Page 13 of Wrong For Me

“What about you?” Bodhi asks. “What do you do when you’re not hanging out in VIP sections?”

“I’m a grad student,” she says, and I note the way her cheeks pink up a bit. Rose Ransome clearly has no need of a summer job. Must be nice.

“So’s Leo,” Bodhi says. “Where do you go?”

Before she can answer, a pair of skinny girl arms wrap around her shoulders, Rose’s face suddenly obscured by a curtain of black curly hair. “Rosie!” the newcomer shrieks. “A cute boy just asked to buy me a shot!”

Rose’s expression—what I can see of it behind the black hair—turns immediately concerned.

“You didn’t say yes, did you?” she asks, pulling the girl’s arms away and grabbing her shoulders so she can peer into her face.

The girl pouts and I realize it’s the same friend she was with earlier. I can’t remember her name—Angie? Emily?

“River wouldn’t let me,” she says but then her face brightens again. “But isn’t it cool that somebody asked?” Suddenly the girl seems to realize that Rose isn’t alone and her eyes widen.

“Ooh,” she whispers loudly. “Were you trying to hit on them? Am I interrupting?”

The black-haired girl is obviously very, very drunk but Rose’s cheeks redden at her words. “These are the bartenders from earlier, remember?” She looks back at us. “Guys, this is my cousin Everly.”

“Oh my God,” Everly says, eyes going wide. “The guy you were trying to hook up with when Uncle Daltrey—ow!” She glares at Rose, who I’m pretty sure just stepped on her foot.

“Everly, this is Leo and Bodhi.” There’s an edge to Rose’s voice, a warning, and her cousin rolls her eyes before turning back to us.

“Hi! It’s so nice to meet you!” The girl is bouncing around again on her crazy-tall heels. “Wasn’t the concert awesome? Isn’t this club the best? I’m twenty-one!”

“First time out clubbing?” I ask, trying not to laugh.

“How’d you guess?” Rose is once again peeling her cousin’s arms from around her neck. “Lele, I told you to switch to water, babe.”

“But drinks are more fun!”

“She’s going to be feeling it tomorrow,” Bodhi says.

A tall guy with the same white-blond hair as Rose appears behind her, arm-in-arm with another girl. “Sorry,” the new girl tells Rose. “We turned our back for two seconds and she disappeared.”

“Who are you talking to?” the blond guy asks, eyes narrowed as his gaze darts between me and Bodhi.

Rose closes her eyes, expression clearly frustrated for just a second, but when she opens them again, she’s somehow managed to smooth out her features. “Guys, this is my brother, River. And my other cousin, Alex.” She introduces me and Bodhi and explains to Alex about meeting us earlier at the festival.

River’s eyes are still narrowed on me and I get the feeling he’s noticed the way my gaze keeps drifting back to his sister. “You guys seem pretty cozy.”

Rose rolls her eyes and opens her mouth to respond but before she can, Everly grabs his arm. “I think Rosie was trying to flirt. Your dad already clam-jammed her once tonight, don’t you start.”

“Oh, my God,” Rose mutters under her breath and this time, I can’t help laughing.

“I think Bodhi was the one trying to flirt,” I say, grinning at her. “He’s really bad at it, though, so I can understand the confusion.”

“Dude.” Bodhi jabs me with his elbow. “Not cool.”

“Is this where we’re congregating?” a new voice says, the guy Rose had been sitting with joining us now. He’s even taller up close and broad with a pretty impressive beard and multiple tattoos snaking up and down his muscular arms. He would be intimidating, if not for the way he’s smirking at Rose, his eyes flashing in what’s clearly amusement at her plight.

“By all means,” she says drily, “join us. What I really need right now is yet another cousin. Hell, why don’t you call the rest of the family, get them all down here too.”

The new guy laughs. “I was coming to save you, actually.” He takes the now-tilting-in her heels Everly by the elbow. “Let’s go sit down for a bit, Lele. You look like you’re going to fall over.”

“The room is spinning!” she says brightly, like it’s the most fun thing in the world.

“Why don’t you come too,” the new guy suggests, giving Rose’s brother a pointed look.