After taking a marathon shower, I find some wrinkled clothes in the bottom of my duffle bag: a basketball camp T-shirt and some gym shorts. I collapse on the bed and shut my eyes, drifting off to sleep for a few minutes. Hunger wakes me, and I emerge into the family room, finding Courtney and Ian on the couch doing what Courtney does best with guys. I cough, obnoxiously loud, and head into the kitchen for something to eat.
Courtney meets me in the kitchen with concern. “You can’t wear that to the beach.”
“It’s all I have with me, Court.”
“You didn’t pack a bathing suit?”
“Nope,” I reply and grab a granola bar. “I was at basketball camp, remember?”
“Then we need to go shopping.”
“But I don’t have…” I don’t finish because money is something I used to have. I never wanted for anything, and my parents used to give me an allowance just for living under the same roof as them.
“You know,” she starts quietly, “money is the one thing my bio dad has always given me.” She frowns momentarily and then recovers with a smile. “So—let’s go shopping. There are plenty of shops along A1A. Plus…” She flicks her head at Ian. “He’s probably tired of seeing me in the same old bikinis.”
I shake my head. “But I don’t expect you to—”
“You would do the same thing for me,” she says softly and then gets Ian’s attention. “Yoo-hoo, sexy boy.” Ian turns his attention from the TV. “You want to go shopping with us?”
“Uh, probably not.”
“We’ll be trying on skimpy bikinis,” she adds with a zealous grin.