“What’s all the yelling about?” Her hair is a messy bun on the top of her head, strands escaping to form a haphazard halo around her face. She’s wearing sleep shorts that barely graze midthigh and a thin camisole with narrow straps and . . . I’ve never seen so much of her flesh.

And I’m staring.

I rip my gaze away and turn to Annabel.

My sister. Who’s sitting right next to me. She’s the biggest boner killer in the room.

Beast is hulking in the recliner.

Maybe second biggest.

“How do you feel about romance?” Annabel asks Reese, pulling my attention back.

“With you?” Reese’s brow creases in confusion. It’s an adorable, sleepy gesture and something in my stomach flips in awareness.

Did I think adorable? About Reese? Sleep deprivation is doing funny things to my brain.

“Not me,” Annabel clarifies. “Romance in general.”

Reese considers it. “I’m not diametrically opposed.”

“There you go.” Annabel waves a hand at Reese.

“That doesn’t prove anything,” Jude says. “Lady, you’re crazier than a soup sandwich.”

“I am not.”

“She’s not crazy.” Reese stretches and I try to ignore the sliver of stomach revealed when her shirt rides up.

Annabel hits me on the back of the head.

Clearly, I failed.

“How do you know she’s not nuttier than a fruitcake?” Jude asks.

“Based on contextual cues, I believe you’re using the term crazy to describe someone mentally deranged, which does not describe Annabel, who is obviously of sound mind. However, if you’re saying she is intensely enthusiastic, or passionate about a topic—like saying someone is crazy about baseball—then you may be correct.”

I’m momentarily stunned. Along with everyone else in the room.

“Huh,” Jude says. “I don’t have anything to say about that.”

Annabel laughs. “That’s right, dickweeds.”

Beast seems to take some kind of offense to her comment. He stands and lumbers out of the room.

Jude claps once, loudly. “Okay then. Get ready, babies. All the fun starts in less than an hour.”

A crowd has gathered by the time we make our way to the library steps. We had to walk through the busy quad to get here, already full of giant inflatable obstacle courses, booths with information, and carts selling carnival-type food. There’s a mock football game where all the players are dressed up in drag—wigs, heels, and all—to raise money for their charities, a kissing booth where you can pay for a sloppy lick from a baby pig, and a variety of other money-raising venues.

Right at ten o’clock, Jude busts out his megaphone.

“Today’s Bedlam event is perhaps the most challenging yet. Let me welcome all of you to the Begonia Day scavenger hunt!”

The assembled crowd claps and whoops.

“Our competitors will be given a list of items to retrieve along with a few tasks which must be documented photographically. They have exactly two hours to meet back here. Whoever has completed the most tasks will be our day-three winner.”