Page 10 of Next Time We'll Fall

He grimaces and then laughs. “You’re right. As much as I would love to take Juniper on a date, I’m not ready to get into anything serious just yet. And she’s the sort of girl who deserves the world.”

“Yeah, she deserves the world.” I nod in agreement.

I turn back to the stage and watch the girls finish their song. They head off the stage and back toward the bar. Sage and Rosie are giggling as they walk by and flirt with the many men who come up to them after their performance. They seem to be having the time of their lives, and I watch in amusement as they banter back and forth. Juniper walks behind them, and even though she’s being approached by men, she’s more intent on staring at her phone.

I’m not sure who she is texting, but it really isn’t any of my business anyway. Not that I think she would tell me if I asked anyway.

“Rafe, what did you think of our singing?” Rosie asks me as the two sisters stop next to me. “Hey, Preston. Can I get a Jack Daniel’s and Coke, please?” she calls out with a wave.

“Sure. Coming right up. Anything for Sage?”

“I think she just wants some water for now.” Rosie looks back over at me. “So, do you think we’re going to be the next Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, or Selena Gomez?”

“Do you want my honest opinion or …” My voice drifts off as I notice a tall man with dark hair and vibrant green eyes going up to Juniper, approaching her in a far-too-intense manner. He’s a handsome man and I can see that Juniper has noticed that as well, which is extremely irritating.

I frown as she looks up at him with a small smile. He says something to her that seems to shock her because her eyes widen, and I frown as she starts laughing. What on earth could they be talking about?

“So, how are the animals?” Rosie asks, an inquiring expression on her pretty face, but I’m still too distracted by Juniper to say anything.

“Sorry, what? Which animals?”

“The animals you take care of, silly.” She gives me an odd look and then follows my gaze over to Juniper. “Did you want to speak to her or something?”

“I was just trying to make sure that guy wasn’t bothering her.”

“I don’t think he’s bothering her. He’s a hottie.” Rosie calls out to her sister, “Hey, Sage! Who’s that dude with Juni? He is really good-looking.”

“I don’t know, but if Juni goes home with him tonight, that means we get her bed to ourselves.”

I frown at their conversation. I sure hope Juniper is not going to be irresponsible enough to have a one-night stand with a man she just met.

I press my lips together. Maybe I should go over to her, stop her from making any bad decisions, but before I can, Mia walks in with Luke right behind her.

“Hey there, bro.”

She beams at me, and I turn to her and give her a hug.

“Hey. How are you doing?”

“Good. We just came to grab some food and hang out. Hey, Rosie. Hey, Sage.” My sister walks over to Juniper’s cousins and gives them both big hugs. “So good to see you. You’re both looking beautiful.”

“Thanks, Mia,” Rosie says. “You look stunning.”

I watch as she stares over at Luke.

“And you look like a billion dollars,” she says, laughing loudly. “But maybe that’s because you are worth more than a billion dollars.”

“Really, Rosie?” I stare at her and shake my head.

“Oops. Is it a secret? Is no one meant to know?”

“It’s not a secret,” Luke says, laughing lightly. “How’s it going, Rafe?”

“Good. How are you?”

“Good.” He pauses for a second, and I know he’s wondering if I’ve completely warmed up to him yet.

We’ve never been great friends, but I’ve always been cordial to him. I was better friends with his older brother, Rex, but we weren’t that close either. The Haverbrooks are just a next level of rich, and I’ve always been suspicious of the family. I feel like anyone who has that much money can’t possibly know how to live a good life, can’t possibly know how to work hard. I was wrong about Luke. He is a good guy, and I am glad he and my sister fell in love, but I am still slightly annoyed at their deception.