Juicy Rebound (IceCats Book 1) Read online

  “December 26th. I’ll leave here Christmas afternoon.”

  “We haven’t gotten an invite,” Mom says in a very snooty way. “Tell him no shepherd’s pie for him.”

  “Okay, Shepherd’s Pie Nazi,” I tease as I take out my phone. I send a quick text to Ryan, and thankfully, he answers back.

  Ryan: Asshole, I sent it to your house with yours ’cause I didn’t have your parents’ address.

  Shit. He did.

  “Okay, that’s my fault,” I say, looking up at my parents. “The invite is in my mail basket. I forgot he sent yours to my house.”

  “Oh, he is forgiven. Tell him I’ll bring the shepherd’s pie.”

  I laugh as I tuck my phone into my pocket. “He’ll appreciate that.”

  “It’s sure to be a lovely wedding. In December? Maybe it’ll snow!” Mom gushes, clapping her hands, which scares Sadie and she takes off out of the room.

  Dad snorts. “In Tennessee? Please. It’ll either snow and the whole state will shut down, or it’ll lightly dust and, again, the state will shut down. Or it’ll be sixty degrees.”

  Laughter fills the kitchen. I lean back, propping my chair on its back legs. We lived in Tennessee from the moment I was adopted. I still remember the day they came and got me from Georgia. I was a mess, my clothes were ripped, and I’m pretty sure I smelled. I was terrified to let anyone touch me, but my mom stood there, tears in her eyes and her arms wide. I went right to her. The picture from that moment hangs in the family room. In it, Dad is standing beside her, crying as they both enveloped me in a hug.

  “Chandler, stop please,” Mom scolds, kicking me in the shin.

  I drop my chair and rub my leg. “Great, now I can’t play.”

  She smacks me again, and I laugh as I lean my elbows on the table. She eyes me. “So, will you have a date for the wedding?”

  Amelia. I wish. “Eh, I might go stag.”

  “You haven’t been with anyone since the ex,” Dad says.

  “You don’t know that,” I say with a wink, and he laughs.

  Mom gags. “Not what I wanted to know,” she says dryly. “But you haven’t dated.”

  “Don’t have time.” I shrug as I lay my head on the table, looking up at them. “Guess who lives here?”

  Why did I say that?

  “Who?”

  “Ryan’s sister.”

  She coos, and I really don’t know why I set myself up for that. “Amelia.”

  “The fact that you know her name is concerning.”

  She raises an eyebrow at me, but before she can say anything, Dad chimes in, “You talked about her for a month straight, and then you were bummed when she chose her ex-boyfriend, even though you never made a move. Wasn’t he scared of Ryan or something?” he asks my mom.

  “Terrified, which makes him a good friend, but he ruined his chances at love. If only he’d married her instead of the ex.”

  They both look dreamily at the ceiling, and I roll my eyes. “You guys are ridiculous.”

  “Again, only stating the truth. So, you ask her out yet?” Mom asks, and again, I don’t know what to do with these two.

  “Yes, but she turned me down.” What is wrong with me? I could have lied.

  Mom makes a face. “Why? You’re adorable, minus that thing on your face.”

  I give her a dry look. “My beard?”

  “It’s awful.”

  “Eh, I think it makes him like a man and not a child.”

  “Wow. Thanks, Dad.” I sit up and look out the window. “I think she went through a bad divorce—”

  “With the ex from college?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Told you. Should have picked you and married you,” Mom says matter-of-factly, and Dad nods.

  “Yup, what Mom said.”

  I blink. “But I think she’s hung up on that.”

  “That’s too bad. Have you brought her flowers?”

  I shake my head. “No, I’m taking it slow.”

  Like molasses, apparently.

  “Well, that’s boring. You should go declare your love for her,” Dad teases, and I scoff.

  “I’m not in love.”

  “Yet,” Mom sings, and Dad nods.

  “Okay, so I’m going.”

  “To Amelia’s?” Mom asks as I push in my chair.

  “No, I haven’t seen her in a couple days. I think she’s busy or something,” I say, and then I whistle for Sadie. She comes running with one of her toys in her mouth. “Leave that here.”

  Sadie drops it, and I swear she’s cursing me. I put her leash on as my dad says, “So, go see her.”

  “For what?”

  “To check in on her.”

  “Yeah, that’s a great excuse.”

  I look back at my parents, and then I roll my eyes. “I’ll see you two later.”

  As I head out, I wonder if I should go over and check on her. Would it be weird? Sadie’s head hangs out the window as I drive. When I turn onto our road, I find myself creeping along, looking for Amelia’s house. When I reach her cottage, I can see the lights are on, and there are two cars in the driveway. She has company. I shouldn’t stop.

  I stop.

  I get out of the car and look at Sadie. “You stay.”

  She whines, but she’s fine. The air conditioner is on, and PopRocks is playing. It’s her favorite station. My heart is pounding as I head up the walkway to Amelia’s stoop. What if she has a guy over? I should leave. I shouldn’t knock, yet I head right for the door. I have to know. Maybe I am wasting my time, like Nico says.

  I step up onto the first step and then knock on the door before stepping back down. When the door opens, it’s not Amelia. It’s Mrs. Justice.

  “Chandler!” she exclaims before coming out the door and wrapping me up in a big hug. “How are you, honey?”

  I hug her tightly before she pulls away. “I’m great. How are you?”

  “So wonderful,” she says with a smile, and I can tell she is. She looks way better than she did last time I saw her. Happier, like she found the missing piece she so desperately needed to become whole again. I never suspected it could be Amelia. Their family is solid. But then, even the families that look perfect on the outside can have cracks. “What brings you by?”

  The door opens wider, stealing my attention, and there she is. Amelia is wearing a pair of jean shorts and a crop top, and her hair is falling like a curtain over her shoulder. She isn’t wearing makeup, but her face shines. Or maybe it’s her eyes. Man, she’s beautiful.

  I clear my throat and smile. “I, um, uh… I came to check on Amelia. I hadn’t seen her at the coffee shop, and I was worried.”

  A small smile pulls at Amelia’s lips as Mrs. Justice gushes, “Well, that’s so sweet. I’ve stolen all her time! But please, we’re about to eat. Would you like to join us?”

  Uh, fuck yeah. Whoa, slow your roll. Don’t sound too eager. “I have my dog,” I say, hooking my thumb back at Sadie. She barks to confirm her presence.

  Amelia laughs. “She can come too.”

  “Oh well, then yeah, I’d love to have dinner with you guys. Are you sure I’m not imposing?”

  “Not at all. We’d love the company. I’m sure Amelia is sick of me by now.”

  Amelia nods. “I am. Come on, Chandler. Mom made lasagna.”

  Our eyes lock, and a slow smile moves across my lips. “Well, if you insist.”

  She rolls her eyes as she turns and heads inside. As I watch her, I can’t help but think my parents are always right.

  How annoying.

  Chapter Eight

  Amelia

  Mom has been here for four days, and it’s everything I’ve been missing. After we got off the phone, she arrived within three hours. When she stepped off the plane, I lost it. I wrapped my arms around my mom and cried. It seemed like we stood there for hours, but it was really only a few minutes. She whispered in my ear that she loved me, and I swear it’s like we’ve been talking every day for the last four yea