Free Confiscating Charlie by Lucy Leroux Page A

had taken chances to build their own little empires. Noah had a lot of respect for them and what they had accomplished.
    He considered the job offer, but his head was too full to make any important decisions. “ I ’ ll think about it. ”
    Alex opened his arms expansively. “ That ’ s all I ask, ” he said, before launching into yet another anecdote about something funny Elynn had done.
    Noah had heard the story before, but he listened to his cousin indulgently. After all, Alex had flown out all of the way from the UK to check on him.
    “ I hear your dad remarried recently, ” Alex said during a lull in the conversation.
    “ That ’ s right, ” Noah replied. “ I have a new mommy. And a step-cousin or something. ”
    “ A step-what? ”
    “ Dad ’ s new wife has a much younger sister. A legal ward or something. Although she ’ s over eighteen now, so maybe the legal situation is moot. I don ’ t know what that makes her to me, but dad said to consider her family. Like a sister, ” he said with a yawn, thinking cynically that his father wouldn ’ t do the same. “ She ’ s supposed to have graduated from high school already, but she ’ s still there cause she was sick or something and missed too much school a while back. ”
    Or at least that ’ s what he ’ d thought Henry had said. Given how little time he spent with his father, the fact he ’ d acquired a new stepmother wasn ’ t all that significant. It was his father ’ s fourth marriage. Or was it fifth? Yes, that was right. Henry Masters was on wife number five.
    It wasn ’ t Noah ’ s first pseudo-sibling either. His dad had married one woman with a son and daughter years ago, but after he divorced their mother, Noah stopped hearing from them. It used to bother him, but he ’ d gotten used to it.
    “ I think she ’ s your step-aunt. But maybe also step-sister if her sister adopted her. Is she pretty? ” Alex asked with a funny little half smile.
    Noah had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. “ I don ’ t think I ’ m going to find my fate under my father ’ s roof like you did. ”
    Alex grinned and shrugged. “ You ’ re probably right. ”

Chapter 2
    Four months later.
    Noah stretched out on the poolside lounge chair, sipping a beer. The sun warmed his face, but the glare was too bright. Slipping on his shades, he sank deeper into the recliner, trying to ignore the raucous noise coming from the guys splashing in the Olympic-sized swimming pool. They were so loud they managed to drown out the roar of the fake waterfall his father refused to tear down.
    As soon as his friends heard he was coming up to his dad ’ s summer house in the Hampton ’ s, he ’ d received no less than six calls from guys already in town. Put on the spot, he ’ d agreed to have them over. And now here they were, drinking his beer and giving him a headache.
    Noah was surprised there were so many of them — the season hadn ’ t officially started yet. He ’ d only been at the house an hour before they descended. And he might be enjoying this gathering a bit more if he ’ d had a little more time to decompress. Or at least get some sleep. He hadn't gotten a lot of it since the accident.  
    As it was, his friends were disappointed that he nixed the idea of a party, but they ’ d gotten over it the more they drank.
    Flexing his left leg, he stretched his stiff muscles. He ’ d definitely done the right thing getting away after the accident. As soon as the cast had come off, he ’ d taken off to hike in the Rockies. When that wasn ’ t exotic enough, he ’ d hit the Inca Trail, ending up in Machu Picchu before finally coming back — once he was sure he was back to his old self.
    Unfortunately, his old self was homeless. Noah hadn ’ t bothered to keep an apartment in the States since he ’ d been traveling so much. His real estate agent was looking for one in Manhattan, with little success. The market was too crowded.
    But despite that he