“And I won’t get to play outside.”
“Is that all?” I crack a smile, turning onto our street.
“Yes. Luke was supposed to come over, so we could try the new light sabers Grandpa got me for my birthday. We won’t be able to play outside now.”
“So play inside. It’s going to be chilly outside, anyway.”
“You don’t like when we play inside and jump on the couch.”
“And you have to jump on the couch, why?”
He tilts his head like I should know the answer. “We have to. It’s like Hardcore Parkour.”
“What?”
He groans, shaking his head like the time I suggested he use my old VCR when the DVD player broke. Like I was such a disappointment to this century.
He jumps out of the car when we arrive, and I’m left to chuckle to myself.
As I head inside, I notice an unfamiliar Jeep in Sienna’s driveway, and it makes me curious. Feeling silly—like Chatty Cathy and the gossip mill—I unlock the door to the house for Jacob and mind my own business.
Until a tall man with wavy black hair slicked back walks out of Sienna’s house. His narrow jaw is clenched, and he balls his fists at his sides.
Immediately, I worry about Sienna.
“Are you coming?” Jacob calls from inside the house.
“Get your homework out. I’ll be right there.” I close the door, which draws the mystery man’s attention to us.
His expression immediately softens. “Hi.”
Descending my steps, I walk toward Sienna’s house. The front door is open, but there’s no sign of her.
“Is everything okay?”
“Of course.” He offers his hand. “I’m Leo, Sienna’s brother.”
Relief and understanding dawns on me, then… oh my God. My cheeks redden. This is the stripper Sienna was telling me about.
I instinctively give him a once-over, appreciating his muscles and what he must look like on stage. Dax is handsome for sure. Sexy, hell yeah.
But even I can admit, Leo here is handsome in his button-up shirt neatly tucked into the waistband of his slacks.
“You must be Clara Mae.” He drops my hand, drawing me out of my obvious ogling.
Dax has awakened something naughty inside me, for sure, I smirk, my cheeks still very much on fire.
“Is that what Sienna told you my name is? Because it’s just Clara.”
“I should’ve known she’d lie even about her neighbor’s name. I swear, when she was a teenager, she lied about everything. Her homework, clothes, even the brand of curling iron she had.”
“I didn’t lie,” Sienna’s voice rings out over the yard, and I catch blond hair bobbing by the window, but she doesn’t come out.
“She’s something else.”
“That’s one way to put it.” He gives me a tight-lipped smile, his expression sarcastic. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and says, “I just wish this town would’ve made a positive impact on her already. She’s been here for two months and still doesn’t know how to cook pasta.”
“I heard that,” she calls again, appearing at the door in a cropped sweater, high-waisted jeans, and knee-high boots—a cute outfit for her. Her love of fashion is why we thought it’d be a good idea to try to land a job at a boutique. “For the record, it’s not that I don’t know how to cook pasta. I just cannot eat that many carbs in one sitting. I will bloat to the size of a freaking walrus.”
“Okay, but you don’t even know how to boil water. For lunch, you tried to use hot water from the faucet to cook vegetables.”
She huffs, then gives Leo a forced smiled. Her eyes widen in that way I’ve come to learn means she’s going to explode. “I’m so glad you decided to come visit me, big brother. A real treat this has been.”
I giggle, imagining if I had siblings, this is how we might act. Constantly ribbing each other.
“Well, I was close by, so I thought I’d come see how exile is treating you, as you put it.” Leo shakes his head. He appears to be my age, but he seems more mature and serious.
Maybe it’s the slacks. The crisp shirt. His clear eyes.
It seems odd that he’d be an adult entertainer. Something doesn’t fit.
Blushing again at the thought, I ask him, “Are you in town long? Sienna told me you… she said you live in Vegas.” I cross my arms, trying to keep a straight face.
“What I told her is that you’re a stripper and shake your ass around on stage,” Sienna says in that oblivious way of hers.
My eyes bulge.
Leo remains still, seemingly unaffected by the fact that I know. “I do live in Vegas, but I’m on my way to see a girl in San Francisco.”
“Sounds like the beginning of a love song. Is she your girlfriend?” I quirk an eyebrow. Why am I prying? This small town and its gossiping ways must be rubbing off on me.
“I hope so. I just have to convince her to be with me first.”
“Ah, love is in the air, isn’t it?” Sienna bats her eyelashes sarcastically, then pins me with a knowing glare.
“I should go—”
“Hey, Mom?”
I jump at the sound of Jacob’s voice. “Honey?”
“I need help with my homework.”
“I’ll be right there.” With an apologetic smile, I turn to Leo and Sienna. They’re bickering in a hushed tone about a girl being too young for him. I interrupt, “Duty calls.”
“I’m Jacob.” He stands next to me, seemingly forgetting he needed help with his homework.
Jacob puts his small hand out, and Leo shakes it. Leo’s wide grin lights up his face in a way that is sure to melt hearts across the country.
“Nice to meet you, sir. I’m Leo, her brother.”
“You’re Miss Sienna’s brother? You don’t look anything alike.”
Sienna crosses her arms. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“I don’t have any brothers or sisters, but I’ve always wanted a little sister.”
My laughter gets caught in my throat as I shift from one foot to the other. “If you had a sister, then you wouldn’t get so much attention, though.”
“That’s
