Chapter 6

Poppi slept terribly the night of the party. She tossed and turned all night. The thought of Madden sleeping in the room next door, was pecking at her curiosity. She thought about his hand touching hers and his arm around her. She tried to shake the thoughts, but they kept racing back like a warm tidal wave into her mind.

Poppi woke slowly, not because she’d slept well, but because her dreams had refused to let her go.

The ceiling fan turned lazily overhead, pushing warm Texas air through her room. Sunlight spilled between the curtains in long golden stripes, warming the quilt tangled around her legs.

She stared at the ceiling.

Don’t.

The single word echoed through her mind before she even knew what she’d been thinking.

Too late.

His smile from the night before slipped back into her thoughts anyway.

The way Madden had leaned against the fence during the cornhole game.

The teasing grin he’d flashed whenever she’d landed a perfect shot.

The way he’d looked at her, not like family. Not like someone he’d only met days ago.

She rolled onto her side and buried her face in her pillow.

“This is ridiculous,” she muttered.

He was her stepbrother. Not by blood. Not someone she’d grown up with.

But still…

The title alone should have been enough to shut every dangerous thought down before it ever started.

Instead, every conversation somehow made her want another one. Every accidental brush of his hand replayed in her head longer than it should.

Every joke lingered. Every smile felt personal.

She groaned into the pillow, “Nope. Absolutely not.”

She sat up abruptly, forcing herself to think about literally anything else.

Today. Today would be normal. She’d show him around town because that was what a decent stepsister would do. Nothing more.

Breakfast at Millie’s Diner. Maybe wander through the little antique square where every shop owner knew her by name. Take him over to the riverwalk trails. If it got too hot, they’d stop for Blue Bell ice cream.

She could even drive him out to the old swimming hole she’d loved since she was twelve.

Normal. Perfectly innocent. Exactly the kind of things siblings did.

Her stomach fluttered. She frowned at herself.

Why are you nervous?

She wasn’t getting ready for a date. She was spending the day with family. Family didn’t make you stand in front of your closet debating between three different pairs of shorts however. Family didn’t make you wonder if your hair looked better up or down. Family definitely didn’t make your heart speed up because they might tell you that you looked pretty.

Poppi opened her closet anyway. She reached automatically for an oversized T-shirt before stopping.

Too sloppy. She grabbed another. Too dressy. A third. Too obvious.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.”

She laughed at herself, tossing all three onto the bed.

“You’ve officially lost your mind.”

Eventually she settled on a pair of faded denim shorts, a soft sage-green tank top, and white sneakers. Comfortable. Casual. Completely ordinary.

At least that was what she told herself. She brushed her hair into loose curls instead of her usual messy bun.

Then immediately frowned at her reflection, “Why?”

No answer. She dabbed on mascara. Stopped. Wiped half of it back off.

“Seriously, Poppi?”

She pointed at herself in the mirror.

“He’s your stepbrother.”

Her reflection looked unconvinced.

She sighed, “Fine.”

She grabbed her keys and headed downstairs, determined to get coffee before he woke up.

As she reached the bottom step, laughter drifted in through the open kitchen window.

Male laughter.

Deep.

Warm.

His.

She froze