The Vincent Boys 02 - The Vincent Brothers

gorgeous and finally decide to flaunt what your Momma... Okay maybe not your Momma because God knows she ain’t real attractive... How about flaunt what luck must have given you and for what? Nothing! That’s what! You buy yourself a new, sexy, cute wardrobe and finally get a hairstyle to show off that head of hair of yours but you never flirt. It’s as if you did this for yourself and that’s just dumb. Guys notice you now Lana. They turn their heads but you just ignore them.”
    This was a familiar tirade of hers. It drove her nuts that I didn’t throw myself at any boy that looked my way. I wasn’t about to tell her the reason why. That kind of information would make Jewel dangerous. She’d find a way to ruin everything. She wouldn’t mean to, of course, but she would. Her loud mouth always seemed to bring a world of trouble with it.
    “I’ve told you that I’m just not interested in dating right now. We just graduated. I want a summer to prepare for college in the fall, enjoy being away from my insane mother and just—relax.”
    Jewel sighed and bent her head down to nibble on her straw while her eyes zeroed in on the poor bartender who had to be ready for us to be seated at a table.
    “You can still come with me, you know. Skip this living with the preacher stuff and come party all summer at the beach. Corey would love you to join us. Her step-father’s condo has three bedrooms and a killer view of the ocean.”
    A summer hanging out with drunk Jewel and friends was not appealing, at all. I had my plans and so far everything I’d put into motion was running smoothly. However, I couldn’t help but be nervous about the next step. It was the most crucial.
    Having my naturally red hair darkened to a deep copper and styled attractively instead of pulled back in a braid or ponytail had been step-one. The darker red color had made my pale skin seem almost delicate. Then the cleaning out of my closet had been the next move. I’d bagged up every single piece of clothing I owned and dropped them off at the local Goodwill. My mother had been horrified but after she’d seen the clothing style I intended to replace it with, she’d been very supportive. Unlike most mothers, my mother wanted to see me in shorts that showed off almost all of my legs and tight tops that emphasized my C cup boobs.
    Jewel had wanted to teach me how to apply makeup but I’d kindly refused and went to the Clinique counter at Macy’s and had them teach me, and then I’d bought everything they’d used. Although I’d never been one for makeup I had to agree that it did startling things to my eyes. I’d closed my bedroom door and stared at myself in fascination for hours after they’d put makeup on me.
    Convincing my mother to let me stay the summer with my aunt and uncle had been a little more difficult. My cousin, Ashton, had helped tremendously with this part. She’d talked to her mother who in return talked to mine. Our mothers are sisters and once my aunt convinced my mother that Ashton truly wanted me to come spend our last summer before college together, I’d been so excited I’d momentarily forgotten about the last step in the plan. The reason why I’d made myself moderately attractive and begged to come stay the summer with my cousin. The goal sounded so simple but when I allowed myself to dwell on it then it became so incredibly complicated. Getting a boy to fall head-over-heels in love with you isn’t easy. Especially when he’s been in love with your cousin for as long as you can remember.

Chapter Two

    Sawyer

    “You’ve got to curb the temper, man. If anyone could take on Beau—it would be you but you’d still walk away beat up,” Ethan announced as I pulled out onto the country road from the dirt road that led back to the field parties.
    “It’s been six months, bro. How long you gonna be pissed over this?” Jake asked from the backseat.
    Why was this any of their business? Neither one of them knew what a committed relationship was like. They’d both been through so many girls during our four years of high school I couldn’t even name them all. Explaining to them that I’d planned my life with Ashton as the center from the time I was twelve years old wasn’t exactly easy. So instead, I leaned forward and turned on the radio to drown out any more of their interrogation.
    “You can turn on music all you want but the fact is you got to let this go. He’s your cousin and your best friend. A chick