The Do-Over (The Rooftop Crew #5) - Piper Rayne Page 0,26

of his gym bag. “Do you need money?”

Humiliation must cast over my face. I feel as if I’m a child and he’s my father. “No. I’m good, but thank you.”

He puts his wallet away quickly, as though he’d like to forget it happened. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

I shake my head because why wouldn’t he think I don’t have money? I don’t. But I do have credit cards, and although my savings has taken a huge hit, I can pay for a brunch. “Thank you for the offer.”

He nods and leaves, locking me in the apartment just as he did the first night.

I stare at the note.

Oh, what the hell. I haven’t had brunch in a long time, plus as sad as I might sound, I wouldn’t mind finding out more information about Knox and exactly how over Leilani he really is.

When I open the door at ten, three girls stand in the hallway. Rian, who I already met; Evan, with her long dark curly hair; and Blanca, who’s so cute and petite she looks as if she could fit in my pocket.

After the introductions are over, we walk into the downtown part of Cliffton Heights, where the gazebo and park are nestled inside a rectangle full of shops and restaurants. Rian and Blanca walk ahead and discuss the guys and their ridiculous self-consciousness about gaining weight, while Evan stays back with me.

“So I heard something about you and T-shirts?”

I glance over, and Evan’s warm smile makes me comfortable sharing with her. “Yeah, at first it was a quick way to make cash to supplement my income at the country club, but then people would send pictures of them wearing my T-shirts and their smiles just kind of sold me. So here I am.”

Her grin is genuine. “That’s awesome. I could moan about how long it took me to figure out what I love to do. I think I’m there now.”

“What do you do?”

“She makes cream cheese.” Rian glances back at us. “The best cream cheese in the world, and she sells it to bakeries even though if I could secure her all to myself, I would. But she’s too pricey.”

Evan rolls her eyes at Rian, but from the happiness splashed on Evan’s face, she likes to hear the compliments. I don’t blame her.

We reach the doors of The Backyard, which I know is well-known for their amazing patio during the warmer times of the year. I’ve never eaten here, but I hear people talk about it. We file in and shrug off our coats. A tall redhead stands and waves from a big booth in the corner.

“There’s Sierra,” Blanca says, and she leads the way for all of us to follow.

They each hug Sierra and say hello. She’s dressed nicer than the rest of us in a pantsuit, while the rest of us are in leggings or jeans with sweaters. She’s gorgeous, and I swear her skin actually glows. Then it dawns on me that she’s Sierra Sanders from the news.

As the realization dawns on me, she looks at me. “And you’re Kamea, right?”

“Yeah.”

Sierra pulls me into a hug, and from the other girls’ slack jaws and shared expressions, I figure this isn’t something she usually does. “It’s great to meet you. I’m Sierra.”

I slide in next to Evan, and we all unwrap our silverware and place our napkins in our laps.

“Sierra is with Adrian, who is a prince,” Blanca says.

“For now,” Sierra corrects. “Once his brother is old enough, he’ll abdicate the throne. His sister runs the country now.”

I nod, remembering hearing about that years ago.

“I’d much rather hear the gossip with you guys,” Sierra says as a round of mimosas are brought over by the waitress. “And I already ordered the first round.” She raises her glass. “To new friends.” She winks at me. “And of course, our upcoming bride.”

Blanca blushes, and we all clink our glasses and sip our drinks.

“You’re getting married?” I ask Blanca.

“Yeah. Early next year.”

“Oh, fun.”

“You’ll probably be there,” Sierra says. When all the girls’ heads whip in her direction, she shrugs. “Who else would Knox bring?”

No one says anything, but Sierra sips her mimosa and eyes me over the rim. I want to shift my gaze away, but I don’t because that shows weakness.

“How close are you to Leilani?” Sierra asks.

And I’m quickly aware that maybe my invite to brunch wasn’t about getting to know me, but more about how a set of protective sisters might interrogate the new girl in