don't think so, but—."
"But nothing." She held up one hand, like a crossing guard. "Your rules influence how you live life. You don't have any right to judge me, or Bailey, or anybody else by your edicts. And I'm pretty sure if you looked hard enough in the good book of your faith, you'd find something about not sleeping with your neighbor on the first date. Did that come up in conversation?"
"Of course not. I don't kiss and tell."
"You said enough for people to read between the lines, apparently. Mia and Bailey brought tea and chocolate. Bailey wants to sell my alpaca crafts in her store. And your sister is ready to back you for the job of Marietta DA if I sign on as Victim of the Day."
He groaned again. Mia's wild idea. One he'd squashed. Or so he thought.
"I'll fix this. I promise. I'm sorry. You have no idea how embarrassed I am. Worse than the time in seventh grade when Mia did a science fair project that involved interviewing all the girls I'd supposedly kissed."
She uncrossed her arms. He could tell some of the fight went out of her. He wanted desperately to hold her, reassure her. But how could he, when he knew he'd screwed up—not only with his family but also by bringing her into the limelight?
"She didn't."
"Ask her. She thinks I'm the one with keen ambition and laser focus, but it's her. I like to win, but I know how to pick my battles. For Mia, everything is a battle." He shook his head, trying to get a better read on her expression. "Take my advice. Never play Battleship with her. Or Monopoly. Or any board game, for that matter."
Her shoulders lifted and fell a tiny bit. "My brother is the same, but he traded board games for computers. He plays on a level somewhere in the stratosphere."
"I was going to call you today. Have you decided what your plans are? Stay put for now or try to move? You said moving wouldn't be easy, but I know you feel uneasy about what happened the other night with Will Paulson."
She heaved a sigh that told him what a challenge this mess had been for her. He felt like the world's biggest
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