Chapter 1

Chapter One

Annie

"Annie!" a familiar voice calls, pulling me from my sleep. Slowly, I blink open my eyes and remember where I am.

On a plane. With my best friend and flatmate, Suzanne.

We've been living abroad in London together for the last eighteen months. We finally finished our internship with the incredibly famous and persnickety glassblowing artist Jackson Ren, and we're both more than ready to get started on the next step in our careers. As soon as we can figure out what those are.

Well, Suzie is going to figure out her next step. I'm going to lick my wounds and get over Daddy Jackson while pretending that my entire life hasn't been turned upside down.

When I packed my bags nearly two years ago, I had no freaking idea how crazy my life would get. Of course, I knew I was going to another country, but they spoke the same damn language and ate most of the same foods. How hard could it possibly be? That's what I thought, at least.

The answer?

It's super-duper hard. Our internship program started with ten people. Jackson kicked out six of them within the first three months for incompetence and other petty bullshit. Within another six months, two more were out, and just Suzie and I were left. We became fast friends in the battle trenches and before the first two people had even been sent home; we'd already opted to move out of the dorm rooms provided to us and get a small two-bedroom place together. The two of us were both lucky enough that our parents were willing to help with the rent, so we weren't in a toxic environment all the time. And by the time it was just the two of us left over, it was way better anyway, because we'd learned that it was just easier to have that separation from the British Glass Institute .

Thinking back on it, it's probably why Suzie and I made it. We got to step away each night. We didn't have to stew in the toxicity of the other interns, and with our own little roof over our heads, it just felt a bit more like home.

Speaking of...

"I'm awake," I groan out, pushing forward in my comfortable business-class seat. A huge yawn slips out as I rub the sleep from my eyes.

Suzanne—or Suzie, as I call my best friend— is vibrating in the seat next to me, patiently waiting for me to join her in the land of the living. "We're about to land. They asked us to put on our seatbelts."

I groan as my arms stretch above my body. "Shit. Did I sleep that long? I'm sorry, Suzie. You should have kicked me to keep you company. "

My friend giggles as she reaches across the small divide between us to push at my arm. "Don't be an idiot. I wish I could sleep through the long-ass flights like you do. That way I might avoid some of the jet lag that's about to hit me like a freight train."

I smile at her, before buckling up as directed. We really lucked out with our flight. It's landing just after nine in the morning, and after sleeping most of the flight away, I'll probably be good to go all day. Suzie, on the other hand, has been awake for over twenty-four hours already so she's in for a rough time.

"I might have myself a little nap when we get to the house." She shrugs as she sits back in her seat to stare out the window next to her. "But you can't let me sleep too long or it will completely screw me over. The sooner we get back into the swing of things, the better off I'll be in the long run."

My heart sinks at her request. For a moment I almost forgot I was going back to Suzanne's place to stay with her and her dads instead of home to my parents as we'd originally planned.

Her dads are cool for letting me stay with them for the next few months. Although I haven't met them yet, I've spoken to them a few times when they video-called Suzie over the last year and a half. They are chill and relaxed and love their daughter very much. With zero reservations.

I'd always thought that was the case with my parents, too. Until everything with Daddy Jackson blew up. Suddenly, I was such a huge disappointment and wasn't welcome at home anymore.

That was pretty much their exact words to me. "No Anabelle. This is so disappointing to your father and I, that we do not think we'll be able to face running into you every day at home. It's probably best if you start fresh on your own as soon as you return to the States."

Sure. After years of their support. Years of having them promise me they would help me fulfill my dream.

But it's fine. I don't need their money. I don't need the roof over my head or the car they promised me. I don't even need the damn food. I can be a starving artist. It will be the way I pave my path. Honestly, it's probably better anyway, it might even help with my art.

But first, Suzie convinced me to take a summer break of sorts, where we could just lie by her indoor pool and do nothing but read, laugh, and have fun. Neither of us had the chance before because, after finishing our art degrees in our respective schools, we went straight to Jackson's internship.

It also helps that her dads built her an entire fucking studio and she told me I could play around in it as if it's my own. She's still trying to convince me to just stay with her until I get on my feet, but I'm determined to do this thing by myself and show my parents I don't need them.

So two months for a summer break, in the middle of winter. Two months to unwind, try to forget my first Daddy and build up some kind of portfolio to show around at studios and galleries.

I don't have much in the way of savings, but I'm reasonably sure, after my two months with Suzie and her family that I should be able to find a job at a glasswork studio, even if it's just to make trinkets for tourists to start with.

"Hey, Annie." Suzie nudges me again, drawing me from my depressing thoughts. "Where'd you go? "

A sheepish smile flits across my face before I shrug. "Just running through the plan again."

She rolls her eyes at me, knowing it's pointless to go back onto the 'let's convince Annie' train right now. "No plans now. Now is for fun. Water, sun and too much rum. Or something like that anyway." Her warm laughter fills the plane cabin and a grumpy young asshole stares back at us with a scowl on his face.

Without even thinking about it, I stick out my tongue before rolling my eyes at him. "You're right, sorry. No future worries. All fun, all the time. Who'll be fetching us from the airport?"

Suzie's smile widens even more. "I think they're sending The Jackass."

She says this just as I take a huge sip of the bottle of water I'd stashed in my cup holder. The surprised laughter had me snorting the water out all over the seat in front of us, only drawing more giggles from my best friend. "Do you really refer to your brother as 'The Jackass'?" I ask after I finally get control of my breathing again.

"Of course. He's a jackass. He's tormented me my entire life. I mean, I'm pretty sure it's a brother's requirement to piss you off from time to time, but he's made it his mission in life."

Her words, though slightly annoyed, don't match her tone. Whenever she talks about her family, talks to them even, her voice is so filled with complete and utter love.

"You don't think it's possible that he might have improved his attitude in the two years you haven't seen him?"

Suzie lifts a solitary eyebrow at me as if she's trying to tell me she thinks I'm an idiot. "He can be fifty, have a wife and three kids, and he'll still be a jackass. Them's the rules, bestie-of-mine. I didn't make them."

Before both of us can descend into another fit of giggles, the captain's voice comes over the intercom informing us of the time and weather when we land. The crisp December air will be enough to wake Suzie up on its own. And when we grab our stuff from the overhead bins, I promise we'll stop and get her the biggest coffee we can find.

Thanks to our expensive seats—well thanks to her parents really—it doesn't take us very long to get off the plane and grab our bags. After that, it takes us even less time to find The Jackass.

And that might have something to do with the huge, rainbow-colored sign he's swinging around, loudly proclaiming he's waiting for 'THE WORLD'S MOST ANNOYING SISTER'.

Jackass, indeed.