On His Face - Tabatha Kiss Page 0,27

this?”

“It’s a classic.”

“It’s classically horrible.”

Seth says nothing as the volume inches upward.

“Wow!” Jenna shouts over it. “Real mature.”

“Heidi, please control your sidekick.”

“Sidekick?!”

I set my hand on her arm. “Jenna...”

“Honey, I ain’t no sidekick!”

“He’s baiting you.” I lean forward. “Seth, stop baiting her.”

“Oh,” he whines at me over his shoulder, “but it’s fun.”

I exhale hard. Some things never change.

Drew slaps Seth’s shoulder. He says nothing, but the volume of the music slowly falls back down to normal. At least someone’s able to reel him in. I can barely even handle Jenna by myself.

“We’re here!” Seth says.

I peek out the window as we roll up the long, winding driveway. The two-story house at the end of the drive is lit up with several cars already parked out front. The core friend group, I assume.

Seth parks the truck. “Welcome, ladies, to Casa de la... Rose Family... Beach House, or whatever.”

Jenna perks up. “This is your family’s house?”

Drew nods.

“Wicked cool,” she says with another purposeful nudge at my ribs.

“Yes,” Seth says. “And the most important rule of the beach house is that what happens at the beach house—”

“Stays at the beach house?” Jenna finishes over him, unimpressed.

Seth sighs. “Fun friend you brought with you, sis,” he says, sarcastic. “Tonight’s going to be a blast.”

I give Jenna a glare as she proudly grins at herself.

The guys hop out onto the sand. Drew turns back and tilts his seat forward for us as we climb out, once again offering his hand as assistance. I grab my sketchbook with one hand and take his palm with the other. A rush of heat travels up my elbow. I try to ignore it as I hop down, careful to land on both feet.

I take a wide step away from him and wait for Jenna to catch up.

Seth lowers the truck bed. “All right, everybody carries something. Come on.”

As I move to grab one of the smaller coolers, the front doors slide open on the house. Two guys walk out, both of whom I instantly recognize from the Delta Xi party.

Jenna hums. “Oh, baby...”

I look away from their exposed chests and test the cooler before I try to lift it.

“Oh, thank god,” one of them says.

Another rushes forward to help. “The food has arrived.”

“And the booze.” He pauses by the truck and looks at Seth. “Did you bring girl drinks? Please tell me you brought girl drinks.”

Seth nods as he taps the cooler I volunteered to carry. “I brought girl drinks,” he says.

“Yes! Thank you. Wilder won’t drink anything without the word moscato on it.” He looks at me with a tilted head. “I know you. How do I know you? Have we had sex?”

“No!” I blurt.

The other guy looks at me and grins widely. “It’s Stampy!” he says.

I pause. “Stampy?”

“Oh, shit! That’s right! Hi, Stampy.”

Again, I repeat, “Stampy?”

Jenna taps my arm. “Because the stamps,” she explains.

I cringe.

Of course, one of my more embarrassing public moments as of late has graced me with a nickname.

At least it’s not Sneezy.

I impulsively glance at Drew. He bounces his brow at me as he grabs a large cooler and easily lifts it off the bed.

Seth stands up in the truck and points at the guys as he names them. “Heidi, this is Corey and Devin.”

They bob their heads hello.

“Hi,” I say as I memorize their faces. Corey blond. Devin brown.

“That feller with the guitar over there is Harvey,” Seth adds, gesturing toward the guy just inside the house. “Ellie and Wilder are around here somewhere…”

I nod in acknowledgment. Harvey guitar. Ellie and Wilder… hot girls, probably.

“Everybody, this is my sister, Heidi,” he says, raising his voice. “Be nice, but not too nice. The other one is Jenna. I honestly don’t care how you treat her.”

Jenna flashes a wicked smile, but she, somehow, doesn’t retort.

“Stampy! Stampy! Stampy!”

Corey and Devin chant the name. They chant it for so long everyone else in the house comes out to inspect what’s happening.

Yup.

Tonight’s going to be a blast.

Chapter 16

Drew

She hasn’t looked at me all night. Not that I’ve spent this entire time staring at her or anything, but you’d think two people confined in a single space would make eye contact at least once over a few hours.

Heidi Newbury, however, seems determined to avoid me.

Hanging out around the grill while Devin and Corey cooked? Didn’t look once.

Passing each other in the kitchen while Wilder and Ellie tried to talk her into another glass of wine? Nada.

Gathered at the bonfire while Harvey strummed his guitar? Not one single glance