Troublemaker (Playmaker Duet #0.25; Prescott Family #2; Love In All Places #3)

by Mignon Mykel

  Literally.

  At one another.

  Rocket style.

  I didn’t understand it either. They were too old to be playing like that.

  Ace, Teagh and I were playing a pretty cut-throat game of Monopoly.

  I was winning, naturally.

  My grandparent’s old Australian cattle dog, Lucky, sat patiently between Ace and Teagh, probably hoping one of us would give her a pretzel or Cheez-It.

  We’d been at the game for an hour and a half, McKenna being the first to lose, which was why she ditched us for Nick.

  She could have played banker for us but apparently we were playing too ruthlessly for her.

  “Why are you wasting all of your money putting hotels on Boardwalk?” I asked Teagh as she counted her bills, trying to find a way to purchase the red building. “People land on it what, twice an hour?” It was her one monopoly in the game so yeah, I got it, but she needed to be more worried about having cash on hand when she landed on any one of the multiple properties kiddy-corner to her two properties.

  Because that was where her cash was going. On all those properties with the mini green houses on them.

  When you owned the entire stretch, utilities included, hotels were unnecessary.

  “Porter, shut up,” she grumbled, handing the cash to Avery, who had the two hotels ready to hand over. “Thanks, Av.”

  “Pleasure doing business.”

  I shook my head, grinning crookedly. She was selling back those hotels in a matter of two rolls of the die, and she may even be mortgaging those damn properties.

  My phone vibrated in my back pocket so I pulled it out, grinning when I saw Mo’s face on the screen. We were banned from talking on cell phones this weekend, but could freely text during non-family times.

  “Pause the game a sec,” I said as I slid the message open.

  “Uh-uh! You didn’t pause for me when I had to use the bathroom, Porter! And you landed on Boardwalk!”

  “You didn’t call time,” I told Teagh around a grin, reading Mo’s message.

  Mo: Hey, you

  Me: hey beautiful hows it going

  Mo: Good! Just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas in case we don’t talk tomorrow

  Me: i'm sure i can spare you a few min tmrw ;)

  Mo: lol. What are you up to?

  Me: kicking av and teaghs asses in monopoly

  Mo: ha! Have fun with that.

  Mo: ….maybe later we can….

  I frowned at the pause, no longer paying attention to the game going on in front of me. The bubbles stating Mo was typing something continued to dance across my screen. I glanced up to check the position of my sister and Teagh just as a picture flashed on the screen.

  I looked back down.

  “Shit.” It was a picture of Mo. Well, her cleavage. And then some.

  The top was cropped just above her lips, which she was biting. One strap of her bra slipped from her shoulder and she squeezed her tits together with her arms. Everything that was important was covered, but the lace of one of the cups was folded so dangerously low.

  I shifted in my spot, totally sporting full wood, and quickly typed back.

  Me: Give me 10.

  “What’s got you all flustered, Ports?” Teagh teased. I looked up and saw she fucking cleared my properties.

  “I can find out,” Avery said, diving for my phone.

  “Avery!” I quickly pushed my phone under my ass and grabbed a pillow from the couch behind me to put on my lap. “Jesus, personal space.”

  Avery sat back, grinning widely. “Put your phone away, Porter. This is ‘family time.’” She did the fucking air quotes in the air, too.

  “This is not official family time, Ace,” I grumbled, picking up my bills.

  “Um, yeah.” She pointed at Teagh, then me, then swung that same finger in a circle around the game board. “Family. Together. Ergo, family time.”

  “Let’s just play the game.” I reached for the die, being my turn now that I completely missed Teagh and her hopping over my properties.

  I landed on Go To Jail.

  I couldn’t believe my luck.

  I quickly stood up, dropping the pillow from my lap only because I was certain all evidence would be gone, and put my bills on the floor.

  “Well, I’m in jail. Can’t do shit anyway, so now’s a good time to use the bathroom.”

  “You can still collect on your properties,” Teagh said around a frown.

  “Now, Teagan, you know that’s not the way we play in this family.” We played that once you were in jail, you didn’t collect anything. Just like Free Parking was also like winning the lottery, with taxes and other miscellaneous fees ending up in the middle of the board.

  “Your loss,” she said, shrugging and pushing the die to Avery. “You go then, Av.”

  I had other things to attend to. Phone in hand, I made my way to the bathroom.

  The one upstairs.

  On the other side of the house.

  Away from family.

  I needed a little bit of privacy.

  After a ten-minute video…chat…with Mo, I made my way back downstairs only to see the girls were packing up the game.

  “What the hell?”

  Avery lifted a brow in my direction. “We weren’t sure you were coming back. We were bored anyway.”

  “Sorry, Ports,” Teagh said, grinning. She wasn’t story at all.

  “Kids!” came Mom’s voice from the kitchen. “Jonny’s on Skype.”

  Like he was the freaking President or something, everyone gathered in the kitchen around the table where Dad set up his laptop and Jonny’s mug filled the screen. He was sitting on a sunny deck somewhere, somewhere bright and warm it looked, with the glass door of a room behind him.

  “What happened to your hair, dude?” I asked, squeezing between McKenna and Mom to get a better look at him. His curls were gone. Hell, his hair was gone. What once was a curly mop on his head was now shorn closely to his head.

  He grinned crookedly, shrugging. “Time to look more like a grown up,” he answered.

  “It looks good, Jon Jon,” Myke said, pulling on my shoulder so I could stand in the back. “Tall kids in the back.”

  “Look at you, somewhere nice and warm this Christmas,” Mom said with a tease in her voice when really, everyone knew Mom was actually hurt. This was the second Christmas Jonny missed since marrying Jenna—two years ago.

  Jonny chuckled lightly. “Yeah, well.” He shrugged to the camera. “I miss you guys. Well, maybe not you, Cael. I see your ugly mug too much.”

  “I love this ugly mug,” Sydney said, and I could see in the monitor as she took Caleb’s face and pulled him down to her, kissing him soundly on the lips.

  “Where’s Jenna at, Jon Jon?” McKenna asked, leaning into the computer. “We’d like to wish her a Merry Christmas too.”

  Avery pulled her shoulder back so everyone could see the monitor.

  “She and her mom went out.” Jonny shook his head and grinned. “I needed the break anyway.”

  We talked with Jon Jon for another twenty minutes before the sliding door behind him opened. He glanced over his shoulder and whispered something. We couldn’t see the person’s face, but it was no doubt Jenna. The whispered conversation held a slightly heated tone to it, which had almost every one of us in faraway Wisconsin shifting in our spots.

  Jonny turned back to the camera and grinned, but this time it was strained. “Jen’s back. I’m gonna get going. Merry Christmas, guys.”

  “We love you, Jonny,” Mom said quietly. Shit, she was going to start crying.

  “Love you too.”

  “Will we talk to you on your birthday?” Dad asked before Jonny could turn off the conversation. Jonny was one of those lucky kids who was born the day after Christmas.

  “We’ll be on a plane, so probably not.”

  “Well, happy birthday too, then, son.”

  The screen went blank shortly after that and the air in
the kitchen was thick.

  Caleb eventually broke the silence, stating what we probably all were thinking. “He’s probably paying for that entire fucking vacation. Jenna comes from money, doesn’t work, and expects Jon Jon to hand her everything. I don’t understand what he sees in her.”

  “Cael, it’s not the time,” Dad said, shaking his head.

  “It’s Christmas. I’m sure Jenna has her reasons,” Mom added.

  Everyone disliked Jenna, yet Mom and Dad still found ways to stick up for her. I honestly thought that Jonny stuck around with her because she was the first girl to give him head, but I didn’t know that for a fact.

  “Next Christmas he’ll be home,” Mom said with a smile. “He told me the other day.”

  “That’s what he said about this Christmas, too,” McKenna pointed out.

  Mom’s smile was strained as she stood from the table. “Next Christmas he’ll be home.” No one bothered to correct her as she left the room, Dad quietly behind her.

  Christmas morning.

  The first thing I did was text Mo but I hadn’t heard back from her. Not that I was expecting to. After gifts and breakfast, most of us went out to the pond to play a game of three-on-three hockey.

  The rules were the guys couldn’t check the girls, but the girls definitely abused that rule. I landed on my ass on more than one occasion, courtesy of Ace.

  McKenna stood on the side playing score keeper and ref while the teams played hard.

  Team one, Dad, Myke, Ace, and Cael, was freaking stacked. My team consisted of Uncle Ketty, Teagh, Mom, and Syd. Needless to say, the team with four hockey players on it was certainly stronger than the one with two players on it, regardless of who was sitting out a shift. But it was still fun.

  McKenna called time after she received a text from Aunt Ronnie, saying that dinner was ready. We all made our way back to the house, through the snow and trees, while spirits were high. Snow ball fights ensued on the walk back, only further elevating the mood.

  After everyone ditched boots and jackets, and tossing skates on the back deck, we made our way in. The smell of turkey and ham, as well as all the other dishes, filled the air.

  Then, rising above the smells and voices, Lucky’s bark fought to be heard. She jumped up from her dog bed, more nimble than she should for her senior age, and ran toward the front foyer.

  My grandparents and parents exchanged frowns but before any of them could go see who walked into the house, there was a booming, “Merry Christmas!” from the foyer.

  “Jonny?” Mom jumped out of the kitchen chair at the sound of my second oldest brother’s voice.

  Sure enough, my brother himself walked into the family room, void of his jacket but snow still speckling his close cropped hair.

  “Hey, Mom.” Jonny’s words were soft, but his smile was wide.

  Mom ran up to him and embraced him, her arms around his middle while he looped his arms around her neck. “Oh, Jonny! I’m so glad you made it!”

  “Where’s Jenna?” Dad asked as he walked in to greet Jon Jon as well.

  Jonny squeezed Mom and let her go before shrugging, more or less dismissing Dad’s question. “I decided that I needed to do the holiday with you guys. She understands, but she decided to stay in the Bahamas with her family.”

  Dad stared at him in the way he sometimes did, trying to read between the lines, but ended up letting it go. “We’re glad you’re here.”

  The rest of the day flew by in a rush of positive emotions. Before everyone headed to bed, the Ketterhagens left. In the morning, Aunt Nat, Uncle Joe, and Nick were due to leave as well, leaving just my immediate family and grandparents for Jonny’s birthday.

  It was easy to forget the fact that come next week, I’d be in a new school with a new hockey team. It was easy to forget that my parents were disappointed in my actions. It was easy to forget that people I’d called friends had no problem throwing me under the bus.

  This was definitely a needed break and made me realize that amid all my bitching about my brothers and hockey and the future, it was when my family was together that everything felt completely whole.

  It felt right.

  The day before we were all due to head home—Caleb, Syd, and Jonny for the airport—Dad handed Caleb a slip of paper before looking over at me.

  “Don’t make me regret this, Porter.”

  I frowned. Regret what?

  Caleb grinned crookedly before pointing at me. “What did we talk about a few years ago?”

  I was still frowning. “Dude, we’ve talked about a lot over the last few years.”

  My brother walked over to me, showing me what Dad handed him. It was a permission slip of sorts. I reached for it to read over the print, ignoring Dad’s signature while trying to figure out what it meant.

  “Oh, shit,” I finally said, it dawning on me. “Seriously? We’re doing this right now?”

  “Happy early birthday, bud.” Then, addressing the room of my siblings and taking the slip back from me, “We’ve talked about it through the years, but now that Porter here is seventeen—”

  “Almost! He has five weeks.” Jonny cut in, walking over to Caleb and looking over his shoulder to read the paper. “Whoop, whoop, Caleb here is inking his virgin skin.”

  This caused Caleb to frown. “When the hell did you get a tattoo?”

  Jonny chuckled. Just a few days with the family and he was a changed person. He was laughing again and didn’t look as tired.

  “I haven’t,” Jonny answered Cael, pulling me back to present. “You, my brother, are just afraid of needles.”

  “I am not afraid of needles.”

  “Are fucking too!”

  I knew Jonny had changed over the years, but I hadn’t been aware just how much until I saw him arguing with Caleb. This was Jon Jon.

  Level-headed, good natured, and the guy who would get into faux-fights with his siblings, huge-assed smile on his face.

  “Language, boys!” came Mom’s voice from the kitchen. “We have little ears in here!” Sydney and Brandon were talking with my parents. Well, Sydney was. Brandon was probably playing with a truck or something.

  Caleb grinned wide and mimicked Mom, low enough so only those close enough to them could hear.

  “Cael, you are nearly thirty years old. You should be over the ‘mocking Mom’ stage,” Jonny taunted.

  “I just turned twenty-seven, asshole.”

  “Oh my God, you two. Both of you, grow up,” Myke butted in. “Are we still doing the eleven?”

  Years ago, it was decided that we would do a sibling tattoo and it would be the number eleven.

  Eleven was a significant number in our family.

  It was Dad’s number throughout his career. Mom’s photography studio was Studio Eleven. While not born in the eleventh month, Myke was born on the eleventh of February. And lastly, there were eleven years and eleven months between Myke and myself, eleven years between first child and last.

  So eleven was an important number. Eleven was pretty much synonymous with Prescott.

  “I’m game,” I shrugged. After a chorus of yesses, some with leading hells, we all moved to cram into Caleb and Sydney’s Pilot, the only vehicle here that could transport all six of us in one trip. Sydney stayed back with Brandon and our parents, making this solely a sibling trip.

  For probably the first time in my existence as Baby Brother Prescott, I felt like an equal with my siblings.

  It was a damn good feeling.

  “I’ll pay for this one but you’re on your own if you want to get another,” Caleb told me as we sat, watching as the girls got their tattoos done.

  While my brothers and I were getting the roman numeral eleven on the inside of our biceps, taking up nearly the entire underside, the girls were getting the XI much smaller and on the inside of their wrists, under the base of their thumbs. The girls’ tats would be done much quicker than ours would.

  Because of state laws, we had to cross over into Michigan to get t
hese tattoos, as I wasn’t eighteen yet. Our family cabin was in Wisconsin, but right on the state line so it was an easy trip to make.

  “You getting another one?” Jonny asked from my right, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his thighs, looking over at me.

  I shrugged a shoulder. I was considering…

  And I may have stupidly mentioned it to Caleb on the drive over, as I was the lucky one to shout ‘Shot Gun’ before everyone else left the house.

  “Porter boy here has a girl these days,” Caleb said, pushing at my shoulder so I leaned into Jonny. “You remember Mo, right?”

  “Caleb,” I warned. Not that a warning from a kid nearly eleven years younger than him was going to heed anything.

  “Wasn’t she your best friend in middle school?” Jonny asked me, curiosity on his face.

  “Yes.”

  “The boy only has one word answers. He’s smitten,” Caleb said, making Jonny laugh.

  “That’s a big word for you, Cael,” Jonny retorted.

  It was like a verbal war going on either side of me. Eventually I was going to have to cut in because being the monkey in the middle was never fun.

  “Yes, Mo from growing up. Yes, I’m dating her. It’s only been a few months.”

  “But boy-o there is in lo-o-ove,” sang Avery from the tattoo chair nearest us.

  “Oh my God, you guys!” I said.

  “Leave the boy alone.” McKenna had my back. Thank God. “He probably has a secret wedding Pinterest board but we won’t snoop.”

  “Jesus,” I muttered. Ok, so maybe Ken didn’t have my back.

  “You know I met Jenna in middle school, yeah?”

  I looked at Jonny.

  Yeah, I knew.

  Was that a warning?

  Or a comment on how he married his middle school girlfriend?

  Either way, I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about it.

  “Speaking of Jenna,” Caleb said, his voice serious now.

  “No. Not speaking of Jenna.” Jonny’s voice had that hard edge again, the one he lost the moment he walked through the cabin doors the other day.

  I glanced at Caleb before doing what he was doing, staring down Jonny. Something was totally going on there. But what?