On The Rebound (Steinbeck U #1) - L.A. Cotton Page 0,10

like an exclusive member’s only club.

I suppressed a bitter laugh. It wasn’t any club I’d choose to be a part of. I’m not sure anyone would.

“What was all that about?” Josie asked me.

“I might think about volunteering.”

“Neat. I think Joel and some of the guys from the team got involved last year. They did a bunch of sport sessions with a few kids down at the local community center. Coach Baxter is big on that kind of stuff.”

“You and Joel are pretty close, huh?” I said as we walked under the leafy canopy leading away from the Students Union.

“Yeah. There’s only seventeen months between us, so we’ve always been close.” She paused, grabbing my arm gently. “Are we going to talk about the fact Callum James is your brother?”

“How did you—” I stopped myself. Of course she knew. It was foolish to think I could get away with remaining incognito.

“I had a hunch and you just confirmed it. Your face when we talked about Joel being a Scorpion kinda gave me a warning bell, and you freaked when you saw Zach... Why didn’t you tell me?” She gave me a sympathetic smile, motioning to a bench. We sat down and I let out a weary sigh.

“It’s a long story, but I’ll keep it short. Basketball has always been Callum’s life. Growing up, our dad doted on him. And I mean in that he can do no wrong, sun shines out of his ass, worship kind of way. So when I came along, and I was a girl without a single athletic bone in her body, I didn’t fit the James’ mold.”

“Ouch, that’s got to hurt.”

“Oh, it still does.” My lips pressed together in a thin line as I forced down the rest of the details. It wasn’t something I wanted to relive, at least, not now.

“Families can be strange things,” Josie said. “I know I’ve been super lucky. Sure, me and Joel fight sometimes but he’s the best.”

“There’s just the two of you?”

“And Jay.”

“Jay?”

“Our older brother. He’s in the military so we don’t see him a lot.”

“Wow, that’s got to be hard.”

“It is. But he’s six years older, and he’s always been this free spirit, you know? Even when he was around, he was never really around.”

“I guess we both know a little about absent brothers then,” I said quietly.

“Okay.” Josie clapped her hands together, startling me. “Enough of the heavy stuff. We should totally go to Muds, I’m starving.”

I had no idea what Muds was, but it sounded better than sitting here, dredging up the past.

So I pasted on the best smile I could muster and said, “Let’s go.”

Muds, it turned out, was a coffee shop. But not just any coffee shop. It was one of those quirky coffee shops with a bookstore attached.

It was my new favorite place.

There was something about a good book and a mug of coffee that settled my soul. Before Mom got sick, I’d always found solace behind the lens of my camera. It had been the one place I truly felt free. Ironic that my freedom came through watching, but there had been nothing I’d loved more than losing myself through the lens. Everything changed once she died though. The love I’d had for photography died right along with her. Instead, I’d spent hours at her bedside reading, escaping to faraway lands while she dipped in and out of consciousness.

“This is amazing,” I said, letting my eyes run over the interior. The store was split-level, with the coffee shop on the ground floor. The entire back wall was floor to ceiling bookshelves, and then there was a mezzanine level that housed even more. Its walls were a mishmash of literary quotes and artwork. A true book lover’s paradise.

“Right?” Josie smiled, far more interested in the display cabinet full of mouthwatering muffins and pastries.

“I think I just found my new hangout,” I said.

“Sybil, the owner, opens late Thursday thru Monday.”

I made a mental note. The library at SU was well equipped and study worthy, but this was... this was something else. For the first time since arriving here, I felt a seed of excitement blossom in my chest.

“Where’s the bathroom?” I asked Josie. She pointed to the spiral staircase. “Take the stairs, then go down the hall to the end, it’s the second door on the left. I’ll order, so what do you want?”

“I’ll take a latte and a muffin, please.”

“Flavor?”

“Surprise me.”

I quickly made my way upstairs, and into the women’s bathroom. It was