We were having dinner at Eleven Madison Park, and the four of us were being ushered to our table when Drew arrived, trailing a few steps behind us.

“Sorry I’m a little late,” Drew said as he kissed my mother on the cheek. “It’s good to see you, Vicki.” He then went to my grandmother and gave her a tight, loving hug. “Grams, you look as beautiful as ever.”

My grandmother blushed before pinching his cheek. “You still look as handsome as ever. So …” she said then looked behind him, as if to check on something, before glancing over at his face. “Where’s Poppy?”

Drew immediately looked puzzled at the unexpected question. “I didn’t realize I had to bring her to see you all.”

“You don’t, silly boy, but I wanted to meet your lady,” Grandma stated as she looked over the menu with a pleasant smile.

While they all busied themselves with the menus and their phones, I glanced over at him, and for the first time that I had known Drew, he blushed deeply. Poppy had that kind of effect on him, I supposed. Well, as long as he was happy, that was all that mattered.

After the waiter took our orders, Drew and Jackson engaged in a conversation about some person they both know while my grandmother busied herself with her phone.

“Courtney has a package for you,” my mother addressed me, catching me by surprise.

Courtney hadn’t mentioned anything about it, but then again, that was typical her. She was thoughtful like that. I made a mental note to call her as soon as I could.

“Really? That’s so nice of her.”

“So nice,” Jackson sarcastically echoed, drawing all eyes to him.

Why was he in such an awful mood?

“Maybe if you guys weren’t always at each other’s throats about every damn subject known to mankind, you’d have a special package, too.”

“I always thought you had a crush on her. It’s too bad.” My grandmother’s statement astonished all of us.

What was she talking about? Color me extra confused.

My mother took a quick sip of her wine before shaking her head. “Jackson doesn’t like Courtney, Mom. Your memory is skewed. Jackson doesn’t like feisty women like her. She’s too much for your grandson.”

“I’m not senile, nor am I blind, Vicki,” Grandma snapped. “They all spent a lot of time together. Hell, I’m flabbergasted Drew and Chloe haven’t fallen in love yet.”

My mother placed a hand over her heart before gushing at Drew, “Chloe used to adore you. I could literally see hearts in her eyes.”

WTF?

“No, I wasn’t. You guys are being so unreal! Stop.” I wanted to crawl under the table when I felt his gaze on me. I had to do everything in my power not to flicker my eyes at him, unable to handle what would be in them.

“What happened to that boy you used to date last year? What was his name again?” Mom, bless her, came to my rescue just as the food was being served.

“She’s seeing someone,” Jackson butted in proudly. “That’s why you’re seeing all of this.” He gestured toward my salon styled hair and the tight laced-up corset dress.

Jackson was being such a dick. What was wrong with him? Did he know that he was killing me slowly? Drew was here, for fuck’s sake. Why was he being so careless? It was so unlike him.

Glaring at my lamb chops, I wished I could stab my brother so he would just shut it.

“What’s his name?” My mother looked worried as she noted me with renewed vigor.

Knowing how she worked, I bet she would have Cori investigated just to know if he had a perfect credit score. Ugh. My mother was as shallow as they came.

“It’s Cori, and no, I won’t tell you his last name.”

“Does he go to NYU, as well?” Grandma carefully asked, her eyes taking in everything my face showed her, which was too much for my liking.

Shaking my head, I feigned showing interest in the delicious food before me. “No, he chose not to go to college.”

My parents wouldn’t approve of him, but I didn’t care. This was my life, and I was going to live it the way I wanted and not according to someone else’s standards.

My mother cleared her throat, almost glaring at me with those big eyes. “Why not?”

Who cares? I wanted to quip back, but instead, I carefully chose my words. “He’s into bikes. It’s his passion.”

“Bikes?” she screeched a little too loudly.

Setting my knife down, I looked in irritation at the woman who had given birth to me. “Yes, motorcycles.”

She ignored my barbed remark before barking out the next question. “And you’re seeing him tonight?”

“We’re going to the movies.”

“With that dress you have on, you’re going to be doing a hell of a lot.” Grandma winked at me.

Thanks, Grams.

They were all grilling me, and I loathed every second of it. What was even more unnerving was how Drew’s eyes were on me, and I could sense his contempt from across the table.

“When can we meet him?” my mother lightly pressured with a calculated smile.

Oh, for fuck’s sake. When would she stop?

“No, Mom. No one’s meeting him.”

“Why ever not?”

Need she ask?

“Because maybe I don’t want him to get a glimpse of how crazy you all make me. Just leave it alone. I’m fine. Cori’s great, and before your imagination gets the best of you, no, he doesn’t have a criminal record! You seriously need to open your eyes. I’m allowed to see and date whomever I want. You guys aren’t getting anything from me. This discussion needs to shut down, or I’m walking out of here.”

“Anyone care for a fruit tart?” Grandma tried to make light of things when everyone fell silent.

I felt it, the waves, but I couldn’t care less what my mother, Jackson, or my grandmother thought of Cori. There was only one opinion that mattered most to me, and he wasn’t at all pleased.

It was stifling, and I was about to have a panic attack.

Heaving slightly, I took hold of my purse before clearing my throat. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. I can’t do this.” Gazing over at my grandmother, I looked at her pleadingly. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I promise, but I can’t be here.” Lastly, my eyes landed on my one and only sibling. “Thanks for throwing me under the bus, Jackson.”

Jackson tried to explain, but I didn’t want to hear it. How could he do that, and right in front of Drew? It had been only two weeks, and everything was still so fresh. I had been trying to hold it together, but if I was prodded and poked, I would completely fall apart, and I didn’t want that to happen. Consequently, I had to leave and avoid all of them. And since I was already meeting up with Cori later, I was sure he wouldn’t mind if I came to his place early.

Besides, I had to decompress and relax after that wounding ordeal. I couldn’t wait until they left Monday morning. They were driving me crazy. I loved Grandma to death, but with Mom by her side, they were both too much to handle.

The following day, Jackson planned to bring them over for dinner, and instead of us cooking, Jackson ordered food. And I took it upon myself to make sure we had some sweets to nibble on. What better solution than cupcakes? It had been ages since I had made any. The more I occupied myself, the better. So I did just that, baking the little red velvet cakes from scratch.

As I was pulling the cakes fresh out of the oven, Jackson came in with the food and the biggest smile on his face.

“Sorry about yesterday. I hope I’m already forgiven.”

“You’re an ass.” I scowled at him before shaking my head in dismay. “What you did was messed up, Jacks. I’ll forgive you if you vow to never do it again. That was all colors of fucked up, and it’s not okay.”

“Promise,” he swore, doing the Scout’s honor salute. “I’ve gotta hit the shower. Mom and Grams are on their way, but I already unlocked the door. We’re good, right?”

“Sure, sure,” I muttered, smiling at him. How could I stay mad at Jackson? It was impossible. He was so likable, and I loved him to bits. Regardless, if he ever chose to do that to me again, I wouldn’t hesitate to stab him with my fork.

Reverting my attention back to the cupcakes, I was in the process of icing them when Drew strolled into the kitchen, making me lose my equilibrium for a brief moment. No one had told me that he was coming over. It would have been nice if Jackson had thrown in a warning. Apparently, that was too much to ask.

“Cupcakes, my favorite,” the man exclaimed with utter delight, ready to devour them.

What the actual fuck! Had that really just come out of his mouth? He used to call me cupcake. How could he be so cruel?

He breezily rounded the counter, standing across from where I stood then drilling me with those fathomless blue depths. “May I have one?”

Anxiously, I gave him a small nod, beside myself and unsure how to act around him.

Licking my lips, I gathered every ounce of my focus to ice the mini treats, saying, “Yeah, help yourself.” This was the first time he and I had spoken since his birthday, so my reaction wasn’t that startling. However, his spur of the moment, easy friendliness was unexpected.

As I watched his large hand pluck one undecorated treat, it took a great deal out of me not to dwell on what those hands were capable of. I had missed him, but I hadn’t realized how much until this moment.

Overwhelmed with monumental nostalgia, I had to chew on the inside of my cheek just so I didn’t say something that would evoke another row between us.

“This is so good,” he groaned with utter delight before taking another bite. “It’s just as I remembered.”

Those sounds he was making weren’t helping my libido. Dying a little inside, I had to press my legs together, all thanks to those guttural sounds he had made.

“Thanks,” I mumbled back, trying to ignore the fact that I was getting aroused. My body was a lost cause, so I tried to think of other things, such as why he was being nice to me all of a sudden. He had been an ass last night, ignoring me, and then, less than twenty-four hours later, in he comes with a smile on his face as if we were the best of friends again.

While I was still icing the cupcakes, my phone beeped, and since my hands were literally full and sticky from the excess icing, I chose to disregard it and continued with my task.

“Is he treating you well?”

His question threw me off guard. Why was he concerned all of a sudden? Wasn’t he the one who had treated me like crap, using and throwing me away? Cori, on the other hand, had been respectful enough. Although he had pushed the boundaries when making out, he had stopped pressuring me.

“Of course.”

“That’s all I need to know,” he stated flatly.

Right. Whatever his motives were, they eluded me. It was difficult to read a man like Drew who was used to hiding his motivations. Even when angry, it would take a great deal for him to unmask himself.

Thank goodness my grandmother and mother arrived, breaking the awkward tension between us.

The atmosphere between the five of us reminded me of old times. Not only did nostalgia come at me full-throttle, but Drew seemed more amiable toward me. He didn’t really do much other than passing me the bowl of mashed potatoes, but it signified how he was gradually thawing his icy treatment of me. Compared to yesterday, it was black and white.

When Mom and Grandma left, I thought Drew had left with them, but when I noticed his bedroom was open, I was startled to find him in there, sitting at the edge of his old bed, deep in thought.

“Sorry, I thought you had already left.”

Looking up, he shook his head. “I didn’t.”

Torn between leaving him and curiosity, I chose the latter.

“If you still plan on moving out, I can pack everything for you so you won’t have to bother.” My offer had a motive. I had kept some of his shirts, thinking he might not come back for a long time. And since I had grown attached to those shirts, I didn’t plan on handing them back. So hopefully, he wouldn’t notice them gone.

Pressing his lips together, he let out a deep breath before looking about the room, as if noting how much he had to pack up. “No, I’ll do it myself. I’ll come back later when I get a chance.”

Feeling as though I was interrupting his solace, I decided to leave him be. “All right, then.” Nodding at him, I gave him a tight smile before gripping the door, readying to leave.

“Chloe?” he called out to me.

“Yeah?”

Our eyes locked for what seemed like forever, but I knew it was only mere seconds. It felt as though he wanted to say something yet couldn’t bring himself to form the words.

“Goodnight.” He broke eye contact and whatever else we had just shared in those few glorious seconds.

“You, too.”