Happy voices tickle my ears. I stop dead in my tracks, keys pressed against my palm, ears straining toward those sounds. One is childlike and the other is male. Familiarly male. Oh. My. God. Tossing my bag somewhere in the hall, I enter the living room. Cruiser’s on his knees across from Rosie, his body bent over a board game laid on the coffee table. Rosie’s sitting forward on the couch, eyes on the game, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. My hands ball into fists and my blood starts to cook. He should not be here. “Lexi!” Rosie waves at me. “Come play with us. It sucks with only two people.” Cruiser turns toward the doorway. His eyes meet mine. This isn’t what I meant when I wished Rosie would play games with other people. I don’t want him near my little sister. Marching inside, I yank the board off the table. Cards and tokens splatter on the floor.
