Sweet Insanity: Mallory Falls, #2

By J. Leigh James

The last thing he wants is the spotlight. But when he's forced into a romantic challenge, the chaos begins…

 

Hunter Toben can't wait for his older brother to leave for college so the pranks will finally stop. But first he has to endure watching the preening fool win the lame "Sweet Insanity Best Couple" contest for the fourth time. But his dread turns to horror when he discovers his mischievous sibling has signed him up in the competition with not just one, but seven different girls.

 

Shocked when two of his stunning partners engage in a savage rivalry to use him to claim the title, Hunter finds himself drawn to the carefree and alluring Violet instead. And when he unexpectedly pulls into the lead, he struggles to balance loyalty to his brothers with his budding feelings for Violet.

 

Can Hunter beat his big bro and get the girl along the way?

 

Sweet Insanity is the second book in the lighthearted Mallory Falls YA contemporary romance series. If you like quaint settings, quirky twists, and first-prize surprises, you'll adore J. Leigh James's charming tale.

 

♥ Buy Sweet Insanity to declare love the champion today! ♥
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. Leigh James
• Release date: May 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9781735860954

J. Leigh James

J. Leigh James lives in Texas with her amazing husband, "bad apple" daughter, and neurotic cat. She began writing in middle school when a beloved story had an unsatisfying ending. After rewriting the ending to the story, she became addicted to creating love stories with happily-ever-after endings. She loves connecting with her readers, so check out her website and sign up for her newsletter.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

I’M MY MOTHER’S FAVORITE child. It’s not bragging. It’s simply true.

I wish I wasn’t.

Being the youngest of five brothers already put a target on my back. Being my mother’s baby made life even worse. Forget that I was seventeen and the tallest brother. I was the baby. And that’s all I’d ever be.

And our family knew Mom played favorites. She didn’t make it a secret. Like now, as my brothers piled into my eldest brother Kelly’s truck to build shelving for Mallory Falls’ Sweet Insanity charity fundraiser, Mom stuck me home with her to make cookies.

You live a charmed life, Brother, Forrest, my middle sibling, said as he hit my arm before leaving the house.

Hunt’s the reason we have to build these stupid shelves, complained Sage, the brother closest to me in age, a high school senior to my junior. Of all my brothers, he annoyed me the most. It’s not fair he gets to escape the punishment.

He was right. It wasn’t. But calling it my fault was off base. All five of us had been playing hide and seek eight years ago, and all five of us had knocked over an entire section of shelves and broken the Sweet Insanity candy jars. All five of us shared the blame, the reason plastic jars replaced glass ones, and all five of us had been sentenced to the annual punishment of building new shelves for the event every year.

Stop complaining, Don said. He was the second oldest, and of all the brothers, we looked the most alike, though I was taller with blonder hair and bluer eyes. I was the male equivalent of my mother, but that wasn’t the reason she loved me best.

Years of hospitals and surgeries and countless hours together had formed her bond. And my brothers resented it.

I watched them drive away and tried not to dwell on the obvious truth. It would always be the four of them bonding, joking, building strong relationships. And I would always be by myself.

Come on, Hunt, Mom motioned to follow her. These cookies won’t make themselves.

I plodded into my mother’s spacious kitchen and followed her directions for adding ingredients into several mixing bowls. She and her Sunday school class had organized a bake sale for people to buy treats while they waited in line at the Sweet Insanity nomination tables on Monday. From the looks of it, Mom planned to make enough cookies for the entire town.

Why can’t they just reuse the same shelves every year? I grumbled, even though I knew the answer. Mallory Falls didn’t want to store the bulky furniture, so they either sold them and gave the money to charity or donated them to needy families in the surrounding communities.

Mom indulgently smiled at me and kept mixing ingredients.

How long will we be punished, anyway? Won’t I get in trouble for not working?

My mother’s eyes sparkled with humor. I’ll let you in on a little secret. Your punishment was over after one year. Dad and I figured you needed to give back to the community.

I froze and stared at her in shock.

She didn’t notice my reaction and continued, Glass jars aren’t the only things you boys have broken over the years.

They don’t know? I pointed to the door where my brothers had left. Not even Kelly? I said, referring to my eldest brother. My mother loved the color green and had named her sons a green name. Don and I, though, went by our nicknames. No one called us Celadon and Hunter. That is, unless we were in trouble.

Nope, she winked at me.

I sighed and began working again. I didn’t want this knowledge. It was one more thing that separated me from my brothers. One more wedge in our relationship. But I kept quiet. If I made any comment about being left out, my parents forced the brothers to spend time with me against their will. Nothing improved brotherly affection like being an unwanted tag-along.

I silently worked by my mother’s side for the next half hour until the doorbell rang. Mom answered it and escorted Scarlett Simon into the room. Scarlett was my project partner in our Human Growth and Development class, and we’d become friends over the past several months. We didn’t have many opportunities to hang out because she also happened to be Sage’s girlfriend, and he didn’t like to share.

Get comfy, Mom said to her. The boys will return in a half hour or so.

Scarlett sat at the kitchen table while my mother made her hot chocolate, and I pulled another batch of cookies from the oven.

Want one? I offered her.

Hunt, Mom admonished, those are for the bake sale.

I raised my eyebrows in mock innocence. Scarlett is our guest. I don’t want to be rude.

Mom rolled her eyes and smiled. She loved Scarlett almost as much as Sage and I did. Of course, she can have one.

What bake sale? Scarlett fit in so well with our lives here in Mallory Falls that I often forgot she was new to town. That she didn’t know our traditions or the way we celebrated holidays.

Oh, Mom slid a couple hot cookies to the girl, the one for people waiting in line to enter their Sweet Insanity nominations.

Scarlett widened her eyes and shrugged.

I smiled at her confusion. In true Mallory Falls fashion, we can’t have a regular Valentine’s Day celebration.

So true, she smirked. She’d moved here right before Christmas during our Mistletoe Madness event. After experiencing that, she knew our tiny town wasn’t normal.

We have a best couple competition, I said. One for adults, and one for high school students.

Scarlett took a bite of her cookie as she thought. That’s rather tame for Mallory Falls.

Mom laughed. Because it’s more than that. The first week, starting this Monday, you can pay to nominate your favorite couple. Real or otherwise. The money goes to a local shelter.

They don’t have to be together? she said behind her hand, hiding the cookie still in her mouth.

Nope. You can nominate anyone. You could enter me and Loren into the contest, if you wanted. I grinned at her. Pairing me with the most popular girl in school was a complete joke. Although she’d been extra friendly to me lately, no one was under the illusion Loren liked me.

Maybe I will. She wouldn’t. Scarlett swore that if I ever dated that girl, she’d stop being my friend. As a guy with a tiny friend-group, I didn’t want to lose any member of my tribe.

Mom playfully smacked me with her dishrag. As I was saying, this is nomination week. Voting is open for the following two weeks. Then, at the town’s Valentine’s Day dance, the mayor announces the winners. My mother grinned at me. And my boys are playing that night.

Kelly, Don, and Forrest, I emphasized.

Why not you? Scarlett asked. She’d heard me sing back in December, and for the Mistletoe Madness dance, I had temporarily joined my brothers’ garage band. I hadn’t played with them since.

I placed another pan of cookies into the oven. Not interested.

Now, Hunt, Mom said. Why won’t you join them? They’ve asked you a hundred times.

Because my mother wanted me to join, not because my brothers actually wanted me there.  "I’ve said no a hundred times. You’d think they’d stop asking by now." You’d think my mom would stop pressuring them.

Mom tsked and moved the freshly baked cookies to a cooling rack.

The front door banged open, and my brothers strode into the kitchen. Sage wrapped his arms around Scarlett’s waist and kissed her temple. Waiting long? he asked.

Long enough to have a cookie.

He narrowed his eyes at me. We’d been finished sooner if Hunt hadn’t ditched us.

Sage, Mom warned.

I rarely picked fights with my brothers. Now, though, I couldn’t resist harassing him. Well, someone had to explain Sweet Insanity to Scarlett. It appears the three-year-in-a-row champ forgot about it.

Sage’s ears turned pink, and Scarlett twisted out of his arms to look him squarely in the face. Three years in a row?

Yep, Forrest joined in. Little brother will set the record if he wins again this year.

Sage’s eyes shot daggers at us before gently focusing on his girlfriend. I didn’t enter myself into the contest.

Three years? she teased. And did you win with the same girl every year?

Sage’s cheeks turned pink. No.

Just how many girls did you win with? she wrapped her hands around his neck. She loved teasing him as much as I loved seeing my brother uncomfortable.

Three, he barely said.

That was three, Forrest repeated, just in case you didn’t hear.

Thanks a lot, Sage said sarcastically.

Forrest popped him on the shoulder. Any time.

Then, maybe, you should give someone else a chance to win this year, she said.

It’s not like I tried to win, Sage complained.

I jumped into the conversation. You didn’t try to stop it, either.

Back off, Hunter, he said and then focused on his girlfriend. "This is the year I should win. We are the best couple."

She patted his chest. I’m thinking it might be good for your ego to sit this one out.

Scarlett was awesome. She knew exactly when to put my brother in his place. Don’t get me wrong. She loved him like crazy. She just didn’t tolerate his crap.

Are you kidding? he said, If it wasn’t against the rules, I’d nominate us fifty times.

That’s $250, I said.

And worth it, he replied, to show everyone Scarlett and I are perfect together.

She blushed as she stood up. Thanks for the snack, Dee Dee, she said to my mother and then grabbed Sage’s hand. Come on, player, she said, I have to get more driving hours logged before my driving school class tomorrow.

That’s driving, Forrest yelled after them, not parking.

Kelly and Don laughed as the couple hustled out of the room.

They’re so sweet together, Mom said. One day, Hunt, you’ll find a sweet girl, too.

I almost told her Scarlett was the only girl for me. I’d mean it in a totally platonic way, but that’s not how she’d take it. And as crazy as it sounds, it might tempt Mom to break up Sage and Scarlett if she thought their relationship was breaking my heart. I don’t think she’d actually do it, but I was sure she’d consider it. When they first started dating, I had to tell my mother that I wasn’t interested in the girl before she approved of them going out.

Who’s the tallest girl in your class? Forrest asked. You don’t want to hurt your back trying to get a little sugar.

Forrey, Mom warned with the nickname he absolutely hated. I didn’t care if they teased me about my height. It wasn’t a big deal to me. I just didn’t let Sage do it.

Yeah, Forrey, I mocked.

I bet he wants a girl he can pick up and carry around, Kelly teased and snuck a warm cookie off the cooling rack.

That way, he can sneak her into his room, Don grinned.

Celadon! Mom said. Sometimes she took my brothers’ joking too seriously. It was times like this when I felt like one of them. But she didn’t understand that. All she saw was my brothers picking on the baby. That’s enough. You don’t date girls based on their height. One day Hunt will fall in love, and it won’t matter how tall or short she is.

Don shrugged and left the room. He hated his full name as much as Forrest hated his nickname. Kelly followed him, leaving me and Mom alone in the kitchen, still baking cookies.

So, she said, Do you have plans tonight?

I think Bruce and I might catch a movie, I told her. Bruce had been my best friend since practically the moment we moved to Mallory Falls. He was a quiet loner, like me, and since he was a movie buff, that’s typically what we did.

Oh, she said, not hiding her disappointment. I’m not sure why, but she was looking forward to the day I finally brought a girl home. She’d have to keep waiting. I refused to date in high school.

We finished up the cookies, and I ran upstairs to grab a shower and wash the flour and sugar off of me. I dreaded the next three weeks of Sweet Insanity. Of course, Sage and Scarlett would win the competition. And he’d be unbearable, just like every year, when he pulled ahead of everyone else. I’d be happy for Scarlett. Except she didn’t care about stuff like that; she was more practical than my brother.

Still, sitting on the sidelines and watching my schoolmates whip themselves into a frenzy over a stupid love competition was not my idea of a good time. I couldn’t wait for this holiday to end.

YOU CAN’T GET ENOUGH of this place, can you? Trin Baker, owner of Main Street Diner, asked me when I stepped through the doors Sunday afternoon.

Guess not, I said. Coming here was less about being at the diner and more to avoid my family and the ongoing Sweet Insanity preparations. Mom had started baking pies, and Dad had nabbed a couple of my brothers to work on some display. So I grabbed Don’s car, because he didn’t care if I took it as long as he didn’t need it, and took off.

This afternoon it was relatively packed. There were people coming from church, others from volunteering, and some who just wanted an escape. Like me. As soon as I walked further into the large room, I saw Scarlett sitting in a booth with her friends Verna and Susan. She waved me over, and I joined them. Apparently Verna was in the middle of a vent session about her younger sister Violet. I didn’t dare ask questions because that meant Verna would completely start over on her story, which I’d found out the hard way the last time we were together. But from what I gathered, Violet had taken up a random musical instrument to join the band, and she was horrible at it. To make matters worse, according to Verna, Violet had decided to become a vlogger and was videotaping her slow excruciating path to learning it.

Younger siblings are the worst, Verna said. Then she glanced at me. Not you, of course, she dismissed the insult she inadvertently had given me.

Scarlett winked at me. Maybe younger sisters are, she said, but younger brothers are awesome.

I gave her a slight smile of thanks.

Verna complained a few more minutes, and then the conversation turned to the unavoidable. Sweet Insanity. I had to accept the fact there was no dodging SI for the next three weeks. If only I could sleep through it and wake up when it was over.

So of course you’ll nominate yourself with Sage, Susan said.

Scarlett’s lips twisted as she thought. I’m not sure. He’s won three times already, so what’s the point?

Verna huffed. It’s not about winning, she grimaced, OK, it’s about winning. But that’s not all. It’s having a public affirmation, letting everyone see that you’re the perfect couple. And then people get to vote saying that they agree with you. That’s why I can’t wait for tomorrow. I’m excited to put my name in with David’s and watch people vote for us. It will shut up my family from calling him an awful boyfriend.

Scarlett and Susan exchanged expressions, and I saw what they weren’t willing to say to her. They agreed with Verna’s family.

Whenever I joined the girls, I usually kept quiet while they talked. I didn’t have a lot to say, and I surely wasn’t sharing personal stuff with Susan and Verna. Still, I found myself diving into the conversation. Why don’t they like David?

Scarlett gave me a death glare. Obviously I’d said the wrong thing.

Verna breathed in a deep breath and I sat back and waited. Rant time. This was going to take a while.

They don’t understand my relationship. My parents are this typical suburban couple with no passion in their lives at all. They never fight, they never disagree, it’s like they have one brain. They don’t realize that David and I are both passionate people. Passionate people don’t always see eye to eye; they argue. And sometimes our arguments get super passionate, and we have to break up before we can calm down and make up. But David and I understand this; we realize this about ourselves. It’s why we’re so perfect together.

Susan placed her hands flat on the table top and leaned over her plate of half eaten French fries. "Do you honestly believe that? I mean, do you hear yourself? You and David fight all the time. I mean all the time. How can that be healthy?"

I expected Verna to get angry, but she didn’t take offense. You would think that Susan; you’re just like my parents. You and Norton have a wonderful, easy-going, non-passionate relationship. You’ll be high school sweethearts who marry, have 2.5 kids and never have a worry in your lives. That’s who you are. And that’s OK. But that’s not me.

Susan leaned away from the table and scowled. Number one, she held up her index finger, Norton and I are only talking right now. We’re not sweethearts. So don’t buy our house with a white picket fence and the rocking chairs on the porch yet. Number two, she raised another finger to join the first, There’s a difference between a passionate relationship and people who bicker. Do you want to guess which one you are?

I didn’t mean to make you mad, Verna said. A tiny frown formed on her face. Instead of realizing how much she had offended her friend, Verna was mad because Susan was.

I caught Scarlett’s attention