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“There are several people who know,” Dylan says.
“True, but none of them would sell a story to the press.”
Dylan and Jace exchange a glance and then turn back to me. It hits me what they are thinking. “No! She wouldn’t sell that story to the press.”
“Didn’t you tell us that her publisher canceled the contract?” Jace says.
I talk to my brothers too much. I shouldn’t have told them that. But I only did it to protect Ivy. She’s acting strong, but I know the news affected her terribly. I told my brothers so they wouldn’t ask her how the book was going.
“You don’t really know her,” Jace says.
“And don’t tell us that you do. Sleeping with someone doesn’t count as knowing them,” Dylan says in a dry tone.
I can’t believe they’re even thinking that of Ivy. She’s a good person, a person of integrity. “You’re going to have to trust me on this one. Ivy is not involved.”
“I wish I could trust your word, but on this one, I can’t rule her out. I’m sorry,” Jace says.
“I like Ivy, but I agree with Jace,” Dylan says. “We don’t know her from Adam.”
31
Alec
It’s been a super stressful week, and I am glad that it is coming to an end. Ivy has noticed it, too, and she’s asked me twice if everything is okay. I wish I could unburden myself to her. She’s a good listener, and I like hearing things from her point of view.
My afternoon is packed with surgery after surgery. I’m glad because I’ve been walking around with a permanent pit in my stomach. Jace is doing his best to contain the scandal, but there’s no guarantee with such things. There’s no telling if the TV station knows more than they are letting on, and they still plan on running the story.
I’ve never been so fucking scared in my life. I hate working on what if’s, but that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. I’m physically and mentally exhausted at the end of the day and also nervous about going to my parents’ house for dinner.
When my father summons you, it’s serious. I don’t need to be told that it’s got something to do with the brewing storm. At home, a shower somewhat does the trick, and I feel a lot fresher when I leave for dinner.
Ivy and I briefly exchange a few text messages, mostly asking about each other’s day. This secret I’m keeping feels like a wall growing between us, and I hate that. I miss telling her anything I want without worrying about saying something I shouldn’t.
Dylan calls when I am on the way and asks if I’m up for a drink and dinner. I mumble some excuse about not being available and hang up. I’m even lying to my brother about going to our parents’ house for dinner, but I don’t want to deal with Dylan’s questions afterward.
My mother opens the door herself, and despite her cheerful greeting and hug, I can tell that she’s worried. I give my father a quick hug, and then we sit around catching up. My body is tight with tension, and it seems as if we all are.
“Dinner is ready,” my mother says, returning to the drawing-room.
We file out and sit around the table. I take my customary chair to the left of my father. The food is delicious as usual, but the three of us are simply going through the motions.
I’m relieved when dinner is over, and we can get into what brought me here.
“Why didn’t any of you boys tell us what’s going on?” my father asks. “Why do we always have to learn things about our own business from other sources?”
I’m the first to look away. “I guess we want to protect you.” That’s the truth. “We can’t keep running to you when there’s a problem.”
“A problem?” my father explodes. “This isn’t just a problem; this is something that threatens our livelihood. How did it get out? Do you know?”
I don’t blame my father for his anger. Suddenly, what we had taken for granted is slipping away from us.
“Alec, do you know how this got out?” my mother says, pulling me back to the present.
My brothers’ suspicions flittingly cross my mind. My sweet Ivy. If they knew her as well as me, they would not suspect her for one moment.
“We don’t.” My mother lets out a breath. “We’re not going to sit around waiting for them to smear the name we’ve built for decades. We’re going to do something about it.”
“Jace, Dylan, and I are not just sitting around.” There’s a defensive tone in my voice, but I can’t help it. My mother is implying that we’re waiting like lame ducks.
