Good Girl Complex(Avalon Bay #1)(30)

“Hey, Coop.” Jay wipes his brow with the short sleeve of his shirt. “Got a sec?”

“Sure. Let’s grab some water.” We walk over to the cooler on the front porch to pull out a couple bottles of water. It’s blazing out here. Summer refusing to die. “What’s up?”

Jay awkwardly shifts his huge feet. He’s the biggest of the five West boys—six five, over two hundred pounds of solid muscle. Steph calls him the “gentle giant,” which is an apt description. Jay’s a sweet guy, the first person to help someone in need. He doesn’t possess a mean bone in his body.

“Wanted to ask you something.” His cheeks are slowly reddening, and it’s not because of the heat. “You and Heidi …”

I wrinkle my forehead. Definitely not what I expected him to say.

“I heard some rumors about you guys this summer, and uh …” He shrugs. “Wasn’t sure if it’s a thing or not.”

“It’s not.”

“Oh. Okay. Cool.” He chugs half the bottle before speaking again. “I ran into her at Joe’s the other night.”

I try not to chuckle at his shy expression. I know where he’s going with this now, but he’s taking the long way to get there.

“And how’d that go?” I ask. I haven’t seen Heidi or the girls in several days.

“Fun. It was fun.” He gulps down some more water. “You don’t mind if I ask her out, do ya? Since you two aren’t a thing?”

Jay West is the epitome of the boy next door, and Heidi will eat him alive. If she even gives him a shot to begin with, which I doubt, since I’m fairly sure I’m the only guy in town she’s slept with. She dated some dude for a year in high school, but he didn’t live in the Bay. Heidi’s always had one foot out the door anyway. I’m honestly surprised she hasn’t skipped town yet.

I don’t have the heart to tell Jay she’ll probably turn him down, so I simply clap him on the shoulder and say, “’Course I don’t mind. She’s a great girl—make sure you treat her right.”

“Scout’s honor,” he promises, holding up one hand in the Boy Scout gesture. Of course he was a Scout. Probably earned all his badges too. Meanwhile, Evan and I got kicked out of our troop when we were eight because we tried setting our scout leader’s gear on fire.

“Hey, didn’t realize you boys were here.” Evan comes up with the puppy on a leash, ruefully glancing at all the supplies we’ve unloaded—no thanks to him. “Otherwise I would’ve given you a hand.”

I snort. Yeah right.

“When’d you get a dog?” a delighted Jay asks. He promptly kneels and starts playing with the puppy, who tries to nip his stroking fingers. “What’s his name?”

“Her,” I correct. “And we don’t know yet.”

“My vote is for Kitty, but Coop doesn’t appreciate irony,” Evan pipes up.

“We’re still deciding,” I say.

Billy wraps up his call and approaches us. He nods at Evan, who nods back and says, “Billy. How’s things?”

“Yeah, good.”

The two share an uneasy look, while I stand there in discomfort. Gentle giant Jay is oblivious to the tension, thoroughly occupied by the puppy. This is why we don’t see Billy and his brothers anymore. It’s too damn awkward.

But Evan can’t help himself. Always takes it to the next level of awkwardness. “How’s Gen?”

Billy grunts a curt “Fine,” and can’t get his trailer closed up fast enough before he and Jay are practically peeling out of our front yard.

“The hell was that about?” I say to Evan.

“What’s what?” He says this as if I don’t know exactly what goes on in his damn head.

“Thought you weren’t hung up on Genevieve.”

“I’m not.” He brushes me off and goes to the porch, grabbing some water.

“She blew town with barely a heads up,” I remind him. “Trust me, that chick isn’t sitting around worrying about you.”

“I said it’s whatever,” Evan insists. “I was just making conversation.”

“With her brothers? I wouldn’t be surprised if Billy blames you for her running all the way to Charleston. For all I know, he’s been waiting to kick your ass.”

Evan’s ex was the real hellion of our group. We’ve all experimented with the occasional illicit substance, broken a few laws, but Gen was on another level. If it was stupid and stood a chance to kill her, she wanted seconds. And Evan was right there next to her. Allegedly, she left to get her shit together. New place, new life. Who knows if it’s true? If any of the girls still talk to her, they don’t bring it up. Which is all the proof Evan should need that Genevieve West doesn’t give a crap that she tore his fucking heart out.

“You still in love with her?” I ask him.

He takes off his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. Then he meets my eyes. “I don’t even think about her.”

Yeah right. I know that expression. I wore that same expression every day our dad wasn’t around. Every time our mom walked out on us for weeks or months at a time. Sometimes he forgets I’m the one person in the world he can’t lie to.