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of Gracie and Daniel’s marital beef. I have a bone of my own to pick. “Mind if I speak with my brother for a minute?” I say to my sister-in-law.
     
    Her eyes are glassy as she shrugs. “Knock yourself out,” she says angrily. “Who knows? Maybe he’ll actually have a little respect for your feelings.” She spins on her heel and melts into the crowd.
     
    I turn my attention to Daniel. He shoves his hand through his dark, floppy hair and releases a heavy breath. “Thanks, kiddo,” he says, looking relieved for the interruption.
     
    I spit out a laugh. “Ha — you think I came over here to save you from Gracie’s wrath? Think again. It’s my turn to chew your head off.”
     
    He cocks an eyebrow at me. “What did I do to you ?”
     
    I lean in close to him. “Keeland!”
     
    He nods in understanding. “Yeah, Keeland…About that, I was gonna tell you yesterday, but I couldn’t get ahold of you.”
     
    “Yesterday? You were gonna tell me yesterday? I didn’t even know that you were in contact with Keeland all these years. Period. And then, next thing I know, he’s staying in the house next door!” My voice is louder and more aggressive than is probably appropriate. But I’m pissed. This is the guy who broke my heart when he fell off the face of the earth without warning, and my big brother has been chumming it up with him this whole time. I feel so betrayed.
     
    I wasn’t even going to come to this get-together tonight, ‘cause this is bullshit. Keeland walked out on us years ago, then he magically reappeared and now we’re out celebrating his return like he’s the freakin’ prodigal son. This is not how I imagined that it would go if he ever came back to Reyfield, me sitting at a bar sharing a sangria with him like nothing ever happened.
     
    It was Isla who talked me into coming here. She said that if I didn’t come, I’d look petty or like I still have feelings for him. And I most definitely do not have feelings for Keeland Masters.
     
    I’m not here for him. I’m here for my dignity.
     
    Daniel tsks. “Look, Sam — that whole thing that happened with you and Keeland, that was ages ago. When will you get over it already?”
     
    I should kick him in the nuts right now. I really should. But, I’m on a mission to defend my honor tonight and something tells me that physically assaulting my brother at a bar might not work in my favor.
     
    I decide not to dignify his question with an answer. Instead, I broach the million-dollar topic. “How does dad feel about Keeland staying in the house?” Our father never did like Keeland and he would be livid to know that Keeland had the nerve to move back into that house after his family left without paying the rent all those years ago.
     
    Daniel wears a squeamish expression. “Yeah, don’t tell mom or dad about him being here. Okay?”
     
    My eyes widen in disbelief. I can’t believe that he would hide this from our parents.
     
    “Please?” My brother gives me his trademark puppy-dog face. He uses it on me whenever he needs a favor.
     
    I sigh. “Fine.”
     
    “And if you don’t like Keeland, just stay away from him. Simple.”
     
    “Oh, I won’t have any problem staying away from him. Trust me.”
     
    “Good.”
     
    “Good.” This night is starting to wear me out. “I think I should probably get home.”
     
    He groans, throwing both arms up in frustration. “Don’t be a bore, Sam. Not tonight.”
     
    Eye roll.
     
    He has the nerve to call me boring. He’s the one who became a lawyer (lawyers are only marginally less boring than auditors), got married, had a baby and settled all the way down. According to Gracie, Daniel has become a real stiff since he got promoted to junior partner at his law firm a few months ago. I’d bet a hundred bucks that the argument they were just having had something to do with his work.
     
    Just as I open my mouth to yell at him, a T-Pain song comes on over the speakers. Flynn appears