Graceless (Grace Notes #2)

“Just a soda?” Aria requested. “I’m driving this one,” she said, inclining her head toward her friend.

Lane didn’t keep beer in their fridge, but they knew the house was stocked for just about anything.

“Make yourselves at home.” They shrugged, nodding toward the pool. They glanced behind them just in time to see Mia eagerly pulling her t-shirt over her head, generous breasts practically spilling out of her bikini. Lane quickly looked away and headed into the main house.

They headed through the quiet living room. No one seemed to be about. Savannah and Brynn usually took Lane’s afternoon class time to spend quality time with their son; sometimes Lane came home to find them all in a cuddle pile watching a movie or heard raucous laughter filtering down from upstairs. But today the house was silent. They must have taken him out somewhere.

Wandering through to the kitchen, Lane stopped short. Already leaning into the fridge was a stranger. A bare limbed woman in tiny denim cutoffs and a spaghetti strap tank top was pulling out a bottle of sparkling water. Her blonde wavy hair just brushed her shoulders. Lane had just enough time to notice a solid jolt to their libido at the cute ass pointing in their direction before the woman straightened and turned and suddenly they were face to face with Cassidy.

“Oh! Hey,” she said, the bottle of water dangling from her fingers as the fridge door swung closed. Lane just stared.

Gone were the conservative dresses and the long tangle of hair. Cassidy had always been pretty, but she’d also had a young, oddly wholesome, country girl vibe going on. Suddenly, she didn’t look like a teenager anymore. With her hair lopped to a sophisticated length and an artful bedroom tousle to her locks, she looked like the beautiful and perfectly adult woman that she apparently was. Lane swallowed. They’d never seen that much of Cassidy’s skin before, nor the shape of her body, now plainly evident in her tiny shorts and thin white tank top.

“I-” their voice cracked like Lane was the teenager. “I like your hair,” they squeaked out. Cassidy considered them closely and a small, pleased smile appeared. Lane could only hope she hadn’t caught them staring at her ass, but by the looks of that smirk they weren’t too sure.

“Thanks,” she said, running her fingers through her locks and tucking a strand behind her ear, giving Lane a glimpse of a bright shiny manicure as she did. Her skin was glowing and was that gloss on her lips? Lane swallowed. “What are you up to?”

“I’ve got a couple of friends around,” Lane managed. “We’re studying by the pool.” A couple of gleeful shrieks wafted in from outside.

“Sounds like it,” Cassidy said drily. “Have a great time.” She turned and sauntered from the room. Lane could not for the life of them drag their eyes off the view as she left.

“You can join us, if you want,” they called out, belatedly remembering their manners.

“Maybe,” Cassidy called back, heading for the stairs. Lane shook themself. Why was this happening, exactly? It was fine when Cassidy was a pain in the ass, the little sister of their employer and a raggedy teenage-looking girl. It was a whole other situation to deal with when she was hot.

In a mild fog, they grabbed a couple of beers and a soda and headed back to the pool. Setting the drinks down on the pool edge, Lane pulled their t-shirt over their head and jumped into the cold water, hoping to clear their scattered thoughts.

“I can’t believe you didn’t invite us over sooner.” Mia gave them a look of mock offense, water sparkling off her skin. She walked up the pool steps like a woman fully aware of her natural gifts and picked up one of the beers to sip. She was very clearly waiting to be admired, so Lane obeyed. It wasn’t exactly a chore. Mia was blindingly sexy, dripping wet in a black bikini, but to their intense aggravation, a denim clad ass atop pale, pretty thighs was solidly competing in their mind for attention.

Lane turned and slipped under the water. Starting testosterone had been a gift in so many ways. Their firm muscles, ridged abs and a sense of rightness in their body were all evidence of that. But on occasion, Lane could really do without the raging libido that had come along with it. It nagged and pulled at them, where once they’d really been pretty chill. Not entirely lacking in libido exactly, but totally fine about getting laid or not. That version of Lane would not be thinking about Cassidy’s thighs along the relentless track their brain kept heading.

Surfacing, they met Aria’s eyes. She looked beyond amused, as Mia sat back on the water’s edge, her shapely legs slipping into the water, her eyes laser-focussed on Lane. Don’t leave me with her, Lane internally begged Aria and by the grin on her face, they were pretty sure Aria got it.

“Honestly, though, this place is stunning,” she said conversationally. “You’re so lucky to get to live here.”

“Yeah, it’s amazing,” Lane agreed. A child’s giggle rang out and Tucker appeared, racing along on the other side of the glass pool fence, chased by Brynn and followed at a slower distance by Savannah. Lane swallowed.

“Hey!” Brynn gave them a warm smile and a wave as she raced by. She’d been irritatingly pleased when Lane had announced they were inviting friends over. She was always on at them to make more varied and age-appropriate friends as if Lane had ever cared about any of that.

“Hi y’all, enjoying the pool?” Savannah gave her blinding smile as she walked past a few seconds later, absolutely no hope of catching her wild giggling son ten feet ahead of her.

Mia gasped raggedly and Lane turned to look at her.

“You live with Brynn Marshall?” she hissed. “What the actual fuck?”

Lane laughed, and Aria too.

“And Savannah Grace?” Aria pointed out, her eyebrows sky high. She looked beyond flabbergasted. Mia blinked.

“That’s who that was? Holy shit! That’s wild. But seriously,” she gaped again, “Brynn Marshall? I am so fucking in love with her.” Her mouth was still hanging open, her eyes watching the family as they disappeared into the main house.

“Er, cool?” Lane wasn’t sure what to do with that statement.

“Oh, come on! Aren’t you?”

“No,” Lane said slowly. “She’s my friend.”

“Honestly, Lane, who even are you?” Mia’s eyes were enormous. “You’re such a dark horse.”