LEOThe repast after the funeral was at my parents' house. Mark and Sheri weren't up to hosting it, and although Carrie had offered, my mom had convinced them to let her handle it, saying she was going to enlist my brothers and me to do most of the work. So once I got home, I found myself laying out trays, setting up a beverage station and directing strangers to the bathrooms. Simon came in, carrying a huge tub of ice, followed by Danny with two hot pans of lasagna. "Where's Justine? If she's going to be part of the family, shouldn't she have to do her share of the work?" Danny eased the food onto hot pads and glanced over his shoulder at our brother. "I mean, if not, what's the benefit in having her?""Dude, the benefits are manifold." Simon smirked and chucked at cube of ice at Danny. "I'm not giving you details, because I'm a gentleman and shit, but let's just say she needs to rest up. Save her strength for the important stuff she has to do.""And number one on that list of s

LEO"As God is my witness, I'm never going to drink again." I cradled my aching head in my hands, resting my elbows on the kitchen table. "Hmmm." My mother pushed a mug of steaming coffee toward me. "I think I've heard that before." She smirked. "I think I've said that before, come to think of it. What was it that pushed you over the edge?""Tequila shots. Tucker's idea. I hate that guy.""No, you don't." Mom's voice was mild. "Eli's a lovely young man, especially given what he's been through. He doesn't seem bitter at all. And if I were him, honestly, the last person I'd want to hang out with would be you.""Gee, thanks, Mom. You know how to make a guy feel loved." I winced a little at the sound of my own voice and reached for the coffee."No, you know what I mean. You're living Eli's dream. Playing pro ball and all that. The fact that he doesn't seem to resent you is pretty amazing." She sipped her own mug. "Do I even want to know how you got home? I know you didn't drive in t

QUINNI'd taken the train back and forth pretty often while Leo was at Carolina. It was cheaper than flying, and the station was more convenient than the airport, on both ends. Plus, the ride down gave me time to do homework and catch up on reading, freeing me up for fun while I was with Leo. I was familiar with both the routine of the rails and the route south.Still, when I swung off the train in Richmond on that Thursday night, I was more than a little nervous ...not just because I'd never been to this city. I'd taken a big gamble coming down here, and riding on the train, I'd had six hours to consider all the ways it could go wrong. For instance, what if Leo was with someone? I hadn't exactly asked him if he was involved with a woman now. When I'd run into him at the grocery store last July, it had shocked me to see him with Sarah Jenkins, but I hadn't heard anything more about her since then. And Leo had assured me that they were just friends. Of course, that had been back in

QUINNLeo's brows knit together, but before he could say anything else, I went on speaking, blurting out the words that had been sitting heavy on me for the last day. "My mother is having an affair with the dry cleaner. Or maybe not an affair, but a relationship. And she's selling our house, and they're going to travel.""Um, what?" He shook his head. "Your mother? And the dry cleaner-wait, is that Shane?""Apparently." I crossed my arms over my chest, sinking back into the chair."Huh, really? Well, he's a nice guy."I rolled my eyes. "I've already been well acquainted with the finer points of Saint Shane, thanks very much."Leo nodded his head slowly. "Ah. Okay.""What's that supposed to mean?" I frowned."Just that now I understand why you're here. You got upset at your mother, and so you came down here, looking for a place where you could run away."Leo's words, spoken so matter-of-factly, struck so close to home that I flinched. "No. That's not why I'm here."One side

LEO"Whoa." She teetered for a minute and instinctively grasped my arm. "Sorry about that. I was taking a short cut to the desserts."It had been just about a month since I'd seen her. The first thing I noted was that she wasn't quite as thin as she'd been then, and I was glad about that. There was a little more color in her face, too, and it looked as though she'd had her hair trimmed. It wasn't short, but the curls that bounced around her shoulders seemed a little more tamed. More styled, or whatever it was the girls called it. It was different in a good way.She wore dark blue jeans that clung to her legs and heels that brought her eyes closer to my level. Her loose black top should have seemed formless, but it somehow clung to her boobs, accenting their curves and cleavage, making my mouth water and my hands itch to touch her. Quinn's fingers released my arm as she realized it was me she'd run into, and she took one step backward, bumping into the wall behind her. When her eye