Текст книги "Pucked Up "

Автор книги: Helena Hunting

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 22 страниц)

There weren’t any other girlfriends until my junior year of high school—none that I ever met until my dad started dating Skye, Vi’s mom, anyway. She was nice and fun to be around.

“Sidney raised you on his own?”

“Yeah, for the most part. I spent a lot of time at Randy’s when I was growing up. His mom cooked and stuff, but it was different.” Not that his situation was much easier. His dad played professional hockey and was gone a lot. His parents divorced when he was eleven.

Sunny’s eyes go the kind of liquid I equate with sadness.

“Anyways, it’s nice to have someone want to do things for me.”

I don’t want to talk about depressing shit. It reminds me that this thing me and Sunny have going is complicated. Before her, I never would’ve considered spending a weekend with the same woman. In the past, last night would’ve been followed by either more of the same come morning, or a quiet departure on the part of the bunny. If it was one of the girls I saw more regularly, I might make coffee or order in some breakfast before I sent her on her way, but none of them ever went out of their way to make breakfast for me. It feels good—less like I’m an occasional convenience and more like I’m important beyond my ability to provide orgasms in bulk.

I reach for one of the cinnamon buns, done with talking. A puff of steam follows, and my fingers instantly heat to the point of being uncomfortable. Still, I want to end this conversation, and I’m hungry.

“Those are still too hot!” Sunny grabs it out of my hand.

I hold onto her wrist and try to pull it toward my mouth, but she drops it.

“That was a waste!” I debate eating it even though it’s been on the floor.

“It was burning my fingers!”

“Let me see.” The tips are pink and covered in cinnamon-bun goo, so I suck each one into my mouth and finish cleaning them off with a kiss. “Better?”

“Better.”

I push the bowl of icing out of the way and lift her onto the counter. “I know what we can do while we wait for those to cool.” I part her legs with my palms and step between them, pulling her close to the edge. My erection sticks straight out under the apron. Sunny reaches around and pulls the tie, setting me free.

“You have the best ideas.”

“I know, right?” I pull her tank over her head and palm her breasts.

She wraps her warm fingers around my cock and starts stroking. We make out, feeling each other up until Sunny lets go and shoves her shorts down her thighs. Everything goes from playful to frantic when she hooks her legs around my waist and pulls me in tight against her. I rub my cock against wet pussy. Which is when I remember that all the condoms are upstairs, in the bedroom.

I drop my head into the crook of her neck as I slide through that heavenly, hot wetness. I’ve only had sex without a condom once. It was back in high school with the girl I thought I was in love with. The paranoia after the fact was almost worth how good it felt. Almost. The two weeks I spent terrified I’d gotten her pregnant ruined all the fun.

I groan as she swivels her hips. “We need to go upstairs.”

“I like it here just fine,” she says.

“The condoms are in your bedroom.”

“I’ve been on the pill since I was sixteen.” She’s giving me permission to go bareback. It’s hard to say no to that.

“It’s not a hundred-percent effective.” It sounds more like a question than it does a statement.

“You can pull out at the end if you’re worried.”

I bite her shoulder and then along her neck. Sunny gasps and shifts her hips. I slide low. Really low. Almost to door number two.

“Oh no! You’re not pulling that trick on me!”

I lift my head, confused. “What?”

“Nuh-uh. We’re not doing anal.”

I almost do a spit-take. “Say what now? I wasn’t trying to—”

Her voice is high pitched. “My ex-boyfriend tried to get me to have anal all the time because he said it was less risky, and we wouldn’t have to use protection.”

It sounds like Sunny’s had some douchey exes. I sure as hell hope this Kale dude isn’t the one she’s talking about. “What did you think I was going to do, Sunny? Just try to slip it in there?”

“That’s what he used to do!”

“How small was his dick?”

She holds up two fingers.

“Is this the same guy who couldn’t get you off?”

I’m not surprised when she nods. I mean, seriously, that’s a way-below-average dick. I grab the hand she’s holding up and wrap her fingers around my cock. Talking about anal gets me stupid hard. I can’t help it. I’m a guy. I want to go where I’m not supposed to.

“Baby, do you think I could slip this into your ass without you noticing?”

“Well, no, but—”

“But what, Sunny? You think I’m gonna sneak-attack you?”

“I’m just saying, you wouldn’t be the first to try it.”

“But would I be the first one to actually succeed is the most important question.”

I’m totally joking, and then she says, “I’m not answering that.”

I don’t get to ask any more questions. All of a sudden Andy and Titan start barking their heads off. It’s only eight. Sunny’s ride isn’t supposed to be here yet.

“Sunshine? Sweetie? We’re home.”

Oh shit. The ’rents are back early.

CHAPTER TEN

SURPRISES SUCK. SO DOES KALE.

I’m naked. Sunny’s naked, and we were about to fuck on her mother’s counter. It would’ve been superhot.

I grab Sunny’s tank from the floor, toss it to her, and wrap the apron around my waist. Then I bolt. My first thought is to go for the pantry, but then I’ll be trapped in the kitchen. My rental is in the driveway. They know I’m here.

I bust it down the hall toward Robbie’s office, skidding to a stop before I hit the living room. I can hear her parents, but I can’t tell where they are. The stairs are too risky, being close to the front door.

A pair of my swim shorts is hanging on the line outside by the pool. If I can get to them¸ Sunny and I can avoid this being more of a shitstorm. I’m not sure the ’rents are going to be all that happy about my presence this early on a Sunday morning. It makes it questionable whether I slept over. Sunny might be an adult, but her parents are damn protective of her. I haven’t had to deal with a disapproving dad since I was drafted and gave up the girlfriend bullshit.

I’m about to hit the sliding door when Daisy’s voice filters down the hall. “It smells wonderful in here! Oh! Those look delicious.”

She’s in the kitchen. This is perfect. It means I can make it without being seen.

“Whose car is in the driveway?” Robbie asks.

“Miller stopped by to visit.” Sunny’s voice has that high, reedy quality that comes with getting caught doing something she shouldn’t have.

“Miller’s here? That’s great! I was afraid you weren’t seeing him anymore!” Daisy replies, her enthusiasm appreciated on my part.

“Mom!”

“Well, it’s been a few weeks. I know how Alex feels about all that stuff on the Twatter. I was worried maybe you’d changed your mind.”

Jesus. Daisy knows what Twitter is? That’s not good. I have no idea what the content of “the stuff” could be, but it can’t be very flattering if Waters has mentioned it. I need to be more careful about things like that. And not just because it makes Sunny look bad. It makes me look bad, and it makes her parents less likely to like me.

“It’s Twitter, Mom.”

“Right. The Twitter. Anyway, I’m pleasantly surprised. Well, where is he? I’d love to say hello.”

“Yeah. Where is Miller? When did he get here exactly?” Robbie’s usually calm voice has an edge to it.

“Um . . . Well . . . He, uh . . . He was visiting a couple of friends in Toronto, and he’s got this camp thing he’s volunteering at in Muskoka—did you know it’s close to Alex’s cottage?” She’s stalling, trying to come up with a lie. Sunny’s not an inherently good liar. She’s too honest and sweet. I slip out onto the patio, accidentally kicking Andy’s favorite ball. He rushes past me, running after it. I don’t have time to corral him. I need to be not naked. I jump up and yank my shorts off the line, almost falling on my face as I drag them up my legs.

Birds tweet overhead, their stupid oblivious happiness getting on my nerves. I glance around as I stuff my now ninety-percent-soft dick into my shorts and make sure everything is done up. Across the yard I see a flash of white hair and what I’m sure are binoculars. I’d call Mr. Woodcock out, but I don’t have time. I toss the apron over the line and cover the distance to the pool in two long strides, diving in.

I swim across to the other side. Andy drops the ball at the edge when my head pops out, barking excitedly. I snatch up the ball, toss it across the yard, and pull myself out.

“We’ll play later, buddy. Come on, let’s go in and see Sunny.” Grabbing a towel from the back of the chair, I run it over my chest and wrap it around my waist. Andy trots behind me with that ball in his mouth, desperate for more attention.

I pop my head in the door leading to the kitchen. “Hey, sweets, you gonna come for a swim before you gotta leave?” I fake surprise and almost choke on my tongue when I get a load of Sunny’s mom. “Mr. and Mrs. Waters! How’s it goin’?”

Daisy Waters is a fashion nightmare resurrected from the eighties. Her helmet-y hair keeps hairspray companies in business. Currently one side is flat, like maybe she fell asleep on the way home and crushed it. I swallow my laugh. “I wasn’t sure I was gonna get a chance to see you.”

I stay on the mat by the door, since I’m dripping water, and assess everyone’s stance. I can’t read Sunny’s expression to tell if she’s stressed out or not. I think her tank top might be on backwards. I’m worried about what I might have missed while I was getting my shorts.

“I guess it’s a good thing our flight was changed!” Sunny’s mom crosses over and gives me an affectionate hug. Her over-sprayed hair hits my wet cheek. “Don’t stand by the door. Come on in, Miller! It’s been a while! I’m so glad you came by. Are you hungry? You must be starving!” She squeezes my bicep. “You must be the reason Sunny’s making her cinnamon buns!”

“I’ve never had them before.”

I let her slip her arm through mine. Daisy loves me, despite how much I keep fucking things up with Sunny.

“Well, you’re in for a real treat.”

Robbie’s leaning against the doorjamb, eating one of Sunny’s cinnamon buns. He’s wearing a pair of plaid shorts and a tie-dye T-shirt with a band I’ve never heard of on it. He doesn’t look quite so excited to see me. I can tell he’s suspicious. Sunny’s poor lying skills are probably part of the reason. “Sunny tells us you stopped by this morning.”

I avoid answering the question directly so I don’t have to lie outright. “I couldn’t go to Muskoka without stopping to see Sunny. I’m disappointed she’s gotta leave this morning.”

Robbie glances at Sunny. “Leave? Where are you going?”

Sunny twirls her hair around her finger. “Remember before you left when we talked about me going camping for a few days with Lily? Up in Chapleau? Well, we decided to go for, like, a week, maybe a little longer.”

Daisy looks absolutely horrified. “Camping? You’ve never gone camping. And that’s so far away. Will you even have cell phone reception? What about running water? Why wouldn’t you use Alex’s cottage? He’s not there this week—at least I don’t think he is, and even if he was I’m sure he’d be more than happy for you and Lily to come along. It has six bedrooms. There’s plenty of room.”

Robbie gives Daisy a look, but she’s too busy being appalled by the idea of camping to catch it. “What about your shifts at the shelter?” he asks.

“Those are all covered, and my yoga classes, too. I’ve taken care of everything.”

“But you don’t camp.” Daisy’s stuck on this point.

“I do too camp.”

“Spending one night in a tent in Alex’s backyard at the cottage doesn’t count, Sunshine,” Daisy says.

Sunny puts her hands on her hips. “I’ve camped with Lily before.”

“Don’t her parents have a trailer on Lake Erie?”

Sunny huffs, annoyed. “Well, I would’ve camped if you’d let me go to Girl Guides, but Alex always had those hockey camps, and I never could!”

Robbie picks up another cinnamon bun and takes a bite. “These are fantastic.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Sunny looks at Daisy. “Lily says we’re borrowing a camping van or something, and she has all the gear we’ll need. It’s gonna be great!” She sounds less enthusiastic about it than she did yesterday. Maybe she’ll end up cutting it short.

“Is it just you and Lily going?” Daisy asks. “I don’t know if I like that idea.”

“There’s a group of us.” Sunny’s hair twirling gets more and more aggressive until it’s twisted all the way around her finger, cutting off the circulation. She’d never make it as a professional poker player.

“Who else is coming with you?” Robbie’s eyes shift in my direction as he takes a huge bite of bun. I want one.

The doorbell rings, cutting off Sunny’s response. I check the clock on the wall—it’s analog, so I can read it easier. It’s after nine. Shit. Lily’s here, and my time with Sunny is almost up. I didn’t even get to give her a good morning/see you soon orgasm. Damn it.

Sunny skips around the counter and gazelles her way to the front door, throwing it open with a squeal. Her extra crunchy granola bestie throws her arms around her, and they do that weird overly affectionate hug thing girls do when they haven’t see each other in all of five minutes. Although, I’ve been here for the past two days, so it’s been at least that long since they’ve seen each other, but likely not longer.

Lily has short black hair and dark eyes. She’s almost as tall as Sunny, but with less boobs and no curves. She looks more like a prepubescent boy than a twenty-year-old woman, or maybe I’m being an asshole because she’s not my biggest fan.

Her smile widens when she sees Robbie, and then slides right off like her face is made of Teflon when she sees me. She whispers something to Sunny, her eyes wide with surprise.

“Lily!” Daisy flails her arms like a cheerleader on PCP. Lily turns away from her huge hair and accepts the hug.

“Hi, Momma Two. How was your weekend away? Did you have fun?”

“Too much to talk about without embarrassing everyone!” Daisy winks.

I glance at Robbie. He gives me a smug smile and nabs another bun. I think he might have already been into his research today.

“Oh! Kale, Benji! I didn’t see you there!” Daisy’s voice is high-pitched, and she gives Sunny an odd look.

Right behind Lily are two other guys. They look like they could be brothers, or hipster soulmates.

They’re clearly trying to join the beard brigade and failing. While there’s hair on their chins and cheeks, it’s patchy and ungroomed. It makes them look like homeless douches who stole clothes off the rack from the Khaki and Plaid Depot.

So one of these guys is Sunny’s high school ex-boyfriend? I’m definitely in way better shape, and I can grow a legit beard. And I can give her orgasms. All this should make me feel better, but with the way Daisy is looking at Sunny, it doesn’t.

Robbie gives me an eyebrow lift, grabs a fourth cinnamon bun, and nods in the direction of the door. “You better get over there, son.”

The skinnier of the two guys gives Daisy a hug. When he sees Robbie, he gets stupid excited. “Hey! Robbie, how’s it going? I was all bummed out thinking you wouldn’t be back until later today.”

“Our flight got changed at the last minute. It was an early morning, but otherwise I can’t complain.” Robbie’s eyes pass over me again.

Kale goes in for a man hug when he’s finished mauling Daisy. I have to wonder how long those two dated, based on how familiar he is with her family. Or maybe it’s been a long-ass time since they’ve seen him. Either way, their reaction says a lot. He’s the beef tenderloin, and I’m the McDonald’s Big Mac.

I make sure I’m not leaking pool water all over Sunny’s mom’s floor before I cross the hardwood.

“Hey, Lily, how you doin’?” I open my arms like I’m looking for a hug.

Her eyes do this weird widening thing and her lips contort, as if she’s fighting not to make a face. She ends up looking like she’s having a facial seizure. She leans forward and pats my back, straining her neck so almost none of her touches me. It’d be funny if I wasn’t already offended.

I loop an arm around Sunny’s waist from behind.

“Miller! You’re all wet!”

“That makes one of us.” I don’t mean it the way it sounds, but everyone’s eyes shoot in my direction. Sunny’s cheeks go pink, Lily looks mortified, and Daisy looks stunned. Only Robbie’s too engrossed in licking his fingers to notice. Kale’s reaction is the best. He looks annoyed.

I pretend like I haven’t said something inappropriate and stick out my hand to the guy I know didn’t date Sunny. “You must be Lily’s boyfriend. I’m Miller.”

“Oh, I know who you are.” He takes my hand and squeezes like he has something to prove. “Benji.”

I squeeze back until he flinches. “You watch hockey?” This guy looks like golf or hacky sack are more his speed.

“Sunshine watches a lot of hockey, so that means we all watch a lot of hockey,” Lily says.

“When Toronto’s out, I go for Chicago because of Sunshine.” He winks at Sunny. If he wasn’t dating Lily, I’d probably want to punch him in his damn face.

“It’s not like Alex had any choice what city he plays for.” Sunny laughs, but it sounds forced. “Oh! Kale, this is Miller. He plays on the same team as Alex.”

There’s no introduction as her boyfriend. No suggestion that there’s anything going on between us aside from me knowing Alex. I can’t tell if it’s intentional, or she’s nervous.

“Is Alex here this weekend?” Kale stretches up, like he’s trying to see over my shoulder.

“Um, no. Alex isn’t here. He’s at home. Miller’s sister is his fiancée.”

Kale seems even more confused. It makes me wonder if he knows about me. “So, you came to Guelph . . .” He trails off.

“To see Sunny.” I bite back a smile as understanding finally dawns.

Daisy breaks the awkward stare-down. “You don’t have to leave right away, do you? Why don’t you all come in for a visit? I’ll put on some coffee, and herbal tea for you, Lily. Sunny made cinnamon buns!”

“They’re delicious.” Robbie pats his stomach.

“And they’re vegan, of course,” Sunny chimes in.

“I love your buns!” Kale has the nerve to wink at Sunny.

“I’m looking forward to trying one. I’ve only ever eaten Sunny’s cookies.” I adjust the strap of her tank top.

Sunny flushes and elbows me in the side. Lily gives me a look. Daisy misses the innuendo and links arms with Lily, leading her into the kitchen.

“I could go for some cookies right now.” Robbie saunters over to the fridge and opens the freezer.

“I’m gonna put on some dry clothes,” I say as the rest of the group follows him.

“Okay. I guess I’ll be in the kitchen.” Sunny seems conflicted as I grab her wrist to stop her. I consider telling her she should put a bra on. I can see her nipples poking through her shirt, but I decide against it. Instead I lean in close, kiss her cheek, and say, “I’m sorry you had to lie, but I wish we hadn’t been interrupted.”

“Me, too.”

I head up the stairs, taking them two at a time. I want to get a bead on this Kale fucker, so I don’t want to be gone long. My plan is two-fold; changing means I can get all my shit out of Sunny’s room and into the spare bedroom before her parents make it upstairs. Otherwise they’re going to know Sunny lied—if they haven’t figured it out already. Plus there are condoms and condom wrappers all over her floor from the past two days.

I grab my duffel bag and stuff all my shit into it. Whatever I left in her bathroom can stay there. I’ll make a stop in Muskoka if I need something. I pick up a bunch of empty condom wrappers and kick a few more under the bed as I go. Based on the mini snowstorm of wrappers, Sunny and I got our serious fuck on this weekend. I’m surprised she’s not complaining about being sore, and that I don’t have a chafed dick.

Andy comes into the room and does a circle around me, nudging me with his nose.

“Psst. Hey, buddy, you gotta go downstairs.”

Robbie calls for him somewhere from the floor below. Andy ignores him, like he does pretty much everyone but Sunny—and sometimes me if a treat is involved.

“Go, Andy. Go see Robbie.” I push his butt toward the door, but he runs into the bathroom and shoves his head in the garbage can. I don’t know what he steals, but I need to get the hell out of Sunny’s room before someone comes up here, especially Sunny’s dad. As mellow as he is, I don’t think he’ll be cool with me banging his daughter all weekend long.

I scan the room one more time and notice a pair of Sunny’s underwear peeking out from under the bed. It’s the pair with the tiny pale and dark blue polka dots on it. I scoop them up and rub the soft cotton between my fingers.

I don’t know what I’m planning to do with them. I’ve never been a panty collector, but they’re my First Time With Sunny underwear. They’re also the underwear she was wearing before I gave her her first-ever cookie-eating orgasm, and her first-ever sex orgasm, so that makes them special.

I shove them in my bag as the sound of a throat clearing draws my attention to the door. Robbie’s standing there with that suspicious look again. He pops a cookie into his mouth and chews.

I make sure the panties are tucked away safely. “Hey, Robbie. Sunny must have left her door open. Andy came in here, and I wanted to make sure he didn’t get into anything. You know how much he loves to eat out her trash.” When he blinks at me, I review what I’ve said and rewind. “I mean, eat out of her garbage can. I don’t want him to get sick.”

He surveys the room with a critical eye. I think I managed to get rid of most of the condom wrappers. At least the ones in plain sight.

“You should come downstairs and get one of those cinnamon buns before they’re all gone.”

“I’ll be right down. I just need to get changed.”

“Everyone’s on the back deck.” He stuffs another cookie in his mouth and waits for me to leave the room before he closes Sunny’s door. I stop in the guest bathroom to change out of my wet shorts.

Less than two minutes later I’m on my way outside. That Kale dick is sitting right next to Sunny, and Lily is on the other side. The only open seat is next to Daisy. It looks like she fixed her hair, or tried. Both sides are even in terms of bigness now.

“Miller! I saved you a cinnamon roll.” Sunny holds up the plate and smiles, but there’s still tension underneath.

I make a point of circling the group instead of reaching across the table. Leaning down right next to Kale, I tuck invisible strands of hair behind Sunny’s ear and brush a kiss over her shoulder, keeping it polite for current company. “Thanks, baby.”

The conversation consists of a lot of inside jokes from Lily and Kale, which is damn annoying. Kale also tries to reminisce with Daisy, who doesn’t seem all that comfortable or happy with the situation. It sounds like he used to spend a lot of time at the Waters’ place. I don’t like it, and I don’t like that Sunny’s spending time with him in cramped quarters. At best, they’ll have separate tents. At worst they’ll all be sleeping in the trailer together. Of course this inspires images of the four of them engaged in an orgy, including a Sunny sandwich. I need to talk to her alone before she leaves today.

“Miller?”

“Huh?” I glance around the table. Everyone is looking at me—except Lily. She’s busy texting under the table. I realize I’ve been staring off into space. Actually, I’ve been staring at Sunny’s chest. Her nipples are saluting me from under her tank. If I’d mentioned them before, I could have had a minute with her upstairs.

“What’s the name of the camp you’re volunteering at again?” Sunny asks.

“Oh. It’s Camp Beaver Woods.” Me and Randy had a good laugh about that.

“Why’d you pick one in Canada? It seems out of the way.” Kale picks a dandelion fluff out of Sunny’s hair. I want to shove it up his left nostril with my fist.

She’s fixed her hair since I first came downstairs. It’s not the wild mess it was. The braid is smoother, but tendrils have already escaped, blowing around her face when the breeze picks up.

“Usually I do a couple of weeks in the Chicago area so I can visit my family, but now that I’m back there, I figured I’d do something different this year. And I wanted an excuse to see Sunny. I was hoping to convince her to come visit me for a couple of days out there, but it looks like you got to her first.”

“Looks like.” He grins.

I lean back in my chair and return the smile. “I don’t mind sticking around for a few days after the camp is over, though.”

The tension at the table is thicker than my playoff beard. I’m aware I’m having a pissing contest with this skinny douchebag in front of her parents, but I want to establish myself as real competition.

Lily puts down her phone. “So this camp you volunteer for, it’s for hockey brats?” She says it more than she asks.

I frown. “It’s a sports camp, but a few of the kids have special needs.”

“Miller subsidizes it so struggling families can afford it,” Sunny says.

Ironically, Lily seems shocked. “Oh. I didn’t realize that.” Everything she knows about me is based on media coverage and Instagram pictures posted by bunnies, so it’s a narrow view.

“It’s not something I advertise.”

“What’s it called again?” Lily asks.

“Camp Beaver Woods,” Sunny replies for me.

The conversation makes me feel uncomfortable—like I’m on the hot seat facing a bestie interrogation. Lily has this look on her face like someone shit in her cornflakes.

Daisy pats my hand. “You’re always doing such wonderful things. You’re so generous. Isn’t he, Sunny?”

She gives me a small smile. “He is.” She looks almost guilty. I can’t imagine why.

“It’s no big deal. I don’t think something like money should get in the way of a kid’s opportunity.”

“Must be nice to have lots to throw around,” Kale says, loud enough that we all hear him.

I want to give this dickhead a swirly. He’s being antagonistic. If I was on the ice, I’d stick him in the shins, but I’m not. So I only have words as an option. “You think helping pay for kids who otherwise would never have a chance to go to a camp like this is throwing money around?”

“I don’t think Kale means it like that,” Sunny interjects.

“I just think there are other causes you can donate to that would have more of an impact.”

I know exactly the kind of guy Kale is. He’s the same kid in my classes in high school who used to have a comment for everything, the one who would find a weakness and exploit it to make someone feel dumb. I’m done with his superiority complex.

“Really? So you don’t think subsidizing a camp for low-income families or financing a partnership with an inclusion program for kids with special needs is going to have an impact? That’s an interesting perspective.”

He blinks like I’ve high-beamed him. Lily looks stunned. Sometimes the stereotypes associated with being a professional athlete piss me off. I’m glad I remembered the explanation Amber sent when we were figuring out what camp I’d contribute to this year.

“Miller’s involved in a lot of charity work.” Sunny’s eyes bounce between the two of us.

I don’t want to defend myself to this jerkoff, or have Sunny do it for me. I work hard for the money I make. And yeah, it’s a lot, which is why I do what I do.

I’m also aware that my current career is limited. I’m only going to be able to do this for so long before my body starts to break down on me, before I’m not fast enough or good enough to keep up with the younger players. I’ve started doing the charity stuff now so I can continue it later and have something beyond professional hockey in my life when that’s over.

Lily puts an end to the smoldering argument before it can really ignite. “We should get going. It’s a long drive, and we’ll want to set up camp before it gets dark.”

Andy sticks his head between Sunny and the douche, nudging her with his head. “What’s up, Andy?” Sunny takes his drooly face between her hands and goes nose to nose with the dog. Usually she’d get a kiss, but he keeps his mouth shut. “What’re you eating? Give.” He doesn’t listen right away, so Sunny holds out her hand. “Drop it.”

A gummy, green blob covered in drool lands in her palm.

“What is that?” Kale gets in closer.

I lean over so I can get a better look. It only takes a second for me to recognize it. It’s one of my Green Giant condoms. Andy must have dug it out of the trash in Sunny’s bathroom. I’m out of my chair and around the table with a napkin before anyone else can identify it.

I scoop it out of her cupped palm. “I got this, sweets. You should wash your hands.”

“It looked like chewed gum,” Daisy exclaims. God bless her.

“He was digging around in your bathroom when I went upstairs to change. You know what he’s like, always loving on your used tissues and stuff.”

“Oh no! Bad Andy! That stuff makes you sick!” She gives him a tap on the nose. He whines.

Robbie makes a noise from the other side of the table. I peek over in his direction. I have a feeling he might know what it was, too.

We help Daisy clean up the plates and cups and bring them inside. Lily excuses herself to the bathroom while Sunny gets her bags. Anything I want to say before I go I can’t, like don’t go, or I hate your ex-boyfriend and I want him to get eaten by a bear.

I’m about to find a reason to run upstairs when Lily comes out of the bathroom. I need to get her on my side; that way she won’t be pushing Kale on Sunny while they’re away.

“I think we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot,” I tell her.

She crosses her arms over her chest, looking like she wants to be anywhere but trapped with me in the hall. “What makes you say that?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s the way you hate me.”

“I don’t hate you, Miller. I don’t trust you. You’re too smooth and too . . .” She waves her hand around.

“Too what?”

“Too . . . Ken.”

“Ken?”

“You know, like Barbie and Ken.”

“What does that even mean? Ken’s not a bad guy.” Randy’s little sister used to watch Barbie movies all the time. We’d get stuck babysitting when his mom had to work.

“You’re a player.”

“You think Ken’s a player?” If anything, Ken was whipped.

Lily rolls her eyes. “All this charity stuff you do doesn’t change the reputation you have with women. Sunny’s my best friend. I don’t want to see her get hurt, and you seem like a guy who does that often.”