I can hear the sigh my brother gives. It sounds tired and defeated. Maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on him. He is expected to carry the weight of so much since he’s the oldest.
“They’ve been impressed with the sales and all the work Piper is putting into getting Starlit fields out there. We’ve doubled our earnings in the time the two of you have been implementing your marketing strategy.”
Excuse me, what? This whole time Pierce knew. I’ve been doing all of this with his approval and didn’t know. It’s not a bad thing, but still. He shot down my idea when I first presented it to him.
“You need to tell her you’ve known this whole time. I can’t keep this secret any longer.” He pauses before taking a deep breath. “It also shouldn’t have taken me coming to you about it for you to even consider it.”
The gasp that falls from my lips can’t be helped. Both of their heads whip toward the door. Shit. I need to get away from here. My feet pound the dirt as I haul ass back to the house with my name falling from Beau’s mouth.
Peter is the first person I run into. He puts both hands on my shoulders. “Are you okay? Did you run into a snake or something?”
“C-can you please take me home…right now?” I glance behind my shoulder to see how far behind Beau and Pierce are. “Please, Peter.”
“Let’s go.” He pulls me toward the golf cart and starts it as soon as I slide into the seat. “Is everything okay?”
“No.” I take another peek behind me to make sure Beau isn’t following me. “And I don’t really want to talk about it.”
He nods at me and presses the gas pedal to make this thing go as fast as possible. It doesn’t take us long to get to my house. I probably could have run the whole way but I know Beau would have caught up and he’s the last person I want to see right now.
As soon as he’s parked, he turns off the golf cart and waits for me to get out. He’s done something he’s never done and walks me to my door. Any other time he’s gotten me home, he’s alwaysjust dropped me off and waited until I got inside before peeling out of my driveway. I swear my brother can be a gentleman when he wants to.
The door jingles as I push it open. I completely forgot I have that as my intruder mechanism. “You need to actually lock the damn door. If you’re in one of deep sleeps, you’ll never hear that.”
“I know, I know.” One day people will stop riding me about it.
“Do you want me to stay with you?” He knows something is up with Beau, and I’m grateful for his protective big brother act. He’s been an unlikely ally tonight, and I love him all the more for it.
“No, I’m good.” Before he has a chance to come all the way inside, I add, “And I promise I’ll lock the door as soon as I close it. I just want to be alone tonight.”
“Okay. Call me if you need anything. I can be here in less than five.”
“I will.” I start closing the door and stop. “Oh, Peter, thank you for tonight. It really helped with some of what I’ve been feeling. You’re a good big brother.”
“I try.” He shrugs and backs off my porch. “I’ll be back to check on you in the morning.”
“It better be with breakfast.”
I watch him shake his head as he rushes back to the golf cart. Even though he drives me up the wall, he’s there when I really need him. Who knows, our talk tonight could lead to a stronger relationship than we’ve ever had.
More than anything I want to crawl into bed and figure out how I’ve been so blind to the fact Beau has been lying to me all along, but I still need to eat dinner. Looks like it’s another night of frozen pizza and wine for me. This is why I never open my heart. Even if it is to my best friend. Sadly, I’m not shocked about Pierce’s role in all this.
twenty-four
. . .
beau
Shit.Shit. Shit. This is exactly why I wanted Pierce to tell his sister what was going on sooner than later. Should she have been listening at the door? Probably not. I don’t blame her, though.
My feet pound after her. I need to explain. Mostly how it wasn’t my idea to keep it a secret. How in the hell is she so fast? I guess fury adds to the adrenaline, and I can’t even blame her.
When I finally catch up to her, she’s getting into a golf cart with Peter. His eyes narrow on me before he takes off. Unease courses through me. If she’s running to the sibling she likes about as much as Pierce, then I’ve really fucked up.
Honestly, I can’t blame anyone but myself. Going to Pierce to begin with was a bad decision. But I knew the repercussions for Piper would be bad if I didn’t set up some safety nets for her.
Parker glances at me, his face filled with confusion. I know he wants to ask me what happened, but I’m too busy digging in my pockets searching for my keys. I know for a fact I shoved them in there when I got here for precisely this reason. If Piper wantedto make a quick escape when her family gets to be too much. I never thought she’d be running from me.
I take a step to go around the house, but a hand lands on my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks.
