Free Look After Us by Elena Matthews Page A

morning. “Drink a little too much last night?” Ashton asks with a grin as he pours us both a glass of orange juice. Jo is the first to groan out a wordless response, and Mia is barely able to lift her head up from the table.
    Jo’s eyes fall from Ashton to me, and they wrinkle on a frown in an instant. “How do you look as fresh as a daisy right now? Seriously you suck.”
    I snort out a laugh. I’m hardly as fresh as a daisy. I showered thirty minutes ago and I already feel like I need another one with the beads of sweat that are beginning to form. The summer heat in the south is unbearable. It makes me thankful for the moderately cooler weather in Seattle.
    “Ugh … I’m. Never. Drinking. Again,” comes the murmured groan from Mia as she finally looks up from the table with dark circles prominent under her eyes. Her complexion is pale with a hint of green that makes me think she’s moments away from throwing up.
    Tyler places two glasses of some green slimy concoction in front of both Jo and Mia before he drops a kiss on the top of Mia’s head. “Drink these. It’s the perfect hangover cure.”
    Jo’s the first one to push it away, the frown still marring her face. “Um, no thanks. I want some real food.” Mia stares at it as if something dead is floating on the top, her appearance deepening with an unruly shade of green. “Oh God, I’m going to be sick.” The chair suddenly scrapes back as Mia rushes to stand, her hands clutching hold of her mouth before she rushes towards the nearest bathroom, the sound of her gagging following close behind.
    “Dude,” Ashton begins, eyeing up the green milkshake with the same disgust as Mia did just moments ago. “That looks disgusting.”
    “It’s not that bad. It looks worse than it tastes.”
    “Tell that to your soon-to-be wife who’s currently hurling her guts up.” The moment the words leave Ashton’s mouth we hear the sound of retching coming from the upstairs bathroom. I watch Jo’s face turn ghostly pale at the very sound, and in a flash she’s up on her feet rushing in the same direction, slapping her hands over her mouth. It turns my stomach slightly, but thankfully the incredible aroma of food manages to override my need to join in with Mia and Jo.
    After a moment, Tyler looks at me with a raised eyebrow. “What the hell were you guys drinking last night?”
    I take a sip of the refreshing orange juice before answering. “The usual; champagne, cocktails, shots, and then it turned into a college party when the stripper bought everyone a round of jello shots, and the rest is history. But I stopped drinking pretty early on though.”
    I cower in my seat when two sets of green eyes burn into me. What did I say? I glance at Alana and I see she’s trying to stifle a laugh as she concentrates on pouring the pancake mix into a pan.
    “There … there was a stripper?” Ashton asks in a strained voice. My eyes slowly slide over to Tyler where I can almost see the jealousy rising from him like a steam train. Then I chance a glance at Ashton’s dad, who’s wearing an amused smile on his face.
    “Um …” I struggle to form a single word, suddenly feeling flustered after my accidental slip-up. I’m sure I told Ashton by text last night … but I was pretty drunk, so the text message probably made absolutely no sense. I’m a professional editor, yet the moment my veins are swimming with alcohol, my ability to grasp the use of grammar is shockingly bad. That’s why I have to stay one hundred percent sober when working through a manuscript.
    “Can either one of you boys get your nephew from outside? Breakfast is almost ready,” Alana speaks up from out of nowhere.
    And again saved by the bell. I love that woman.
    Tyler looks at his mom with a tense smile, knowing just how convenient her distraction is.
    “Sure thing, Mom,” he says after a moment of silence. He stands from his seat and walks out of the kitchen in search of Junior. Once