"Of course-"
Lately, Curtis had seemed off at their get-togethers-distracted, distant, hardly trying to hide his disinterest.
While McNeil, Isaac, and Marcus were off ying pool, Violet spoke up, her tone casual but her words pointed.
"Actually, Victoria''s marriage is a mess. From what I''ve heard, her husband''s seeing someone else."
Curtis, despite his feelings for Victoria, had never been one for gossip. Still, if Violet wanted to talk, he''d listen.
"He doesn''t care about her," Violet continued. "And honestly, he and that other woman? They''ve known each other since they were kids, high school sweethearts. Victoria was the one who came between them. And from what I''ve heard, the other woman''s got everything going for her-she''s sharp, ambitious, way out of Victoria''s league."
Curtis bristled at the criticism. He didn''t like hearing people badmouth Victoria. The truth was, all of them had grown up with Violet; she was practically family.
But even so, Violet''s words didn''t sit right with him.
"Victoria''s... great," Curtis said quietly.
In his eyes, nobodypared to Victoria.
Even Violet, once the object of all their affections, seemed dull inparison now.
Back when they were younger, Violet had been their collective crush-the unattainable girl every guy dreamed about. It wasn''t just McNeil; Curtis and the others had all harbored those feelings, too.
But Violet had eventually chosen McNeil. The rest of them-brothers, really-had let those feelings go, treating her like a sister ever since.
Curtis used to think meeting Violet was what love felt like. It wasn''t until he firstid eyes on Victoria that he realized how na?ve he''d been. That bolt of lightning he''d felt-he''d carry that memory with him forever.
Violet nced at Curtis, her gaze lingering. She felt a pang she couldn''t quite
name.
Curtis was defending Victoria now. Funny-he used to be so protective of her. "Even so," Violet said, "Victoria and her husband are getting divorced."
Curtis stared at her, stunned. "Seriously?"
Just then, McNeil, Marcus, and Isaac came back from the pool table.
McNeil grabbed a bottle of water for Violet, while across the room, Gwh and Max were still hunched over their game.
"Let''s go again!" Max suddenly shouted, startling the adults at the table.
Gwh, on the other hand, looked fed up.
They''d yed twenty rounds already, and Max had lost every single time. At first, Gwh had enjoyed winning, but the novelty had worn off. She just wanted to be done.
But Max refused to give up; he wanted another round.
"I''m done," Gwh announced, shoving the tablet aside and scrambling into Violet''sp.
Max fumed. "No way! Nobody else can beat me at this game. You must be cheating or something-there''s no way a girl could win like that!"
Marcus shot Max a look. Normally, the boy was pretty mild-mannered; today, he was on edge.
Gwh, meanwhile, looked smug.
"I am not cheating. You just can''t handle losing. Maybe you''d do better if you had someone as good as Ms. Marchand to help you. She''s a feal racecar driver—she''s the one who helped me get good at this. So it''s not weird that I beat you"
Her voice faltered a little at the mention of Violet''s coaching-she couldn''t exactly bring up her mom an front of everyone. But it was true Violet had been the one to teach her how to y thesepetitive games.
s?novel
Face flushed with frustration, Max tried to argue, but Marcus gently pulled him back.
"Alright, that''s enough. It''s just a game. Don''t take it so seriously."
Gwh, undeterred, pointed at
BUT
Max, a mischievous grin on her face. "You just can''t stand losing! If you think you''re so good, beat me-unless you can find someone as awesome as Ms. Marchand to coach you. Come on, admit it. You just can''t take losing!"
McNeil watched Gwh sticking her tongue out at Max, her pride written all over
her face. He ruffled her hair with a smile.
"Okay, that''s enough sass. Say sorry to your friend."