The Prodigal Cousin Returns

“Brad!” Tiffany stared at her cousin. “What are you doing here?”

Brad looked at her with cool blue eyes. “This is my home,” he pointed out.

“I know but you didn’t even come to your dad’s funeral. I thought you’d left Schuyler Square for good. Why are you back?”

Brad ignored her and focused instead on Rex who was still balanced on one knee, the expression on his face confused. “Who is that?” Brad asked.

“My boyfriend,” Tiffany said proudly. To Rex, she hissed, “Get up!”

Brad slowly got to his feet. “Hey, man,” he said to Rex. “How ya doing?”

“I’m doing very well but aren’t you a little old to be dating my cousin? Tiffany, you’re still in high school, aren’t you?”

“I graduate in June,” Tiffany replied defensively. “Besides, you aren’t my father so what business is it of yours?”

“I’m the head of this household now and I really don’t want any degenerates in the library along with my underage cousin. What are you doing, Tiffany? I thought you moved out of here months ago.”

“I thought the same thing about you,” Tiffany replied.

“My plans changed,” Brad said vaguely.

“Did you run out of money?” Tiffany guessed. She squinted at Brad. He looked a little worn down at the edges. Out of her two cousins, Brad had always had a lot more on the ball than Tyler but wherever he’d been for the past year had obviously been hard on him. Brad almost looked like he’d been working for a living, although Tiffany doubted that was the case. No one in the Schuyler family worked for a living if they didn’t have to.

“Why are you looking through my mother’s desk?” Brad asked.

“Ummm…I left something here.”

“What?”

“Just something,” Tiffany said irritably. “My old Girl Scout manual, if you want to know the truth. Rex and I are thinking about volunteering as leaders for the local troop.”

Brad laughed. “I somehow doubt the Girl Scouts will ever be that desperate.”

“Thank you for your input,” Tiffany said as she made her away around her aunt’s desk. With some adept finger work, she managed to fold the letter about Fat Off into a tiny square and tucked it into her back pocket. “Come on, Rex. I don’t see the manual here. Maybe it’s upstairs.”

“Do you know where Mother is?” Brad asked as Tiffany and Rex made their way toward the door.

“She’s probably at the club. She just about lives there these days.”

“Tiffany—“ Brad’s voice stopped Tiffany as she was almost out the door.

“What?” Tiffany asked.

“I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but you’d better bypass the kitchen on your way upstairs. You’re looking even chunkier than you did a year ago and that’s saying a lot.”

Tiffany shot a narrow-eyed glare at her cousin. Just wait until I get my hands on a can of Fat Off! Then we’ll see who you’re calling ‘chunky’! “And I can see that you’re even more obnoxious than you were a year ago,” she responded.

“Tiffany’s a babe!” Rex put in.

Tiffany grabbed her boyfriend by the arm and pulled him toward the staircase. Some people—like her creep cousin Brad—weren’t worth wasting your breath on.