His fork clangs on the plate, and he picks his cup of coffee up. “Garbage trucks don’t get up here, sweetheart.”
“We’ll figure it out,” I retort. “You can’t burn plastic or inked paper or—”
“California girls are environmentally conscious, aren’t they?” Noah laughs from the sink. “No plastic straws. You have to bring your own bags to the supermarket. I hear they only flush the toilet every other time they go, too.”
I dig in my eyebrows so deep it hurts. “Yeah, sometimes we’ll even shower together to conserve water. It’s awesome.”
I hear Jake snort, and I drop my eyes again, arching an eyebrow at myself. Not sure where my newfound sarcasm came from, but I harden my jaw, not allowing myself to enjoy it.
I turn to leave, but I stop and glare at Jake again. “And that de Haas money is hard-earned,” I say. “My parents made contributions to the world. People value what they did whether you liked them or not. Whether I liked them or not.”
I blink at the words coming out of my mouth, surprising myself. But while I had my problems with my parents, I realize for the first time that I’m a little protective of their legacy.
“The world will remember them,” I point out.
“And so will I.” Jake leans back in his chair, regarding me with an amused look. “Especially with you around.”
I hesitate, his words unnerving me for some reason. The sense of permanence in his tone. Like I’m here to stay.
“I might not stick around,” I suddenly blurt out.
But then I immediately regret it. He took me in when he didn’t have to. And I came here willingly. I should be more grateful.
But…he did threaten to keep me here against my will yesterday, too.
“You’re kind of a prick sometimes,” I tell him.
Noah jerks his head in our direction, his eyes wide as his gaze darts from me to his father.
But Jake makes no move, just sitting there and looking at me with the same amusement on his face.
“I’m a teddy bear, Tiernan.” He stands up, his fingers threaded through the handle of his coffee cup. “You still haven’t met Kaleb yet.”
I hear Noah laugh behind him, both of them in on some joke I clearly don’t understand. I twist around, heading up to my room to clean up.
“Put on a proper shirt before you go out!” Jake yells after me.
I snarl to myself, stomping a little harder on the stairs than I mean to.
I make your food. It’s really not smart to provoke me.
I shower quickly, getting the sticky heat off me, as well as the dirt and smell from the barn. I’m pretty sure I’ll have to shower again later, just so I can wash my hair. I don’t have time right now, though.
Running a brush through my hair, I slip on the same baseball cap Noah loaned me this morning and rush out of the room with my little crossbody purse and wearing a fresh pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
Jake is actually pretty stocked on food, especially fresh stuff, but in the rush to come here, I’d forgotten to arrange for a few…other things I’d need.
When I walk outside, Noah is already waiting for me. He sits on a dirt bike with a helmet on his head and another one in his hand.
I hesitate for a moment, glancing at the truck behind his bike. Are we driving separately or…？
“What are you doing?” I ask, stepping down the wide wooden steps.
“Taking us to town.”
He holds the spare helmet out to me, and I look down at it and then back up to him, seeing wisps of his blond hair hanging over his forehead under the helmet.
I raise my eyebrows. We’re taking the bike to town? “Where are the groceries supposed to go?” I ask him.
But he just laughs under his breath, turns on the bike, and twists the handle, revving the engine. “Climb on. I don’t bite,” he tells me. And then he shoots me a mischievous look. “My little cousins, anyway.”
I almost roll my eyes. Taking the helmet, I fix it over my baseball cap, but the front knocks the bill of the hat, making the fit uncomfortable. I fumble for a moment, finally pulling off the helmet again and then the hat.
But Noah takes my arms, stopping me. “Like this,” he says. And he takes the hat, fits it backward onto my head, and then plops the helmet down over it, the bill now resting at the back of my skull.
Oh.
I’d rather have the cap in town, since my hair is in shambles right now, so this works.
He fastens the strap under my chin, and I try to avert my eyes, but he has this lazy half-smile on his lips that kind of makes my body hum. And blue eyes behind black lashes with the sides of his gray T-shirt cut out to show off golden, muscular arms, and he wears persistently scruffy jeans, because he never has to try too hard to impress anyone.