Not for all the money in the world.
Chapter Five
My cell phone was suspiciously quiet.
No texts from the traitors.
I held my cell in my hand as I walked up to Hunter’s house with a bagful of goodies, feeling the terribly strong urge to give Lexi and Beth both a call and demand they explain what had happened today. But that wasn’t part of tonight’s plan. Instead, I pushed the thought to the back of my head and crammed the phone into my pocket as I looked up at the small two-bedroom home Hunter shared with his mom.
The brown siding and white paint around the windows was peeling. The evergreen bushes in front were so overgrown they looked like two hairy trolls in desperate need of a trim. And the welcome sign that had hung on the door was now hanging at a slight angle. It never used to be this way. Hunter’s mom usually kept it looking nice. But her ex-fiancé, Steven, had let the place fall into ruin after they broke up and she moved Hunter to Texas last year. He’d only moved out a few months ago.
Good riddance.
My fist hovered over the door as I considered whether to knock. I used to walk right in and help myself to one of the goodies sitting on their kitchen counter. Bree had insisted on it. She’d treated me like I was her adopted daughter. But things felt different now—like it would be an invasion of privacy. So instead of reaching for the brass doorknob, I wrapped my knuckles on the wood and waited until the door swung open.
“Baby Char!” Bree stood beaming in the doorway; her thick brown hair braided over her shoulder. She rushed toward me, pulling me into a crushing hug against her lean and tall frame. The scent of vanilla and nail polish remover filled my nose.
My voice was muffled as I tried to greet her. “Hi, Bree. Glad you’re back.”
She grasped my shoulders tightly and pushed me far enough away to examine me with intense hazel eyes that matched her son’s. “Not a baby anymore. Dang it, girl. You’ve blossomed into a beautiful young woman. You’re not supposed to grow up so fast. Quit it! You’re making me feel old.”
It was silly, but I couldn’t help the flush that crept into my face or the proud smile on my lips. That meant a lot, coming from her. I’d always thought Hunter’s mom was gorgeous, with her incredibly high cheekbones, long lashes, and cool rustic fashion sense. She was a lot younger than my mom. She’d had Hunter when she was only seventeen and moved to Rock Valley not long afterwards.
“You’ll never be old, Bree,” I said as she led me inside the small living room and kitchen combination.
The place smelled like a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies had just come out of the oven. Cardboard boxes lined the walls. Their old brown microfiber couch still stood in the middle of the wood floor, facing an old giant box TV. Gone was the ex-fiancé’s ugly blue recliner and the drink cooler he used to keep beside him during football games.
“Oh, baby Char, you’re getting a whole dozen of these cookies to yourself after a compliment like that,” she said with a wink. “You deserve it. Anyone that builds up my ego automatically gets spoiled with baked goods.”
“You mean these cookies?” Hunter had his hip leaning against the kitchen counter, his eyes glittering with trouble. With a wink, he stuffed an entire cookie in his mouth. His jaw worked as he chewed it slowly and wagged his eyebrows at me. I stifled a giggle. Bree shrieked and then whipped the kitchen towel at him.
“Men! I swear.” She wiped the back of her hand across her forehead and huffed. “Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. Your momma should count her lucky stars she had two daughters.”
I flung a smile at her, but my gut twisted a little at her comment. My mom hadn’t been so lucky a couple months ago, when I’d been stuck in a crazy cycle of self-destruction. I was pretty sure she would’ve traded me for someone like Hunter in a heartbeat. Hunter might have liked to tease, but he never did anything wrong.
“Well, you two enjoy your movie night,” she said, snatching a cookie off the cooling racks. “I’m going to go unpack some stuff in my room. Charlotte, it’s good to have you around again, baby girl.”
“I’m glad you’re back, too,” I said, watching her sway down the hall in her tight denim jeans and brown peasant top. I’d missed Hunter desperately last year, but I’d missed his mom nearly as much. It felt so good to be in this house again, with both of them.
Almost like the last year hadn’t happened.
Tossing my bag of goodies on the counter, I grabbed the DVD for tonight’s event and handed it to Hunter.
“Easy A. What a surprise,” he said with an eye roll as he headed toward the TV.
I plopped down on the worn couch and grinned at him, feeling totally at home. “A lot of things might have changed, Hunter McNally, but not that. It’s still my favorite movie and this is still my favorite way to spend a summer night.”
He knelt down and put the disc into the player, his brow furrowing in thought. “That’s good. You know...I was worried you’d forget about me and be too busy with all your boyfriends to spend any time with me when I got back.”
I threw a bag of Skittles at him. It bounced off his muscular chest and fell to the floor.
“What boyfriends? In case you haven’t notice, I repel the opposite sex.”
He snorted, tapping buttons on the DVD player. “Um...that’s not even close to the truth. At least three of the rodeo guys asked about you after you left the opening ceremony today.”
Blood rushed to my cheeks as I sat straight up. “You’re lying.”
He arched an eyebrow,
