Ready or Not (The Love Game Book 4) by Elizabeth Hayley (pdf ebook reader .txt) 📕

Drew appeared a couple minutes later with the pizzas, and everyone stopped what they were doing to eat. I felt awkward taking a slice because, while all these people had been friendly to me, they still felt like Brody’s friends instead of mine.

But when I returned to the kitchen to continue unpacking, Drew walked in with a pizza box and held it open to me. Smiling, I took a slice and followed him back to the living room.

“So, what still needs to be done?” he asked.

Taylor looked around. “Honestly, nothing I can’t do myself. So while you’re all more than welcome to hang out for as long as you want, don’t feel obligated to stay.”

I looked around at the hastily painted white walls and dark-brown carpet that likely hid untold horrors. The place definitely didn’t make me want to stick around, but I also didn’t want to leave Taylor here alone. She seemed…dimmer here. So while I knew I couldn’t stay forever—or cart her out of here and find her a different place to live—I’d hang and try to see if I could spruce the place up. Either decoratively or with morale.

Everyone else seemed to feel the same because they all said they’d stay awhile longer.

As we continued to eat, a thought occurred to me. “Have any luck in the bedroom?” I asked with a mouthful of pizza because I was evidently a toddler.

Every head in the room slowly panned in my direction.

“What?” I asked.

“Dude,” Brody gushed excitedly. “Did you just ask if she had any fucks in the bedroom?”

“What?” I asked, truly horrified. “No! Of course not. I asked if she’d had any luck in the bedroom.” That didn’t sound much better, even to my own ears. “With the unpacking!” I ran a hand over my hair, the slight length on top dragging through my fingers. “Jesus Christ.”

At that, they all burst out laughing.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, fuckers,” I mumbled.

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to talk with your mouth full?” Taylor chided teasingly.

And even though I knew she was joking, I couldn’t help the small pang at her words. Because no, my mother hadn’t taught me that or anything else. But that was my baggage to deal with, so I tamped the awkward feeling down before shrugging. “Guess not.”

For as cool as I tried to play it, I saw a slightly puzzled look take over Taylor’s face and wondered if I wasn’t as smooth as I liked to think.

“I’m gonna finish up in the kitchen,” I announced before fleeing to the cramped space so I could pull myself together.

“Aamee, wanna go have some fuck in the bedroom with me?” I heard Brody ask.

She sighed heavily. “I get you’re trying to be clever, but that’s a really unappealing invitation.”

“I’m nothing if not unappealing,” he joked.

I heard a snap of fingers. “So that’s what you two have in common.” Had to be Sophia. Taylor’s voice was pitched a little lower, almost raspy.

“One day, when we’re sisters, I’m going to disown you,” Aamee threatened.

“That’s so not how that works.”

I left the kitchen to watch the show. When those two got going at each other, fireworks were close behind.

“Is too,” Aamee replied, her tone petulant. It always surprised me how someone as put together as Aamee could morph into a preteen prima donna so fluidly.

“It’s not. I speak from experience,” Taylor said over her shoulder as she moved a box.

Sophia whirled around to face her friend, all bantering with Aamee seemingly forgotten. “He didn’t disown you, Tay.”

She shrugged as if the topic of the conversation didn’t bother her, but it was clear from the way she didn’t meet anyone’s eyes that it did. “He didn’t support me either.”

“I’m sure he’ll come around.”

Taylor shrugged again. “Maybe. But all I know for sure is I can’t count on him.” With that, she turned and disappeared into the bedroom.

Sophia gave Drew a helpless look before following her.

Once both girls were gone, Drew blew out a long breath. We were all silent for a minute until Brody spoke. “I’m not sure how to handle drama that isn’t mine.”

That broke the awkwardness as we all laughed quietly and got back to various tasks, though it was more to keep busy than anything else. Taylor didn’t have much, and what she did have was mostly set up already.

After a few more minutes, I took a peek in the bathroom to see if I could hang her shower curtain or something. I had to walk past the bedroom to get there, and I heard Taylor’s and Sophia’s voices as I passed, causing me to pause. Eavesdropping was a dick move, but I couldn’t help it. I knew what it was like to not be able to rely on family, and if there was something I could do for Taylor, then I wanted to do it.

“Drew already said he could get you a job at Rafferty’s,” Sophia said.

“I know. And I appreciate it. I’m not trying to be stubborn about it, but—”

“Then stop. You need the job, Taylor. Take it.”

“I know they’re already at capacity with employees. I’d be stealing hours from someone because of a favor.”

“That’s not true. Aamee’s leaving.”

“And you told me they’d decided not to replace her because the Yard was closing for the season soon and there was no point in adding staff.”

Sophia paused. “I said that?”

“Yup.”

“I have such a big mouth.”

“That’s considered a perk in some circumstances.”

Sophia laughed for a second before sobering. “We can scour job apps later.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I can handle it.”

Sophia groaned. “Ugh, fine. But don’t be an island. If you need help, ask for it.”

“An island? Really?”

“Shut up and hug me. You know I’m bad at analogies.”

Having heard enough, I moved into the bathroom and looked around, though I didn’t really see anything. My brain was too busy working double-time. Taylor had interned at a summer camp for adjudicated youth this summer. A bar might not be her speed, but I bet I knew something that