Free Home to You by Taylor Sullivan

all the necessities for margaritas. She hopped up to sit on the counter, and I began filling the blender with ice.  
    “What do you think of Grace?” she asked, looking at me in a way that said she was still trying to figure me out.  
    I cleared my throat, not sure how to answer. “She seems nice.”  
    She nodded, but there was a glint in her eye that made me a little nervous.
    I opened the bottle of sour mix, examined the back pretending to read the directions as an excuse not to speak.   
    “She’s new,” she said after a pause.  
    I cleared my throat again, realizing we were still talking about Grace, but remained silent. I was always so transparent about my feelings for Jake, if I said a word, she’d know.  
    She jumped off the counter and began measuring out the tequila. “I don’t know what he sees in her, but she won’t last. They never do.”
    We spent the next few minutes pouring ingredients into the blender, while I agonized about Grace. Em was right. Jake’s relationships never did last. Maybe because he had horrible taste in women.  
    When we joined the others out back, my eyes immediately found Jake over by the fire pit. Grace sat on the seat beside him, and her hand rested on his thigh. A pang of jealousy grew in the pit of my stomach, and I took a cleansing breath. Why was I acting like this? It wasn’t as if I had any claim on him. I never did.  
    Disgusted with myself, I placed the blender on the bar and poured myself a full cup of margarita.  
    John stood on the other side of the counter and smiled when I caught him watching me. He came closer, grabbed the drink from my hand, and took a sip. “Not bad.”  
    “Thank you.” I took it back, not sure what to do with him. The attention was flattering, but it was the last thing I needed right now. I turned around, needing a second to clear my thoughts, and noticed Jake walking toward us. His chest was bare, his swim shorts low on his hips, and I couldn’t help my eyes from wandering over his hard chest and sculpted abs.  
    “You should eat,” he suggested.  
    I cleared my throat and forced my eyes up. He was staring at the drink in my hand, and I was instantly annoyed. I knew he was right; I was known to be a lightweight, but that was none of his concern. I was sick of him being the big brother I never wanted him to be, and the temptation to go without dinner almost won out.   But my head was beginning to feel a little foggy from the shots, and I decided now wasn’t the time to be stubborn. I filled my plate with a couple slices of pizza, then noticed the bowl of watermelon sitting on the counter.
    My eyes flicked to John, who raised a brow at me and laughed.
    I couldn’t help but giggle a little. The whole thing was kind of funny. Either that, or I was already more drunk than I thought I was.
    “What’s so funny?” Jake asked, obviously witnessing the exchange.  
    “Katie’s a cheater,” John responded, and I choked on a mouthful of margarita.  

    In spite of trying to avoid it, we eventually made it over to the hot tub. The alcohol was beginning to loosen my nerves, but nothing could make me forget I was practically naked in Grace’s pathetic excuse for a bathing suit. I sunk deep under the water, did a quick check of my girly parts to make sure they were still covered, then glanced up to see John watching me.  
    He grinned. “Tell me about yourself, Katie?” 
    In spite of myself, I found him amusing and couldn’t help but smile back. “I hate that question. It feels like an interview.”  
    “Well, maybe it is.” He winked.  
    His chest was bare, and I couldn’t help my drunken eyes from wandering over his body. He had a cherry blossom tattoo over his left shoulder. I never thought a branch of flowers could look so…manly—but they did. I giggled into my cup, then forced my eyes in another direction. Which turned out to be a mistake. Jake sat directly across from me, the tips of his hair damp and sexy,