“Loosen up,” he murmurs, snickering the way his brother does while once again groping my thigh. “You might actually have a little fun for once.”

“Somehow, I doubt that.” This time, I dig my nails into his hand, and he doesn’t try again.

The dinner is being held at a country club, some big, fancy place with fountains out front and dramatic lighting. Mom takes James’s arm once we’re out of the car, and they glide into the building like a king and queen. Nix and Colt make it a point to walk in front of me, so I’m bringing up the rear.

Everybody is already here, and it’s a lot more people than I expected. They all start applauding when the happy couple enters the room. I’m a few minutes shy from when my pill is supposed to kick in, and I wish it would hurry up because grinding my teeth through this is painful, maybe more so than my back. Everybody’s dressed the way the rest of my family is, and I have never felt so out of place. That’s saying something since I spent a lot of time in a back brace.

Mom doesn’t bother introducing me to a lot of people, which is fine with me, though I get the feeling most of them are from the office. “Hey, Amanda! How come you don’t dress that way at work?” one of the men calls out across the room, and she giggles and waves at him while everybody laughs like that was a funny joke.

“And this one cleans up well, too,” one of the women murmurs, touching James’s arm, but she’s not looking at him. She’s looking at Nix, and she might as well have the word cougar written across her forehead.

One of the waitstaff passes with a tray loaded with appetizers. I take a few on a napkin, hoping to get some food in my stomach quickly since it doesn’t look like we’re sitting down to eat dinner right away.

“So Nixon,” the cougar purrs, taking him by the arm. “I remember when you were a skinny little boy with braces. You’ve certainly grown up.” It’s actually kind of funny watching him pretend to be pleased when it’s obvious he’s grossed out by a woman more than twice his age. Maybe this night won’t be so bad after all.