Read Online Poughkeepsie Begins (The Poughkeepsie Brotherhood #0.5) by Debra Anastasia - Free Book Online Page A

laughed. She bit her lip and pulled on her seatbelt, giving him the evil eye until he put his on too.
    When she got to the light in front of the high school, she turned to him to see where they were headed. “You want to go to the library?” she asked.
    “I’m not allowed there.” He winked at her.
    “Who gets banned from a library?” The light turned green, but no one was behind her, so she waited.
    “I have a lot of skills, hot stuff.” He lifted his eyebrows.
    “Well, my house is out of the question. I can’t have boys over when no one is home. My brother has a doctor’s appointment, and my dad’s at work.” She kept pulling on the steering wheel so it wouldn’t lock up again.
    “Even for school purposes?” Beckett put on what she guessed was his best innocent look.
    “Even for school purposes. You’re a player too.” Candy leaned over and turned on the radio.
    “I’m offended.”
    “Says the guy who gets kicked out of libraries.” She tapped out the rhythm of the song.
    “I didn’t get banned for having sex in it.” He pouted, and now it was her turn to laugh. “Fine.” He sighed after a moment. “We’ll go to my shithole. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
    Candy was puzzled, but decided not to say anything. She’d see soon enough.
    He directed her and seemed to grow more somber with every turn. When he pointed out the house, it didn’t look like a shithole. The kids who played in the front yard were all clearly happy to see him. Two little girls with wild hair climbed him like a tree. He swung them both around with an obvious familiarity, and her heart swooned.
    “Is this your girlfriend, Beck?” one of them asked. “She looks like a princess.”
    He knocked a football away from her head as it flew between boys on the front lawn.
    “She does, doesn’t she? I think she’s the princess of crappy cars.” Beckett took each little girl by her hand and led them in the front door. He yelled over his shoulder, “You jerks have homework?”
    The boys replied in the negative, and he let them be. As they entered the house, an older woman came out of the kitchen and wiped her hands on a dishtowel. Beckett walked past her without introducing Candy, so she just waved awkwardly. The woman waved back.
    “Hey, can you do that fancy braid on other people? Or just yourself?” Beckett pointed to the two little girls.
    “I can try.” She wrinkled her nose at the two cute faces in front of her.
    Beckett dropped their hands and came to Candy, taking her hand and spinning her before she had a chance to know what he was doing.
    “She makes these, girls.” He stopped her so they could see the back of her head.
    They made happy noises and clapped.
    She repeated herself, “I can try.” She turned to face him. He basically had her in a hug.
    “That’s all I’m asking,” he said softly, just to her. His blue eyes danced.
    He pointed upstairs and held her hand as he took her to the girls’ room. It was so barren. Brown comforters that looked twenty years old covered twin beds. Candy thought of her stuffed animal pile. It was obscene. These girls had the smallest scattering of toys. Shame washed over her as she sat down on one.
    The girls introduced themselves as Summer and Wintery. They produced a brush and two rubber bands. Summer put herself into position between Candy’s legs first, and Candy got the idea that she was the more outgoing of the two.
    She brushed her hair as gently as possible and had to start the French braid twice before she got the rhythm down. Beckett sat on the floor as she worked, and Wintery climbed into his lap. Summer gave them the whole rundown of her day. Then she explained that they were going to a ranch, and she was really hoping there would be elephants.
    She moved her head around a lot while she talked. “And when we get back, then our class is going to the zoo, and Beckett told me we could go even though it’s really ’spensive.”
    Candy stopped braiding