car teasing one another, my sister in the backseat singing along with the radio, the flicker of another car, and the wheel spinning out of control. Then twisted metal, red. It was the nightmare that had been keeping me up since the day my family died. Now, apparently, it was here to haunt me during the daylight hours as well. Stop! I screamed to myself and squeezed my eyes shut. Just stop thinking about it. Gritting my teeth together, I opened the door and hopped out of the car. “Jackie!” Katherine called. Her voice drifted through an open door at the back of the garage, which led to what must have been the backyard. Slinging my carry-on over my shoulder, I emerged into the sunlight. At first, the only thing I saw was her standing on a pool deck, waving at me as the sun glared into my eyes. But then I saw them in the water. They were splashing and goofing around—a completely shirtless bunch of gorgeous guys. “Come here, honey!” Katherine said, so I had no other choice but to join her on the deck. I climbed up the wooden steps, hoping that my clothes weren’t rumpled from the flight, and unconsciously moved my hand up to smooth out my hair. Katherine was smiling at me as two young boys stood next to her, clinging to her pants. Must be the youngest set of twins, I decided before turning to face the rest of the group. Much to my discomfort, everyone was staring at me. “Boys,” began Katherine, breaking the silence, “this is Jackie Howard, the friend of the family your father and I told you about. She will be staying with us for some time, and while she’s here, I want you all to try your best to make her feel at home.” That seemed like the opposite of what they wanted. All the boys were staring at me like I was a foreigner invading their own personal country. The best thing to do is to make peace, I told myself. I slowly raised my hand and waved. “Hi, guys. I’m Jackie.” One of the older boys swam forward and pulled himself out of the pool, making the muscles in his tan arms bulge. A spray of water flew in all directions as he shook his messy bangs out of his eyes, just like a wet dog would, only sexier. Then, to finish it off, he ran his fingers through his sun-