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Chapters (38)
  1. Prologue
  2. Chapter One
  3. Chapter Two
  4. Chapter Three
  5. Chapter Four
  6. Chapter Five
  7. Chapter Six
  8. Chapter Seven
  9. Chapter Eight
  10. Chapter Nine
  11. Chapter Ten
  12. Chapter Eleven
  13. Chapter Twelve
  14. Chapter Thirteen
  15. Chapter Fourteen
  16. Chapter Fifteen
  17. Chapter Sixteen
  18. Chapter Seventeen
  19. Chapter Eighteen
  20. Chapter Nineteen
  21. Chapter Twenty
  22. Chapter Twenty-One
  23. Chapter Twenty-Two
  24. Chapter Twenty-Three
  25. Chapter Twenty-Four
  26. Chapter Twenty-Five
  27. Chapter Twenty-Six
  28. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  29. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  30. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  31. Chapter Thirty
  32. Chapter Thirty-One
  33. Chapter Thirty-Two
  34. Chapter Thirty-Three
  35. Epilogue
  36. Preview of Sick Kids in Love
  37. Acknowledgments
  38. About the Author

Banana Brunch. Mom had drilled that into me since I’d been old enough to sleep over at Hannah’s house. If I texted that, or said it over a call, she’d come get me, no questions asked. Or, if I had driven, she’d call me with an excuse to come home immediately. Mom and Dad both taught me that they’d love me no matter what and would have my back just the same.

Luckily, I’d never had to use it before.

Hannah and Jake had been with me the night of…

I clamped down on the memory.

“Got it,” I said. “But Dean is different.” I couldn’t help the smile shaping my lips. “I…trust him. As a friend,” I hurried to add when Mom’s grin got a little too wide.

“I’m glad, honey.”

A knock at our front door jolted me. “Gah! I’m not even dressed.”

“Hurry up,” Mom said, waving me on. “I’ll stall him.” She was gone before I could stop her.

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Dean

“You must be Dean,” Amber’s mom said after she’d opened the front door. Her smile was genuine, but her eyes were sharp as they checked me head to toe.

Suddenly I felt my jeans and tee—the one I’d picked specifically for Amber—weren’t clean enough.

“Hi, Mrs. Henderson,” I said, extending my hand toward her. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

She took my hand, shook it, and dragged me inside. “Alice,” she said. “And it’s nice to meet you, too. I’ve heard you’re almost as good a hacker as my daughter.”

“Almost,” I said, holding up my thumb and forefinger close together.

“Why is there a boy in my house?” A man’s voice sounded from behind Amber’s mom, and I stiffened as he came to stand next to her. He was one foot taller than her, with dark hair and sharper eyes. Fit. Intimidating.

“Hello, sir. Dean Winters.” I reached out to shake his hand, and the scowl instantly shifted off his face to one of humor.

He took my hand. “Nice to meet you, Sir Dean Winters. Where were you knighted?”

I laughed, dropping his hand. “Manchester,” I said, stating the only other city in the UK I knew of besides London.

He raised his eyebrows, glancing at Amber’s mom. “Quick. I like this one much better.”

I kept my smile in place but felt my gut twist at the mention of this one. Thoughts of Brandon triggered my angrier self, so I took a steadying breath to calm down. It’s not like I hadn’t dated anyone before, or that Amber and I were even dating—but he’d somehow wrecked her, and I hated him for it.