Chapter 3

• Xavier
• Xavier’s jaw dropped, as did Emma’s. It would have been comical if they had been talking about something that didn’t involve them having to live in the same place in a week’s time.
• Xavier and Emma had an unspoken agreement that they didn’t interact outside of the house.
• They had successfully avoided each other for the last three years. It hadn’t been exactly difficult. They were in different programs, had different friends, and Emma had lived in the dorms while Xavier had lived off-campus. They never crossed paths, which was exactly the way Xavier wanted it.
• “What?” Emma squeaked.
• “Your father has agreed to provide you with a cost-of-living allowance for food and gas—”
• “Gas?” Xavier cut in.
• “We’re giving you my old car.” Mom smiled benevolently.
• “You’re getting a new car?” Xavier asked.
• “Next week. Something safer, more family-friendly.”
• Mom drove a minivan. It was five years old, a total mom-mobile, and about as family-friendly as they came, so that was code for flashier and more expensive.
• “You expect us to drive around campus in a minivan?” Emma asked.
• “And you expect us to share it?” Xavier added.
• “The apartment we’ve secured for you is a fair bit away from campus. We decided it would be better and safer if you had reliable transportation for your night classes.”
• “But we’re on completely different schedules.”
• “You’ll have to work that out between you.” Ken waved dismissively. “I didn’t have a car in college. Didn’t get one until I got my first job after graduation. You should be thanking us for giving it to you instead of trading it in.”
• “Where’s the apartment?” Emma asked quietly.
• “On Ridgemont.”
• “Ridgemont?”
• Xavier was pretty familiar with most of the streets around campus thanks to three years of partying there. He had never heard of Ridgemont. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to look it up.
• “No phones at the table,” Ken said sharply.
• Xavier shoved it back into his pocket and drew in a deep breath. This wasn’t happening. He had to spend his senior year of college sharing an apartment with his uber-nerd stepsister? No fucking way.
• “I’m not supposed to live off-campus,” Emma said softly. She was on a scholarship—of course she was—and Xavier vaguely remembered that one of the rules for keeping it was that she had to live in the dorms.
• “That only applied to your first three years. As long as you keep your grades up, you can live off-campus for senior year.”
• “I…” Emma looked down at her plate, her ears pink and her jaw clenched.
• “But I’ve already paid Tripp my first month’s rent.”
• Xavier had made a deal with his dad that he’d pay Tripp directly, and his dad would deposit the money into his account at the end of the month to cover it. They had been doing that for the past two years.
• “That will have to come out of your living allowance.” Mom pushed her chair away from the table and stood. “We’re going to pay for the apartment and insurance on the van, but you’re responsible for everything else.”
• Emma glanced up, and their gazes locked. She looked as shocked as Xavier felt.
• “What about furniture?” Emma asked. “It’s a week before the start of school. How are we supposed to get stuff to put into this apartment?”
• “It’s furnished,” Ken said. “All you need to bring is your clothes, sheets, and towels.”
• Emma and Xavier exchanged another look. Furnished apartments weren’t something they could find near campus, especially not a week before school started.
• “Xavier?”
• “Yes, munchkin.” Xavier looked at Riley.
• “You get to live with Emma next year. You’re sooooo lucky.”
• “I sure am, munchkin.” Xavier flicked his gaze to Emma. “We’re going to have a grand old time.”