Chapter 2

Boomer was too smart for his own good, Alex decided. He’d learned that if he minded Alex, he got to go with him on his bike rides. But he was bossy enough to let Alex know that there were times when Alex had no say in the matter.

“You seriously don’t want a treat?” Alex asked the stubborn standard poodle.

Boomer sat his butt down, refusing to budge.

“Fine,” Alex huffed. “But don’t start a fuss if they don’t let you into the clubhouse or you get kicked out because you get into the pool.”

Boomer’s tail wagged because he knew Alex had caved.

Alex took the shortcut through the woods to Ivy’s house. They found her out front, waiting. Boomer rushed up to say hi.

“I only have one cookie, so you have to share with Alex,” Ivy explained.

Alex had set the price for a taxi ride at a cookie. People in Conclave didn’t buy them; they took the time to make the most delicious cookies in the world. Boomer made a grab for the cookie as Ivy yelped. The stupid pup snatched his half by taking a bite out of the cookie.

“Just give him the rest. I’m not eating that if there’s dog drool on it,” Alex said, shaking his head.

“Sorry. I’m usually quicker than that.”

“Come on. Maddie sent me a message that they’re almost there.”

Alex leaned forward so Ivy could have the seat on his bike. Once she had a firm grip on his hips, he started pedaling. Boomer chased after them. Alex planned to tire the dog out so that he might nap when they went to the pool.

The Aldrich clan was getting out of their pickup truck just as they reached the parking lot.

“Rah! ... Arg! ... Boomer!” Tanya complained.

Boomer was licking her face as he wiggled like a puppy. For whatever reason, he’d decided that he liked the youngest Aldrich sibling.

“The Mighty Tigger has lost her mojo,” Ivy observed.

“Tiger,” Tanya corrected. “Alex, make him stop.”

“Boomer! Sit!” Alex ordered.

The dog’s butt hit the asphalt, but his tail continued wagging. Alex parked his bike and put Boomer’s leash on him so they could go into the clubhouse. Boomer liked little kids, but being a big dolt, he sometimes knocked them down. Alex had learned to keep him on his leash until they were at the back pool, where it was mainly teens.

“I still can’t believe they let him past the front door,” Decker said.

Alex shrugged. The first time he tried to bring Boomer in, the manager stopped him, but Boomer charmed the lady. They’d had a meeting and decided the clubhouse was officially pet-friendly. They all walked in, and the girl at the desk came out from behind it.

“Good afternoon, Boomer. I have your lanyard,” she said and put it over his head.

It had Boomer’s doggy clubhouse ID attached with his picture and name on the front and Alex’s contact information on the back in case they got separated. Boomer seemed to know it made him special because he looked forward to them putting it on him each time. It didn’t hurt that it came with a treat.

The guys went to the men’s locker room and changed.

When they entered the back pool area, Tanya and Decker joined Zac in the pool. Alex saw that Dawn had invited her cheerleader friends Sandra and Kaitlyn, and Ivy, Nell, and Maddie joined them. The phone tree was obviously working because Natasha and Irina showed up a few minutes later.

Alex picked a lounge chair away from the girls. That proved a smart move because the girls would have their heads together, glance over at him, and then all giggle. He put in his earbuds and lay back because he seriously needed some sun to work on his tan.

He was zoning out when he felt someone touch his elbow. It was Maddie.

“How bad is it over there?” Alex asked.

“Your reputation as the class stud is still intact.”

“I guess that’s good.”

“You could be Decker or Zac,” Maddie pointed out.

His friends dating Ivy and Nell had only lasted about a month after their homecoming dance. They’d all decided it was better to just be friends before they began to hate each other.

“They are pretty clueless.”

“My dad received some good news. Sheriff Conly helped him become a legal marijuana grower. The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority—OMMA—has a seed-to-sale monitoring system that tracks each marijuana plant from the farm to the point of sale. Sheriff Conly had to agree to oversee our operation to certify the OMMA guidelines are being followed,” Maddie said.

“So, no more recreational stuff?” Alex asked.

Maddie shrugged.

“We’ll make a lot more money, and we’re the only farm legally able to sell in this part of the state.”

When they’d been shut down in the fall, Alex knew that Maddie’s family had been worried because of the lost income. He would have to thank Sheriff Conly for finding a way for them to recoup their losses.

“I was worried because your mom hinted that your dowry was going to be a bit light,” Alex teased.

“What about Tanya?”

“Your sister has a sweet personality. Your parents won’t have a problem offloading her when the time comes.”

“Sometimes I wonder why girls think you’re cute,” Maddie grumbled.

“You and me both,” Alex admitted.

In Philly, Alex was liked, but because of his dad’s Mafia ties, none of the girls were allowed to date him. Here, it was completely different. When he was accepted by the Wolf Pack—the three princes of Conclave—he’d been the cool new kid. Now that the pack was defunct, Alex was the guy the girls flirted with, but he was still not dating anyone.

Dawn had explained it to him. Because he was a freshman, none of the older girls would go out with him. The freshman girls felt he was out of their league because he hung out with people like Dawn and the other cheerleaders. Though the juniors and seniors wouldn’t date him, that didn’t mean they couldn’t torment Alex.

To be honest, both Decker and Zac would have given anything to be in his shoes, so Alex put up with the flirting and teasing.

“What are your plans for the summer?” Alex asked to change the subject.

“We’ll be busy on the farm. Along with the medical marijuana, my mom has expanded our garden with the plan to sell the excess at the Saturday farmer’s market. I haven’t really thought about anything else,” Maddie said. “What about you?”

“Janice told me I’m going to work for Grace at her new company this summer. I have to save up to buy a car this fall.”

“You’ll have to get something with a big backseat,” Maddie said.

Alex’s mind went to the gutter, and Maddie somehow read it.

“Not that, perv. You’ll need the room for when you take Tanya and all her little friends out for ice cream.”

She screamed when Alex jumped off his chair and swept Maddie into his arms.

“Alex! No!” Maddie tried as he jumped into the pool, soaking them both.

Maddie soon had reinforcements as the other girls joined in. Zac and Decker found a reason to get out of the water and the line of fire. Even Boomer abandoned him in the massively one-sided water fight.

He wore an ear-to-ear grin as he was reminded what real friends were.

Night came quickly to Conclave.

The sun hovered over the trees, then slowly dipped below the horizon. Clouds began to roll in, and the receding sun made them look ominous. They reflected a riot of colors—first red, then orange, silver, gray, and finally black.