“Yeah?” she said, looking playful. Gone was her serious demeanor from the previous night. “Hot date on a golf course. Takes a little extra effort to get a look that will last eighteen holes.”
Rori gestured helplessly to her hair. “Tell me about it. You don’t want to see this mess when humidity strikes.”
Kris mouth curved into a one-sided smile that reminded Rori of Mike’s trademark grin. The family resemblance was uncanny. Perfect skin, perfect teeth, and eyes so vivid they looked like the water of an untouched, remote island. Totally striking.
Under her scrutiny, Kris’s face scrunched in confusion. “Are you checking me out?”
Rori blushed. “No!” she said a little too loudly, earning another look from Kris. It was obvious that neither of them believed her denial. “Okay, maybe a little. It’s hard to believe that Luke never made a pass at you. You’re beautiful.”
Kris actually laughed. “Under Mike’s watchful eye? No way. Luke slapped my butt once when I was seventeen and Mike broke his nose for it.”
“Broke it?” Rori asked in disbelief.
“Totally,” Kris said, looking proud of the memory. “There’s still even a bit of a blood stain that never came out of the carpet downstairs.”
“Is your brother always that protective when it comes to you?”
Kris sent her a wink. “Why do you think I went to college out of state? Where else does an eighteen year old girl go to meet guys who don’t worship and fear her brother?”
Rori’s laugh came out sounding forced, which Kris seemed to pick up on even though she said nothing. “I should probably let you grab a shower.”
“Yeah,” Rori said, wondering why she didn’t feel more awkward around Kris. On every level Kris was competition for his affection. So why were they both being so damn pleasant?
Pursing her lips in thought, Kris leaned against the door frame again. “Hmm. I can see why Luke didn’t want to let you go in that airport.”
“E-excuse me?” Rori said, feeling a light blush creep over her.
“Those stormy eyes of yours,” Kris said, as if it was obvious. “You’ve been hurt. Luke would tune into that and want to help you.”
The words hit Rori like a slap. “That’s not his job.”
“Doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to do it,” Kris said easily. “And sorry if I over-reached there. Didn’t mean to offend you.”
“Not offended,” Rori said, although she wasn’t quite sure if it was the truth. There was a beat of silence between them before Kris gathered her makeup bag.
“Don’t let Luke be lame today,” she said. “Mike works weekends and I’m on a day date, so no one is here to get him to behave. If you don’t watch out you’ll spend the entire day in his basement getting schooled on the Zelda alphabet.”
Zelda? Rori had no idea what that meant even though she’d thought she was familiar with all the alphabets of the world.
“Does he work?” the question left Rori’s mouth before she could think better of it.
Kris shrugged, moving toward the stairs. “He’s highly invested in video game stock so he claims playing them is work. You know, like market research.”
“I see,” Rori said and saw Kris smirk.
“Well, if you don’t then you will soon enough. Have a good one!”
Then Kris was off.
Chapter 17
Stepping out the Cannons’ front door and into the morning sun, Rori took a deep breath as she surveyed her surroundings. To call the neighborhood picturesque would be outright flattery, and yet there was a charm to the area. The neighborhood had clearly been built in a day before developers bought entire subdivisions and dictated the homes that could and would be built. On this street simple ramblers, like Luke’s, were built side-by-side with more elaborate, multi-level homes, like the Cannons’. The paint jobs were dull and dated, but what each house had in common were neatly trimmed lawns, colorful flower beds, and sturdy climbing trees. Each house in this neighborhood was a home.
Since it was a Saturday morning, the residential street was alive with neighborhood kids taking advantage of the sunny, spring weather. Kids on bikes and scooters rode up and down the street, while others squatted on sidewalks creating chalk drawings or playing with toys.
This was a place where families lived, where kids could be kids. It was also a place Rori could easily spend a day sketching.
She scanned the street, looking for signs of another adult besides herself and finding none. People trusted each other here, and the children played in groups while