My Beautiful Neighbor (The Greene Family Book 1) by Piper Rayne (android based ebook reader txt) 📗

and comes dangerously close to touching Chevelle, who watches him as if he’s a snake slithering her way and she’s deciding when it’s time to abort mission.

I stand, annoyed and needing a distraction. “Hey, Cam.” I bump his fist. Cam’s been around since we were young.

Chevelle gets up to move over to my chair, but Cam quickly sneaks in and she ends up on his lap. He’s always treated her like a little sister too.

She smacks his shoulder, annoyed. “You’re so annoying!”

“Feel free to stay, I don’t mind you on my lap,” Cam jokes—to antagonize her or Fisher, I’m not sure.

Fisher drops his controller and narrows his eyes at Cam while Jed screams in victory.

Jed stands and puts his hand in the air for a high five from Cam. “Thank you very much.”

Fisher’s still glaring at Cam, but Chevelle follows me into the kitchen.

She sits at the kitchen table and pulls out a piece of paper. “I have the itinerary.”

This has been Chevelle’s thing ever since our mom died. I know it’s a part of her healing and the therapist said that if it helps her, then we should keep it up. But it’s been years now and we’re all grown up. I’d prefer we all just grieve her ourselves. Not that I’m going to bring up that idea.

“I figure I can get the flowers and we can meet there at the same time as always. We’ll each say something to Mom like always and then we’ll all go to Dad and Marla’s to eat.”

This whole day she’s talking about is for Fisher, Xavier, Adam, Chevelle, and me. After Dad married Marla, we excused him because we didn’t want her to feel bad. But he still comes every year and Marla is perfectly comfortable with it. She’s an amazing stepmom.

“Sounds fine.” I grab a beer out of the fridge. “Want a drink?”

“No, I’m good.” She tucks her blonde hair behind her ears. “Do you need to talk?”

I sit at the table and look at her. “Why?”

“You seem antsy, and I mean, I heard the rumors.”

I blow out a breath. “What rumors?” I act dumb, but I’m sure tomorrow Nikki will be talking all about it anyway.

“Reese being back. I heard her boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend, so she came home. Someone else said she’s back for good.” Her eyes widen.

“That sucks for her, but I don’t really care.” I tilt back my head and gulp down my beer.

“Okay then, do you want to talk about Presley?”

Chevelle was only five when our mom died, and she’s struggled with that loss her entire life—for reasons that are her own and completely understandable given what happened. I’ve been there as much as I could to listen and help guide her, so it’s no surprise that she wants to reciprocate with me, but that’s not the way our relationship goes. She’s not going to be my confidante. She’s got enough to deal with besides my bullshit.

“No, I don’t.”

She leans in across the table and lowers her voice. “Is what Nikki said true?”

“What?”

“That you and Presley are together?”

I’m not about to explain to my twenty-three-year-old sister about the friends with benefits situation I find myself in. “No. She’s staying above the garage and that’s it.”

Thankfully Cam walks in and opens the fridge.

“You just let him go into your fridge?” Chevelle asks me.

“Relax, little one.” He pulls three beers out of the fridge and goes back into the other room.

She rolls her eyes. I’m not sure why Chevelle and Cam have never gotten along, but if I had to guess, I’d say it’s because Cam was at our house a lot and they developed a sibling rivalry of sorts. But I wish Cam would’ve stayed in the kitchen longer so he could help get her off my back.

“I have a poem I want to read this year,” she says.

“Okay.”

Honestly, I grieve my mom my own way. A way I’ve never shared with any of my siblings. So whatever Chevelle wants to do, I’m fine with it. But she wants me to okay it because I’m the oldest.

“Don’t you want to hear it?” she asks.

“I’ll hear it that day.”

She nods. I can tell she wants to read it to me now, but I’ve got too much on my mind to think about something that’s still weeks away. It’s like the minute the first of the month happens, everyone is remembering her. Which is great, but I need some fucking air right now.

As though she’s my saving grace, headlights reflect off the garage. I stand to go meet Presley, but Chevelle stands faster.

“Oh, I haven’t officially met her yet. Is that her?” She beelines past me, out the back door, and ambushes Presley the minute she parks her small rental SUV.

This is one of those times when big families suck.

I exit my rental SUV as a slender woman with long blonde hair shoots out of the main house.

“Presley,” she says.

Please tell me she’s not another ex of Cade’s. The first one has thrown me into a spiral I just managed to talk myself out of. I had to remind myself that he and I aren’t anything special. We’re fuck buddies, if I want to classify us as anything, even though we’ve yet to actually have sex. Something I’m unsure will ever happen now with Reese’s appearance.

I freeze when she throws herself at me, wrapping her arms around me and squeezing tightly.

“Hi,” I say, lengthening the word and standing like a statue.

“Presley, this is my sister, Chevelle.” Cade’s voice comes out of the darkness until he appears as a shadowy persona on the porch.

I notice the beer in his hand. Seeing Reese has stressed him out. Not a good sign for me.

Chevelle finally removes herself like a blanket from me. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

I nod. “You too.” I reach in and grab my grocery bags, along with the bags from the retail store where I bought some trash cans and bedding.

“I