Page 15 of The Score We Never Settled

And, for Everly, noboy.

Because she isn’t dating a twenty-year-old who has his shit together. There ain’t no damn way. I still don’t have my shit together, and I’m grown as hell.

I scowl. “What’s his name?”

“Caleb.”

“Where’s he from?”

“Maryland.”

“So, it’s a long-distance relationship?”

“No, he moved here.”

Well, I do have eight days to scare him away. More than enough time.

“Where?”

“The old Scotchton house.”

“Why?”

“Briggs…” Adeline cautions, already fully aware where I’m going with this because I’ve done it to her ass over a dozen times.

And good thing.

My older sister hasn’t found a man worth a damn either, and I’ve been right about all of them.

Too self-absorbed.

Too lazy.

Too dependent on their mother.

Too needy.

Too pathetic.

“His daddy wanted to get out of the city,” Everly explains. “His brother lives here.”

“Who’s his brother?”

“Briggs Holden Kerrigan,” Adeline begins to ground out, clearly done with my side portion of bullshit. “There ain’t gonna be any nonsense happenin’ here while you’re in town. You’re gonna leave, and we’re gonna have to deal with it.”

“I ain’t gonna break anything…he’ll need.”

Adeline looks at me and then suddenly spins back around toward the kitchen. “You ain’t eatin’.”

My stomach suddenly speaks for me, and my feet immediately move to follow her because I’m starving. “Well, hold on now, sis. I promise I won’t hunt him down tonight.”

“You ain’t gonna hunt him down at all,” my sister orders, her wavy hair bouncing purposely and pissed offed against her back. “Or I’m gonna break somethin’ onyou.”

Fat chance.

However, I don’t feed into that. My sister has been known to chase me down with numerous objects before, and she has a good track record of connecting said things with really necessary places.

“He’s really nice,” Everly tries to convince me from behind. “You’ll like him. He’s comin’ to dinner Sunday night.”