Kiss the Sky by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie Page B

entire bale of sea turtles than be near
you” look. Scott Van Wright’s lips upturn into a cocky, holier-than-thou smile.
    I must be doing something wrong.
    “Most girls answer the door with a hello ,” he tells me.
    “Don’t you have work?”
    “You are my work, Rose.”
    Great. I still
haven’t fully wrapped my head around the fact that Scott lives with us. I woke
up at five in the morning with Connor just to use the showers when no one else
(mainly Scott) was up to view the outline of my naked body. I know you can see shadows through the
misted glass doors. I’m not an idiot.
    And now he’s here.
    He will always be around, I realize. I just have to fucking
deal with it.
    He holds up plastic grocery bags. “I come in peace.” His
eyes dip down to my dark blue blouse with gold buttons on the shoulders. The
cut is just slightly lower than the one I wore for the psychic party, but a
gold necklace disappears between my breasts, the chain accentuating my small C
cups more than usual.
      “I see you changed
your wardrobe. We’re out of the nunnery and now in grade school. Not perfect
but we’re getting closer.”
    I try to slam the door back on him. His hands are filled
with groceries so he has to use his hip to keep it open.
    “Talk about my clothes again,” I seethe, “and we’ll just see
how close my foot is to your ass.”
    “Fair enough,” he says easily, no snarky retort. I think
he’s just trying to buy time to avoid spilling milk on the floor.  
    I let out a strained breath and open the door wider, leading
him into the kitchen.
    Lily looks up from the salad bowl, eyes big with
questioning. She hasn’t been alone with Scott without Loren present. But it was
only a matter of time before it happened. Everyone has places to be during the
day.
    Me: Calloway Couture in New York. The commute is killing me,
so I rented an office in Philly. But I drop by the main office once a week to
check in.
    Connor: Penn or Cobalt Inc. in Philly.
    Loren: His comic book business in Philly.
    Daisy: Prep school in Philly.
    Ryke : Well, I’m not quite sure
where the hell he is. Maybe indoor rock climbing at the gym. He graduated last
year like me but has made no move to do anything with his journalism degree. He
even stopped working for The Philadelphia
Chronicle .
    And then there’s Lily.
    Now that she takes online classes from Princeton, she’s the
only one home alone. I’m nervous about Lily spending so much time with Scott. Maybe
I can convince her to come to the Calloway Couture offices with me.
    Scott sets the plastic bags on the kitchen counter, and Lily
scoots out of his way, avoiding his eyes, his body, anything that belongs to
him.
    “I don’t bite,” Scott tells her.
    “I know, I just…” Her gaze stays firmly planted on the
ground.
    Frown lines crease his forehead.
    I’m sure he imagined my sex addict sister to be this
confident, unabashed girl who falls on her knees at the presence of a cock.
Most people do. All it takes is a five-minute conversation to understand that
my sister is none of those things. She is shy, nervous, and plagued with social
anxiety. Her confidence is only in sex.
    Sometimes, I believe we’re opposites.
    “She’s shy,” I say for her. “Don’t take it personally.”
    “A shy sex addict?” He stares at Lily like she can’t
possibly exist. “Are you fucking with me?”
    She flushes almost instantly, and I glower. “Leave her
alone.”
    Lily raises her hands. “No, it’s okay. I want to explain
myself…” Her eyes flit to the cameras.
    “Don’t look at the lens,” Scott scolds like she’s a child.
“It’s not a hard concept, honey.”
    “Can you say anything without sounding like a pig?” I ask.
    He grins like I offered to blow him. Ughhh . I am a challenge, I get that. I am the bitch he wants to ensnare.
But my insults really, really shouldn’t turn anyone on this much. If I started
complimenting him, would he suddenly be disinterested?
    Lily gives Scott