Good Girl (Playroom) (17 page)

“So there are three of you…”
Whoa.
That house is full of testosterone. Mr. Mason isn’t bad to look at either. I have plans for Malcolm, but I have to ask Seth first, with him being the man of the house and all.

“
Four actually,” Devon fondly smirks. “Rae is fourteen, and she and Violet do not get along.” He stresses the
do not
.

“Oh, no doubt. I bet she’s gorgeous and that drives Violet to see red.
Tell me about your Dad,” I say with interest and Devon gives me a look that screams violence. It takes me a second, and then I understand the fury in his eyes. “No… no, not that,” I laugh and touch his arm. “Not for me. I cap out at twenty-eight. I don’t want to know anything about play. I may ask your dad for a favor,” I murmur.

“Fav
or?” Devon says in a clipped tone.

I look at Clover and smirk. “It’d take a damn strong man to tame my sister.”

All of the tension bleeds out of Devon and he slumps in his chair in relief. “Willow,” he breathes into my ear. “That’s a damn fine idea for all of them.” Devon’s eyes dart from the twins to Clover and back to me. I know Devon’s thinking of his little siblings, too. Violet needs a man like Malcolm to make her behave. Seth needs a man who will treat him as the special kid he is. Violet needs to make an attachment to someone that she didn’t share a womb with. Clover needs a strong hand and an epic orgasm… and that is how you matchmake at the Prynne Sunday dinner table.

Auggie catches my eye because he loves me looking at him. He looks satisfied, relaxed, and relieved. I pop an eyebrow in question and
his lips quirk up into a grin.

I was so involved with my conversation with Devon that I didn’t notice
that the table had fallen silent. Everyone is staring at me. I guess it’s weird to see me so friendly and chatty with someone who doesn’t have Prynne blood flowing through their veins. Clover looks awed.

“Do I have spinach in my teeth?” I bare my pearly whites at Devon and laugh. “I guess they find it weird that I’m talking to someone who isn’t Seth
or Essie.”

Devon’
s hand snakes around my neck and his lips meet my ear. I love the fact that he’s comfortable touching me without thought. I shudder as his lips flutter against the shell of my ear.

“Last time I saw you
… was at yours and Kieren’s graduation. You looked like a zombie, and today you look happy. I’d love to take credit for it, but that bossy bastard with the shit-eating grin on his face is to blame. I’ll make sure that I add to your happiness from now on. I don’t want Auggie to always get the credit.”

My only response is to lo
ok at Devon with droopy eyes and a mouth gaping open, catching flies. Devon’s aspiration is to grow up to be Auggie- no, Malcolm. I have no doubt Devon will do it.

Rob and Auggie are the only ones not staring at me. They chat like normal. I turn to Essie
, since she sits next to me, and say, “Mr. Kline is always right. Never doubt Mr. Kline.”

“I ne
ed a smoking hot Mr. Kline,” Essie giggles, and I glare at her for such a suggestion. I’ll share Auggie with anyone but family- Rob is the exception. If Essie ever touches what’s mine, I’ll cut her hand off, and then shove it up her ass.

“Someone like Auggie
- not him. Jeez!” Essie scowls at me.

“I probably could help you out with that,” I say to placate her.

“Prynnes and Websters,” Auggie says to get all of our attention. “I bought a house today. The realtor called just before dinner, and I sign the paperwork tomorrow.”  A round of congratulations interrupts Auggie’s speech. He indulgently smiles at my family. After all, they’ve known Auggie longer than they’ve known me.

“It will be a lot of work and I need Willow
’s help. So she will be moving in with me starting tonight,” Auggie’s announcement is laced with silent demand. “Wait a min-”Clover tries to interrupt Auggie, but he keeps talking over her. “Between working at the store and the house, there is no need for Willow to go back and forth. Besides, Willow and Rob will be permanently moving into my house as soon as it’s livable. I bought the Spook House across town. It’s huge and I don’t want to live alone. I practically stole it, it was so cheap.” Auggie laughs deep from his chest, that pleasant, happy, rumbling sound that I love.

“Is there even two bedrooms in the loft above the store?” Clover asks. My parents are grinning like fools, but not Clover.
The calculating glint in Clover’s eye screams that her bullshit meter is flashing
warning- motherfucking warning!!!
Clover is a great mom when it comes to not believing my shit.

“Of course,” Auggie purrs.
“I wouldn’t subject Willow to sharing a room with me. I’m sure Devon would take great offense and Rob would kick my ass.” Auggie smoothly lies, using humor to cover all the bullshit spewing from his lips.

Rob covers his
mouth with the back of his hand, but his chest is rapidly rising and falling. I know he’s hysterically laughing. Robbie leans his elbow on the table and turns to the side, away from everyone.

“Willow’s been a huge help at the store. I’ll need
more of her time now that she’s going to put our inventory for sale on our website. You should be very proud of her,” Auggie reverently announces.

That last phras
e is what had the entire Prynne/Webster clan and Devon packing all of my belongings into the back of Auggie’s pickup truck. It only took forty-five minutes to find everything that was mine and shove it into boxes.

Moments ago
, I endured a painful conversation with my sister that I’ll never recover from…

“You’re not fucking him, are you? It’s a crime,” Clover says with disgust.

“NO!” I plead innocent, covering my lie with great offense. “It’s not a crime anymore, either,” I mumble underneath my breath.

“Willow, you have to be careful of men like that- men in general. They will twist you in
to knots, trying to please them and nothing is ever good enough.” I wince when Clover hits so close to home. “I’m not saying this to be mean or insinuate that you aren’t a beautiful girl,” I cut Clover off before she can finish.

“I’m not,” I prot
est and anger flashes across my sister’s face.

“Willow,” Clover
chastises. “I never want to hear that again. I’m not the most gorgeous person on the planet, but look at Mom, and Essie and Violet. They are beautiful ladies and you are one of them. I was dinky until I had my first child. The hormones filled my body out- you’ll get there eventually.”

“Clover?” I say her name in a question because what she just said startled me and discombobulated my mind.

“Masculinity bleeds from Augustus’ pores. You’re not ready for a man like him. I’m not blind- I’m a mom and we have built-in predator radar. I see the way he looks at you. It will be hot while it lasts and the only thing that will be left is your scorched heart in ashes.”

“You talk as if all men are evil,” I say
to distract myself from what Clover just said- her words are eerily close to the thoughts that have been rattling around my head.

“Sam-”Clover
chokes out and I swallow a sob that is building- a sob that always tries to erupt when I hear his name. For some reason our mutual agony soothes my sister. “Sam was a good man, but it took a while to get to that place. We all need to grow into a partnership. It was friendship, love, and trust. He was my best friend. I’m not pushing you to pick a guy at eighteen. I knew what I wanted, but everyone is different. Just play the field, get to know Devon as a friend. I won’t lecture about sex, you’re a grown woman with need. But sex with Auggie will lead to a whole hell of a lot of pain.”

The old Willow, or should I say my younger
self, would have thrown a shit-fit and called Clover ten different variants of bitch. I shock myself by listening to her word. But even more, I shock her. Clover dabs a tear from her eye. I’d always thought her frozen- an ice queen that felt nothing other than anger.

“I’m not stupid, Willow. I know what’s going on. I can see by the mortified look on your face that you’ve already went where you shouldn’t and you know it only leads to hell. My only advice is that I will be here for you when it wrecks you. I promise not to judge- I’ll really try. In the end, I want you to remember that you never need a man to be whole. It is lonely, but you have us to hold you up.
Go fuck up your life like a regular eighteen year old, make stupid mistakes, and then come home when you’ve learned your lesson.”

“I’d say you’re probably right, but it’
d feed your gigantic mother-ego. Plus, I was told that only Mr. Kline is always right,” I try to make light of this dark topic. It’s the first real woman-to-woman conversation I’ve ever had with my sister as equals.

“We’ve fought a lot, but it’s because
we’re so much alike.” I give Clover a look that screams
we aren’t alike at all
and she smirks my snarky smirk-
motherfucker
!

“You’
ll always be my sapling,” Clover sadly calls me by the nickname Sam gave me. I sob and cover it with a cough. “Go forth and fuck it all up, Willow.”

My family is
scattered between two porches. My parents’ porch, the Prynnes: Uncle Will, Aunt Ana, and Essie join my delusional parents, who are waving like idiots. And Clover’s porch, the Websters: with my sister and the twins looking unsure of this new development.

Auggie and Robbie lean against the truck
, waiting for me to say goodbye to my “boyfriend”. I feel my age for once. Devon and I stare at our feet, willing my family to get into their houses. Why is a goodbye kiss so difficult while they look on, but I can lose my virginity with an audience?

Fuck it! 

I twist my fingers in the fabric of Devon’s t-shirt and yank him into a hug, startling a surprised gasp from him. I like hugging Devon. This one isn’t as awkward as our first hug started out in the foyer. He’s warm and cuddly. Devon embraces me back and sighs.

“Thanks for coming
,” I breathe against his neck.

“Thanks for having me,” flutters the hair on the top
of my head. I brush a kiss against Devon’s sweet smelling throat and he shudder for me. Devon’s fingertips dig into my back as he presses a kiss to the top of my head, and then steps back.

“I guess I’ll see you sometime tomorrow.”
It’s a question and a request.

“Yup, definitely. I think I have to buy some stuff at your store. Plus
, I have a ton of hours to put in at the Spook House,” Devon grins when he says the name, because of why he has to work there.

“Maybe I’ll hook you up with my
employee discount,” I flirt back while rocking on my heels.

“Sounds like a plan,” Devon
shyly says. Devon kisses my cheek so fast I don’t even feel it, and then strides down the street with a wave to the Prynnes, and then the Websters. My family sings
Aaaawwwwww
really loudly and makes kissy noises in my direction. I blush fire-engine red and run to hide in the truck.
 

~Chapter Eleven~

What took so little time to pack and load, took three times as long to unload and unpack. My tiny pile of boxes sits in one corner of the loft. I dug my toiletries out and placed them near the bathroom area and made sure my clothes were on the top of the pile.

Auggie is staring at the bottle of
99 Blackberries
and its mate
99 Bananas
and their friends
Sloe Gin, Butter Shots,
and
Hot Damn
with a bemused expression. He has them on the countertop in a guilty lineup. I wait for Auggie to find a newspaper and thwack me while reprimanding
bad toy!

“I see,” Auggie
slowly drawls out while folding his arms over his broad chest. “That you enjoy schnapps.”

The Iliad
,
the Odyssey
, and
War and Peace
are stacked next to the bottles. Auggie recovered the huge tomes while we were digging through my stuff as evidence.

When we were packing up my room,
Auggie pulled the books out of my shelf and discovered my stash. He then went around the bookshelf singing
what doesn’t belong here,
and choosing books he didn’t think I’d read.

Auggie
figured out that they weren’t my type of reading material and chose those to pack. I used the gigantic hardcovers to store my hooch out of sight. No one in their right mind would come into my room and pull them from the shelf for a little light reading- no one but Auggie.

“Yeah, I enjoy schnapps, but not all at once. I’d get sick if I mix
ed the flavors,” I snarkily say as I wander around the loft knocking on the walls.

“What
the hell are you doing?” Auggie grumpily demands as he follows me around like a angry storm cloud.

“Oh, this,” I knock again. “I’m looking for that second bedroom and the
other bed,” I say to deflect the hypocrite from the mass quantity of alcohol he’d discovered.