​
 

Enjoy this Excerpt from Adam...

​

“Boring a hole into the back of Adam Cavanaugh’s head is not going to get him to look at you,” Temple D’Amico advised her younger sister as she dragged a crisp fry through the puddle of ketchup on her plate. “Guys’ brains don’t work like that, Tessa, particularly juvenile high school ones. Furthermore, a Kingsbrier is the last boy you want paying attention to you.”

​

The eldest of the Kingsbrier Quintuplets had walked into The Grille as if he owned the place. Of course, he was rich enough to buy whatever he wanted so there was nothing shocking about his cocky attitude. His youngest sister, Daveigh, was in tow. Adam tilted his chin toward Tessa, and Daveigh’s fingers splayed in a diminutive wave.

​

The sudden, glowing smile that spread across Tessa’s face had Temple turning in her seat to see what made her own sister giddy. Complimented by the attention, Tessa became intent on it happening again.

​

The poor girl. It was as plain as the nose on her face that he’d pay her no more mind.

​

Adam pushed Daveigh into another booth a few feet away. He hunched in the opposite seat with his back to them, immersed in conversation with her.

​

It was a blessing in disguise. The boy went through the local teenage female population like a kid samples sweet morsels in a candy store. There was one small exception. Adam wasn’t partial to licorice. Never once had the tall boy dated anyone with hair darker than a Bit-O-Honey. If dating was what you’d call Adam’s proclivity. He’d secured a man-whore reputation when Temple was a senior and Adam and Tessa were lowly freshman. Jet black hair aside, Tessa also didn’t have any traits putting her in the same universe as the other teen girls. It was surprising Adam acknowledged Tessa’s presence at all.

​

 Yet, had Adam actually done anything remarkable toward Tessa? It wasn’t like Kingsbrier Numero Uno waved or said “hello”. This was the most attention the poor girl might ever get from a star football player outside of school.

​

“The quintuplets are bad news,” Temple continued on her diatribe. “Have you listened to what everyone’s whispering about Ginny Adair? How long do you think it’ll be before she’s on her own trying to raise that baby?”

Their mother had crossed herself and prayed when the rumors from Richardson’s Market began spreading. It was obvious the lecture on the sins of the flesh flew out the window for Tessa once a flesh and blood boy entered the picture. It was up to Temple to talk some sense into her.

​

Tessa scowled like a two-year-old. “Oh mio Dio, Sorella! Let me have this moment. You got a boyfriend once you went to college and got away from Mama and Papa. At this rate, you’ll get married and I’ll become the crazy cat lady.”

​

“Stop being melodramatic,” Temple retorted, bossily.

​

Her sister continued laser-gazing at Adam’s mussy hair. Would it hurt him to run a brush through those curls once in a while?

​

Temple’s lip twitched, self-satisfied. What didn’t she have to be proud of? She’d been Valedictorian of her high school class and Dean’s List each semester since. Getting into medical school was going to be a snap. She’d shied away from young men before college, not so much by virtue of being a wallflower, but because the idea of getting into a relationship and finding out she was pregnant meant she’d never live out her dreams and make her parents proud. With intention, Temple chose a young man to make her husband who understood wearing a pure-white wedding dress was important to Temple. She only hoped they served as role models for Tessa.

​

It was Temple’s job to ensure her sister didn’t go off the rails with the likes of Adam. Both young women had bright futures ahead of them. As far as Temple was concerned, she was well on her way to getting everything she’d ever wanted. Her staunch persistence to be the best was paying off.

​

“Hey, Kingsbrier!” boomed a boisterous voice. Every one of the quints responded to the name of the massive ranch they lived at. Their mother was the former Miss Rose Kingsbrier and, in her youth, caused as much trouble as her five children combined. 

​

One of Adam’s crude football cronies approached the table with a whip-thin blonde bouncing on her toes in an effort to direct attention to her low-cut top. Vanilla as the rest, she crowded Adam into the booth. Temple pegged her as a cheerleader, recognizing Adam probably didn’t give one iota if her eyes were the color of brown, blue or green M&M’s as long as she melted like chocolate. All. Over. Him. Luckily, only tonight had Tessa ever acted like she had bubble gum for brains.

​

Tessa picked at the bun of the best hamburger this side of Houston, mumbling something regarding the second boy, “Alcee Bennett’s known Adam near as long as Drew Newhouse.” The longing in her voice wasn’t lost on Temple, proving her sister wanted to be a part of the group. It bothered Temple to no end that Tessa picked up on nuances of the quints’ friendships.

​

“Give it up, Tessa.”

​

“You don’t know if this rumor Mama heard is true. Eric seems to love Ginny.” Tessa shrugged innocently. “Besides, you’re three years older, Temple. It’s not as if you know the quints. Daveigh is so nice. She invited me to the farewell party they’re having before Colton leaves.”

​

“Papa told you no.” Temple had already taken her father’s side.

​

“That’s so unfair! It’s almost like you have something against the Cavanaughs because of the notoriety the quints attracted when they were babies. It’s the complete opposite of the way everyone else in the county acts.”

“People in this town wouldn’t care if their grandfather hadn’t been wealthy. Those kids get away with murder. Even conceding twenty percent of the Cavanaughs are decent folk, it’s not a stellar rating. Plus, you’re comparing apples to oranges. Daveigh is a friend. You want Adam’s attention for different reasons. He looks for hearts to break. It makes me want to spit that he’s been your lab partner for the past four years.”

​

Tessa had developed an unrequited crush on Adam. He’d never give her the time of day and likely chose her year after year to get out of doing the assignments himself. Tessa’s GPA made her a worthwhile classmate to cheat off of. 

​

Temple wiped her mouth and folded the napkin, setting it on her lap.

​

“Adam is really smart. He plans to go pre-med, like you.”

​

“You’ve mentioned that before, Tessa,” she said, uncaring.

​

He’d pay for his degree, while Temple earned hers. Being from a lower-middle class background, their good fortune was the result of studying hard and scholarship awards.

​

“He’s so handsome too. That dark hair and his green eyes are to die for. I can stare into them all day.”

​

“Adam doesn’t have the Sexiest Man Alive nomination tied up. There are other things that make a guy attractive. You know, like being a good person.” Who didn’t treat teenage girls like notches in their bedpost. How long could anyone keep that up? Would Adam still be screwing around in a decade? Then again, what did Temple know? Maybe rich people did what they wanted as long as it suited them. “Be patient. The right guy’s out there.”

“Easy for you to say.” Tessa pulled her straight, dark hair behind her shoulder glancing at the perverse diamond in her sister’s engagement ring. “You have someone.”

​

“Dolce,” Temple used their father’s Italian endearment with an air of condescension. “You can’t define yourself by whether you’ve caught yourself a man. Especially not at eighteen.”

​

“Hey, Tessa, how’s it going?” Adam interrupted, walking by their table.

​

“Ah, great!” she flustered. “Have you met my sister?”

​

Somehow the lame attempt to get him to stop worked. Adam leaned forward. His fists clasped the table edge, making the wood creak. “We haven’t been introduced.” The colossal douche ignored Temple’s presence entirely.

Not that Temple cared. She was glad to be immune from his boyish good looks and rogue charm.

​

The bigger issue was this brief encounter was bound to leave Tessa floating on a marshmallow cloud. It was her sisterly duty to return the teenage girl’s feet to solid ground. Where they belonged.

​

Tessa blushed as Adam studied her high, round cheekbones. Her rich chocolate eyes turned into round brownie bites when she noticed he’d traced her features down to where a lock of her long black hair fell against her chest.

​

Yup, there it was. Complete pig.

​

“Everyone’s coming to the stable for a bonfire tonight. You should be there.” It was as if Adam practiced the nonchalant tone to gave him leeway to never let on if he gave a hoot. Temple couldn’t help but wonder if he was more interested in how many people attended the party than who actually showed. A higher number proved his dominion over the high school crowd.

​

“I’m sorry. Temple and I have plans.” Tessa sounded confident while covering up her absence. It was surprising, since she continually whined about how foolish she looked to her classmates with an early curfew and having to abide by a strict no-party rule.

​

“Temple?” The kid shook his head as if she spoke a foreign language.

​

“My sister.” She graciously directed his eyes across the booth.

​

Adam turned his gaze to the right. His eyes widened as Temple’s narrowed and he straightened his stance.

​

“Kingsbrier.” The name rolled off her tongue with a hint of disdain. For a boy supposedly well-bred, he had horrible manners and Temple had no desire to witness an intelligent girl fawn over anyone who didn’t deserve her. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to use the ladies room.”

​

Temple stood to leave. The hair on her arms prickled before she realized Adam was watching her intensely—the same way she’d chided Tessa for looking at Adam. His mere presence crowded her, and she felt the focused heat follow along as she walked towards the bathrooms. Adam’s acute gaze made Temple aware of every flaw she tried to hide. Like Tessa, her hips were a little too wide for her narrow waist. Their mother called it healthy. She said her daughters had the bodies of classic actresses like Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. The size of Temple’s chest made her feel like she was supposed to be a warbird pin-up girl on the nose of a B-52 with some patronizing tagline about her bust that ignored her brain.

​

Grasping the doorframe, Temple stopped and turned before entering the restroom to observe. The group of teenagers had followed the ringmaster and switched booths. Tessa slid to the side to make room for Alcee. She was grinning like a clown, animated while chatting to Daveigh, and eating up the attention the popular kids bestowed. Only the blonde, picking her cuticles, seemed as disinterested at the whole situation as Temple was annoyed.

​

Temple’s lips curled into a frown as her sister’s giggles became discernible above the noise in the crowded restaurant. The whole thing was undignified. She’d never needed shallow friendships to fill her life. Tessa shouldn’t either. Shock replaced the annoyance when Temple saw a matched expression reflected on Adam’s face as he continued gawking at her. What made the golden boy look so downcast?

​

In the restroom, Temple had a moment of guilt. She dried her hands wiping away the feeling she should be kinder for Tessa’s sake. Her sister deserved to be happy, but that happiness didn’t need to come at the cost of having her heart broken.

​

It was time to finish up their meal and head home. As the bathroom door closed behind her a hand caught Temple’s shoulder. Using self-defense techniques, she slip-shrugged it off and turned to stomp on…Adam Cavanaugh’s foot?

​

____

​

“Sorry.” Adam winced at the sharp pain in his foot and gritted his teeth. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” If he thought he was nervous before, it was nothing compared to this. His heart was pounding outside his chest.

​

Tessa’s older sister was more beautiful than she was. He’d watched the sway of her hourglass hips when she excused herself. Her top wasn’t cut low, yet the way it clung to her voluptuous breasts made Adam keenly aware that this was what Tessa would look like with the body of a woman. He’d been missing out and, given his track record, it was going to keep happening.

​

Temple had an air about her that wasn’t quite as kind or accepting as Tessa’s demeanor. Adam didn’t need the Fruit Loops abacus he’d constructed in first grade to celebrate the hundredth day of school to calculate she wasn’t impressed by him in the least.

​

“Is there something I can do for you?” she seethed, using her best “do you want fries with that?” voice.

​

Her eyes narrowed and a cascade of waist-length black hair fell to the side as her head cocked. She may not have been trying to turn him on, but it was close to the sexiest thing Adam had seen since his first peek at a swimsuit magazine. 

​

His foremost thought was to channel Colton and ask if she needed help to get the stick out of her ass. Although, it wouldn’t solve his problem. He’d left the group of teens at the table to enlist Temple as an ally. Adam wanted an in to spend the evening with his lab partner. Tessa hadn’t once been to any of the parties the quints threw and, for the number of times she seemed occupied with family activities, Adam was counting on Temple being the one who influenced those choices.

​

Adam tucked his hands in his pockets, unsure of what was more intimidating about Tessa’s sister. She was older, gorgeous, pissed at him — he wasn’t sure what for—and she held the key to the door Tessa kept closing in Adam’s face.

​

 He’d spent the past week finagling a way to get his own sister to do his bidding. Adam even tried to convince Daveigh he was doing her a favor by insisting she personally invite Tessa to the final hurrah for Colton before the youngest of the quints left for boot camp. Adam told his baby sister it was important that she had someone on her level to chill with.

​

There was a split-second when it felt wrong to use his sibling’s naiveté against her. Truth be told, he’d been gunning for one-on-one time with Tessa, without the periodic table wedged between them forever. No matter what guise he’d put it under, from a study session to a burger after school, Tessa always had plans. Colton’s party was Adam’s last-ditch effort…Well, his last, last-ditch effort, if tonight didn’t go his way.

​

Daveigh caught wind to his scheme when he’d reminded her once too often. It hadn’t helped matters when Adam found out Tessa intended to be at The Grille late this afternoon —with Temple, come to think of it. He’d latched onto the idea of buying Daveigh dinner with his earnings from hauling two-by-fours down at Cavanaugh Construction’s lumber yard. 

​

“You like her!” His sister jumped up and down, clapping like a toddler waiting for a lollipop.

​

“No, D. I want to do something nice for Tessa. She never goes out and it’s the end of our senior year.” They’d stood in The Grille’s parking lot while Adam sought his bearings.

​

Adam understood he wasn’t the D’Amico girl’s type. Tessa’s crimson blush the first time she made an excuse as to why she couldn’t be seen with him off-campus still messed with his confidence. She was sweet and smart. More like Ginny, his brother Eric’s girlfriend. Lucky bastard.

​

The low-hanging fruit was easier to catch and just as ripe to harvest. Adam spent the past four years picking his way through the single cheerleaders on the football squad in the fall. During the winter, he turned his attention to the female leads in the school plays. Sophomore year it quite literally brought down the house in the school’s production of Romeo and Juliet when Lacey Tompkins opened the wardrobe storage room door catching Julie Childress on her knees and Adam’s fly down. Julie’s boyfriend was standing behind Lacey, who pretended to be shocked. The other guy went ballistic. Costumes and props flew everywhere. And thus ensued a glooming peace as the drama club’s thespians often took on the role of Capulet, refusing to pardon Clan Kingsbrier and the rest of the football team for being Montagues.

​

Those scuffles weren’t worth the headaches. True to what people believed of Adam’s persona, he killed the relationships once the plays wrapped. The actresses had always been more interested in the spotlight they’d garner with a Kingsbrier Quintuplet and he’d never been impressed with their acting abilities. More often than not, Adam needed a date, so he wasn’t the only guy on the team going stag. When his best friend Drew got desperate he took Daveigh. Too bad Adam didn’t get a similar option to save face.

​

“I’m serious.” Daveigh shoved Adam, driving across the point. “I’m not going along with this scheme of yours unless you promise to me you won’t treat Tessa the way you do the other girls at school. She’s not fluff for brains. I won’t let you ruin our friendship. I like her too much for that.”

​

So did he. Adam sighed, placing his hands on his hips. “D, I’ve thought this through. Tessa’s been my lab partner for the past four years. When it came up in class, she sounded sad that she hadn’t gone to the junior prom. She doesn’t have a date yet for this year. I’m asking her to be nice.”

​

“Not to get in her pants?”

​

“Why are you so sure I have an ulterior motive?” 

​

Of course, Adam had one. It wasn’t sinister at all. But after spending all but a few seconds of his life with four other people he’d learned to keep secrets. He was close with each of his siblings in different ways. Sharing a piece with each one, but not all of himself with anyone. It kept Brier, Eric, Daveigh, and Colton from knowing how messed up he’d always felt being the oldest.

​

Daveigh lifted up on her toes, getting in Adam’s face. “I’m going to keep asking. Over and over. And if Tessa accepts your offer, I’m fetching a drill out of Daddy’s toolbox to make sure you get it through your thick head that you still need to keep your hands off of her.”

​

Adam bent the finger she pointed at him back into her fist. The exaggerated way her soles landed proved she’d dig her feet in if she had to.

​

“Stop acting like Brier does to you,” Adam scoffed, ignoring that his youngest sister learned it from the rest of them. He did the same to keep boys away from Daveigh.

​

“I swear, if we go into The Grille and you help me figure out how to convince Tessa to go to the prom, I will be the most respectful man you’ve ever encountered and forever in your debt.”

​

“I doubt the former. The latter has my attention. Do my stable chores for a month.”

​

“A month?” Adam balked. “Your stupid horse gets up at the butt crack of dawn! How am I ever going to get over there on time?” He was what the figurative cat dragged in after a late night of drinking.

​

“Perhaps you can take a few pointers from Brier. She parties as much as any of you. Maybe more.”

​

“Our sister is in for a world of hurt when Momma finds she’s been sneaking out.” Adam paused, the gears in his mind clicking. “Where do you think she’s going?”

​

“Lord, if I know.” Daveigh’s freckled nose twitched, a telltale sign she wasn’t letting on to something. “If Brier can manage staying out all night, then you can figure out a way to go to bed early and tend to Violette. I have faith in you.” She patted his shirt front and turned toward the restaurant’s front door.

​

“No, you don’t,” Adam called after her.

​

“You’re right, I don’t.” She swung her arms as she pranced away.

​

“So why are you going inside?”

​

Daveigh spun to face him and shrugged. “You promised me dinner and I’m hungry.”

​

Adam sauntered inside, hoping Tessa would finally give him a chance. He’d go middle school with her and try to hold her hand while everyone drank around the roaring fire tonight. See if she’d let him drive her back to her place. Kiss her. A soft kiss. The kind that led to a first date, not the ones ending with Adam in the back of the old convertible with his pants around his ankles. Tessa was better than that. She was the kind of girl he wasn’t ashamed to bring home to Rose and Ross Cavanaugh.

​

He was determined to start something with Tessa before they both left for college. She’d been one of the few to see past his grandaddy’s cool millions. If he’d read her wrong then what harm was a summer dalliance? Taking out a girl like Tessa seemed…Right.

​

Until right now.

​

Temple tapped her foot. He’d watched her walk away when he was trying to work up the conviction to go through with everything. Her soft curves swayed the way the water trickled over stones in the creek behind Kingsbrier. Adam wasn’t able to swallow the lump forming in his throat because now he questioned his motives. She was beautiful and he couldn’t stop staring at her.

​

“My dinner’s getting cold.” Her long black eyelashes blinked rapidly, impatient on waiting any longer for Adam to get to the point.

​

“I’ll pay for another.” He’d do anything to make Temple like him. A pit formed Adam’s stomach because what he thought he wanted when he walked into The Grille was very different from what he wanted now. No matter how he’d like others to perceive the real Adam, the rep he’d cultivated going from one woman to the next made perfect sense.

​

She snorted humorlessly. He should have taken it as a sign that there was no way to salvage his plan.

​

“Listen, I wondered if you’d, you know, change your plans for the night. Come out to the ranch.”

​

“No.”

​

“Is there anything that’ll change your mind?”

​

“No,” she repeated, crossing her arms. “Leave Tessa alone. She’s a good girl and she doesn’t need her heart broken or her reputation ruined when she’s on the precipice of the most important part of her life.”

​

Adam opened his mouth to speak, but Tessa’s voice pierced his ear.

​

“Temple, you have to help me! Alcee Bennett asked me to prom. Please! Please, come home with me and convince Papa that it’s okay. It’s the prom. No one else is going to invite me. I’m going to miss it. This is the biggest moment of my life. I’m begging you!”

​

“I don’t know.” If it was at all possible, Temple’s expression turned stonier. She raised her eyes to the bright overhead light and blinked a few more times.

​

“Alcee’s a good guy.” They’d played ball together from pee-wee on up and the kid had recently broken up with his steady girlfriend. Adam’s lips pursed, he forced them to curl up at the edges. His opinion didn’t make a difference to Temple, but he wanted Tessa to believe he was happy for her.

​

“Fine. I suppose it could be worse.” Temple glared at Adam.

​

“Yeah, I gotta get going.” He opened his arms and a jubilant Tessa leaned into them for a hug. “Guess we won’t be seeing you tonight. I hope everything works out. Night, Tessa. Temple.” Adam tipped his chin down the way his daddy’d taught him to do with a Stetson on.

​

He shuffled past the booth he’d been sitting at with Daveigh. “I’m leaving,” he told her, tossing some bills on the table and going to wait at the bank of windows by the entrance.

​

Daveigh scrambled to grab her things before he tore out of the parking lot in frustration without her.

​

It made sense that this was the way it would go. Adam’s intent was to ask the prettiest, nicest girl to the last dance and instead he was alone with a disco ball highlighting his flaws. Because he’d planned to do something quieter and a little bit romantic before the gang crowded around them at the table, the opportunity to ask Tessa to prom had passed him by.

​

Adam may have been destined to fail anyway. What kind of guy checks out the older sister of the girl of his dreams? Adam Cavanaugh, that’s who. He deserved for fate to laugh in his face.

​

“Tell Tessa how excited I am for her,” Daveigh said sweetly to Temple who was making her way back from the restroom alone. She followed up the sentiment with an eye roll while fluffing her curly hair out from under her thin coat collar. “But it’s going to be a long ride home with my grouch of a brother.”

​

“How come?”

​

“Adam wanted to beat Alcee to the punch. I’m not sure what stopped him. Oh, my gosh!” Daveigh’s hand flew to her mouth.

​

“Daveigh, let’s go!” Adam barked overhearing.

​

“Please don’t tell anyone I said that. My brother’s going to kill me.” She glanced around the packed restaurant  and panicked.

​

“Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”

​

©2019 Jody Kaye, All Rights Reserved

​