Page 1 of The Naughty List
1
Audrey
“Oh suck it, Andy Williams,” I mutter as I sneak out the front door toward the yard. That fucking music has been playing all day, and I swear to God I’m going to lose my mind if I hear Holly Jolly Christmas one more time.
I sneak around to the side of the house, hidden by the giant RV that pulled in and parked there just this morning. It belongs to my new step-dad’s brother. The thing is bigger than my whole apartment—a little obnoxious if you ask me.
Once I’m safely tucked away behind the trash cans, I pull my smokes out of my purse and quickly light one. It’s a gross habit, I know, but I like my vices. What is life without breaking some rules now and then? I mean, we all die, whether you smoke or not.
“I fucking hate Christmas,” I mutter after taking the first puff.
“Everything okay?” a deep voice asks.
I nearly scream when a man steps into view from the other side of the RV. Breathing a sigh of relief, I instantly recognize him as Roger’s brother. Roger is my mom’s new hunky husband that she met during a summer cruise in Turks and Caicos. They dated for like six weeks before Roger moved in and they eloped in a courthouse ceremony during my midterms. Now, they’re hosting their first fancy Christmas together in the house, and he brought his brother.
“Oh, hey,” I say once I realize that this isn’t the sort of scenario that ends up with me tied up in someone’s trunk—although, now that I think about it, that might be preferable to going back into the house.
Roger’s brother—damn, I can’t even remember his name—leans against the RV and just stares at me with a smug grin.
“Aren’t you a little old to be sneaking out?” he asks.
My brow furrows. “I’m not sneaking out. I just like hanging out right here.”
He laughs. “Okay, then.” It’s quiet and tense for a moment, and I can’t tell if he’s going to cool or a complete douche.
“Relax, I was just teasing you,” he says finally.
I let out a sigh. “Sorry. It’s just been a stressful day. What’s your name again?”
“Grant,” he answers stoically.
Grant is good-looking for an older guy in a sort of Brawny paper towels sort of way. He’s broad shouldered, filling out his dark gray button-up shirt. He has rich brown hair and a beard that’s cropped close to his skin.
“You’re not going to tell me this is bad for me, are you?” I ask.
He smiles, crows feet wrinkles sprouting from his eyes. “I was going to ask if you had an extra.”
“Uh, yeah.” Reaching into my purse, I pull him out a smoke and my lighter. He lights it, tilting his head and covering the flame with his hand, and it’s somehow sexy as fuck.
No, that’s weird. I can’t think about my step-dad’s brother like that. He’s basically my uncle now, right? Gross.
“So…” I say, feeling a little uncomfortable.
“You’re home from college?” he asks. “What’s your major?”
I straighten my shoulders as I answer. “Pre-law.”
“Ah,” he replies with a nod. “Following in your mom’s footsteps?”
Something about that sets me on edge. “I’m following my own footsteps...but yes, like my mother. It’s a good career with steady income.”
“Sounds exciting,” he says with a smirk that tells me he’s not being one-hundred percent sincere.
“Well, what do you do?” I ask.
“I own a lake resort in Pineridge.”
Oh, dang.