Hide and Sneak (Happy Haven #3)

Chapter 1

LILA

Friday evenings at Happy Haven Trailer Park are always chaotic and usually fun since everyone is eager to start the weekend. This one is no different. It looks like half the neighborhood is outside when I turn onto my street after a long day at work.

Amos’s little rattletrap of a car is parked in front of my trailer while a pickup truck that’s piled with furniture and boxes sits in my driveway. I’m shocked he has that much stuff. Last time, my brother moved with a ratty mattress and a few trash bags.

This place could easily win a nosiest neighborhood award if such a thing existed, so I’m not surprised to see plenty of neighbors staring at my driveway, curious about who’s moving in.

I park in the driveway next door—my friend, Holly, won’t mind—and stop to talk to her sister, who sits on her porch with two other teenage girls.

“What are you all up to?” I ask.

“Watching the show,” Fern says with a grin. “You didn’t say your brother was so hot.”

“Eww, never say that again.”

The girls giggle and Fern fans herself. “Sorry, I know I’d be grossed out if someone was thirsting over my brother, but you can’t blame us. The muscles and the tattoos…”

“I love dark wavy hair. I can’t believe that guy is going to live right next door to you. We need a slumber party,” her friend says.

Holly, Fern’s older sister and guardian, steps out onto the porch as I’m setting them straight. “First of all, my brother doesn’t have tattoos or muscles, so I’m sure he has a friend helping him move in. Secondly, he is twenty-six so don’t even think about it.”

“Unless you want me to chain you to the porch,” Holly teases.

“Mini!” a voice calls out and all heads turn in tandem to see the friend in question bound down my front steps.

“Mini?” Fern giggles, glancing at me.

“Who is that?” Holly asks, running a hand over her hair and straightening her back.

“A bad influence,” I mumble, heading into the yard as Amos joins him.

“There’s my favorite sister!” Amos announces, lifting me off my feet in a hug and spinning me around.

“I’m your only sister.” Amos beams at me after placing me back on my feet. He may drive me crazy but it’s good to see him again. He’s one of those people that pops in and out of my life, usually when he needs something.

“I can’t even get a hello, Mini?”

I look into deep brown eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Hello, and don’t call me that.” Sutton Yates grins at me, unperturbed.

It’s been a few years since I’ve seen him which isn’t long enough.

I should’ve guessed he’d be the one helping Amos move.

They’ve been best friends since freshman year of high school.

“Are you twins?” Fern asks me, nodding at my brother. It draws Sutton’s attention to the fact there’s a porch full of teenage girls gawking at him. Holly isn’t exactly being discreet either, but she seems to be focused on my brother.

It’s far from the first time we’ve been asked that question. With our matching white blond hair and light blue eyes, it’s understandable.

“No, he’s older,” I reply.

“And taller,” Amos teases, ruffling my hair until I swat at him.

Sutton runs his gaze over me with a smirk. “That’s not exactly a hard accomplishment.”

Here we go. I put up with it all through high school. My five feet nothing height is what earned me the nickname Mini, from my brother and his friends. Amos isn’t all that tall for a guy—just shy of that six-foot goal they all seem to have—but Sutton towers over me by a good fifteen inches.

My phone rings with a call from my mom. I’m sure she’s calling to make sure Amos showed up and got moved in. Ignoring it for now, I introduce my brother.

“Amos, this is my friend, Holly, her sister, Fern, and her friends. Holly, this is Amos. He’ll be staying with me for a while. If he gets on your nerves or gives you any shit, just let me know and I’ll lock him in a closet.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Holly chuckles, flipping her hair back. Oh no. She’s flirting. I need to warn her later.

“And who are you?” Fern asks Sutton, stepping forward.

“Nobody important. He’ll be gone soon,” I interject while Sutton gives her a polite smile.

Mom rings my phone again as Amos says, “Actually, that’s not true. I need to talk to you for a second.”

Sutton whips his head around to stare incredulously at Amos. “You said she was cool with it!”

“She is! I just…give me a minute!” Amos insists, pulling me away from everyone.

“What’s going on?” I demand when we get to my front porch and out of earshot of the others.

“You know Sutton and I have been sharing an apartment. We were both evicted. He doesn’t have anywhere to go.”

No. No way. Under no circumstances am I living with Sutton Yates.

He drives me crazy with his irresponsible, careless lifestyle that’s a big part of why my brother is the same way.

Amos was a decent guy before they became friends.

As soon as they started hanging out, he changed.

Partying, vandalism, shoplifting. They got into a lot of shit as teenagers and Amos carried on into his twenties.

I can’t imagine the last few years have changed that considering they’re both homeless now.

“Absolutely not. You’re lucky that you’re staying with me.”

“I know that. But listen, I can’t stay here and leave him to sleep in his truck. He’s my best friend.”

“You need better friends. He’s not my responsibility!” Neither is my brother, but it’s always felt that way. He was the golden child, the one who could do no wrong.

“Just think about it, Liles! We can split the rent three ways. You’ll save so much money.”

“No. My rent is based on income. I have no trouble affording it. If you’d told me the truth from the beginning, you could’ve applied for one of the trailers on your own. Now, they’re all rented and there’s a waiting list.”

“I already told him he could stay.”

“And now you’re going to tell him he can’t.”

Amos blows out a frustrated breath, running a hand over his face. “Then I can’t stay either. I can’t believe you’re doing this. We’re both going to be sleeping in our cars.”

I’m not going to let him guilt me into it. “That’s your choice, not mine.”

My phone beeps, and I see three missed calls from Mom and a voicemail alert. Something could be wrong. I don’t want to ignore an emergency.

“Mom is blowing up my phone,” I grumble, and walk away from him to listen to the voicemail.

“Lila, you must be busy helping the boys get moved in and settled. You don’t need to call me right back.

I just wanted to tell you how wonderful it is to know they’ll be staying with you.

You know how I worry. You don’t know how much it means that I can always count on you to look after your brother.

I’m so proud of you. Please tell Amos to call me or come visit, and tell Sutton I said hello. ”

Fuck.

Amos is talking with Sutton out by his truck and neither of them look happy.

Sutton’s hands are flying around, and it looks like he’s lecturing Amos.

What am I going to do? Either I let them both stay or call my mom and tell her they’re on the street because Amos won’t leave his friend.

Which seems noble and unlike him to be honest, but I’m definitely going to be the bad guy in all of this.

While I’m arguing with myself, Sutton walks across the yard toward me. “Hey, I’m sorry that Amos just dropped this on you. He told me you agreed to let both of us stay since he got us evicted.”

“That doesn’t make it my responsibility.”

“Of course it doesn’t. But hear me out. If you let me move in too, I’ll pay three months upfront, my part of the rent and his.”

“Why would you pay his part?”

Sutton shakes his head. “He didn’t tell you he lost his job?”

“No, he damn well didn’t,” I reply through gritted teeth.

Sutton gives me a commiserating smile. “Look, I know you don’t want him mooching off you.

I told him I’d pay his part of the rent too if he found us a place to go.

I’ll have a house soon. If you let me move in too, I’ll take him with me when my house is ready, and it won’t be an issue for you again. ”

That explains why Amos won’t stay without him, because he needs him to cover his expenses.

Silence reigns as I seethe at the position my brother has put me in.

With crossed arms, I sigh and regard Sutton.

“Fine. You also need to chip in on food and stuff. You can settle up with him afterward for whatever he owes you.” A smile starts to bloom on his face as I glare at him.

“And you two will not turn my trailer into party central. I have to be up early for work and I’m not going to have a house full of people all night. ”

“I hear you. I work early too.”

“No hard drugs, and no nightly parade of bar skanks. I’m not going to get robbed by some lowlife you two drag in, understand?”

My words don’t diminish the pleased expression on his face. “Absolutely.”

One last thing occurs to me. “And nobody else is moving in. So, if you or he have some plan to slowly move a girlfriend in, forget about it. I will throw everyone’s ass out.”

“That’s an aggressive way to ask if I’m single,” he teases, stepping closer to me until his arm brushes mine. “But no worries, the answer is yes.”

Tilting my head back to look at the sky, I groan. “Why couldn’t I have been an only child?”

Amos approaches us warily, as he should since my glare is trying to cut him in half. “Liles—”

“Shut up,” I interrupt. “I don’t appreciate being manipulated.

If you think I don’t know you told Mom first and had her call me, you’re crazy.

But fine. Here’s what’s going to happen.

You can both stay for now. Sutton, you can take the bigger bedroom at the end of the hall.

And you can take the little room I’m using for storage. Just move Dusty’s stuff to one corner.”

“Dusty?”

“My puppy.”

Amos’s affronted expression is satisfying, and Sutton covers a grin at the sight of it. “Why does he get the better room?”

“He has a job and didn’t lie to me.”

With that, I stalk inside to retrieve my puppy. I don’t want him to get hurt being underfoot while they’re moving in. The girls have gone when I get back outside, and Holly’s gaze is focused on the guys pulling a mattress out of the truck as I take a seat beside her on her steps.

“Is everything okay?” she asks.

“Sure, fantastic. Unrelated question. Do you think the crematorium accepts walk-ins?”

“I’m pretty sure you need an appointment.” Dusty puts his front paws on her knees, and she grins, scratching behind his ears.

“It looks like I’m going to have two roommates for the foreseeable future. I’ll bring the income documentation in on Monday.”

She nods absently and watches Dusty chase a leaf that’s skittering across the porch. “Just their check stubs are fine.”

“How are you liking the new job?”

Holly worked cleaning office buildings until our mutual friend, Maren, got her a job as office manager here at Happy Haven Trailer Park. She’s still training.

“It’s great. I’m still getting the hang of it and getting to know everyone. The hours and pay are good, plus I can keep a close eye on Fern.” Holly has been raising her fourteen year old little sister for a few years now. She’s a good kid, but no teenage girl is easy.

Our attention is drawn to the guys as they laugh over something.

Sutton effortlessly lifts a recliner and carries it toward the house.

Fern and her friends aren’t wrong about Sutton.

He is hot. He’s changed a lot from the scrawny kid I remember.

Not that it matters. His biceps bulge and the muscles in his back flex under the weight of the load.

The early evening hasn’t fought off the afternoon heat, and a sheen of sweat coats his chest. Why can’t he put a damn shirt on?

“So…question. As your friend, is your brother off limits?” Holly asks with a sheepish smile. I’m surprised she’s asking about him when Sutton is right there.

“It wouldn’t bother me, but you should know what you’re in for. He never holds a job, parties all the time, and doesn’t seem to care about anything.”

Holly blinks, her eyebrows raising. “Oh.”

“Yeah, don’t get me wrong. He’s my brother, and I love him, but I’m running out of hope that he’ll change. And Sutton…” I nod toward his back. “Is the same way. They’ve been partners in crime since high school. I’m not sure they’ve matured a day since.”

“Okay, ick achieved. Forget I asked.”

When Sutton notices we’re watching him, a grin bursts across his face, and he pauses halfway to the trailer to hold up a bedside table. “Hey Lila, one night stand?”

“Not with a rented vagina.”

Holly snorts out a laugh, and I get to my feet. “Will you keep Dusty for a few minutes? I should go make sure they aren’t scraping furniture down my freshly painted walls.”

“Sure, I’ll puppy sit.”

They’re trying to get a box spring around the corner and into the small bedroom when I enter. Sutton’s deep voice booms. “Tilt it! No, the other way! Jesus, were you microwaved as a child?” Amos’s laughter filters down the hall.

Ugh, there goes my peaceful life. What have I agreed to?