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“If the fruit on the label fits…”
I grab the nearest glass with liquid in it and throw it in his face. Droplets of what smells like wine, run down his face. His light gray shirt turning charcoal. “Fuck you, Trey!” I seethe. “I’m no one’s sloppy seconds, no one’s trash. And most of all you have zero say about my love life.”
He wipes a hand down his face. “I figured you’d have better taste than him.”
“How do you know what I like? You know what? Don’t answer that. I’m out of here.” I sidestep Trey and Ledger. “Sorry, Mona and Kenny. I’d like to say we’ll do this again, but I don’t think that’ll happen.”
I step up to Ledger, so we are toe to toe. My voice low. “I’m not a trophy to be won. You two want to fight about it, fine. But I don’t want to be involved.”
Without sparing a glance behind me, I storm out of the house. My heartbeat pounds in my ears as my hands tremble. All my emotions bubble over until everything finally explodes. Tears run down my cheeks. I brush them away but it doesn’t matter, they keep pouring down. I hear the front door open, and I spare a glance over my shoulder. Ledger’s standing in the doorway, hurt and confusion etched on his face, but he doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t come after me. And that might be the thing that hurts the most.
TWELVE
WASN’T MEANT TO BE
Ledger
I run out the front door but stop before I reach the driveway. So much for being Team Ledger. It’s better this way. Trey’s right. We don’t belong together. You can’t force water and oil to mix. And that’s exactly what we are. We don’t mix. She’s a ray of sunshine and I’m the dark cloud that will only hold her back. Our lives are too different.
“We put up with a lot of this fighting while you and Trey grew up. But I was hoping since you two are adults, you’d put your differences aside for one meal, but clearly, I was wrong.” Mona comes to stand next to me.
“That’s why I didn’t want to come. It’s best I stay away. Sorry I came.” I storm toward my truck.
“Ledger. Ledger! That’s not what I meant!” Mona yells.
As I open the driver’s door, a hand clutches my forearm. I twist around to find Trey standing there. I yank my arm from his grasp. “Don’t worry, I’m leaving.”
“What are you doing with Olivia?” He narrows his eyes.
“Why the fuck does it matter?” I spit out.
“She’s one of my best friends and I hate to see her get caught up in what bullshit you got going on in your life.”
“Like what? Busting my ass working? Making a living for myself? Because whatever you think my life is about, is not it. In fact, you know nothing about me. So why don’t you go back inside, and everyone can go back to being one big happy family. Without me.” I climb up into my truck and pull the door shut, but his grip on the frame stops me.
“She deserves the best.”
His words sting as if I’m not the one who can give it to her. And he’s probably right. I’ll never be able to give her everything she deserves. Not even a fraction of it. It’s better that I come to grips with that now, instead of after we get too deep.
“And apparently, that’s not me.” I tug on the door again, and Trey lets go before his fingers get crushed. Turning over the ignition, I pop it into reverse. When I reach the end of the driveway, the tires squeal as I race down the road, hoping I can find Olivia. At the very least, I can give her a ride home. I don’t want her walking the secluded country roads. A mile down the road, when I don’t spot her, I make a U-turn in a driveway and search for her in the other direction, but nothing. There’s no way she could have gotten far. Pulling out my phone, I dial her number. It rings a few times, then goes to voicemail. I try again. Same thing. This time I leave a message. A few seconds later, a text message pops up.
Olivia
I’m fine.
She says she’s fine, but I don’t believe it because I know I’m far from fine.
THIRTEEN
THE WRONG GROVELER
Olivia
When I reach the end of the driveway, I call Charlie. Luckily, she’s only five minutes away and can pick me up. I continue walking toward the setting sun. Never in my wildest dreams would I suspect Trey and Ledger are brothers. Or half-brothers. They are complete opposites. Now that I think about it, they both have the same steely gray eyes. This is an absolute mess. And poor Mona. She must hate me. I yelled, swore, and threw food at what was supposed to be a nice family dinner. Thankfully, it was white wine instead of red that I threw on Trey. I make note to send apology flowers and a cleaning service for the mess I made.
The crunching of gravel draws my attention. I glance up and Charlie’s SUV comes into view as she pulls up next to me with the window rolled down. “This seems only fitting that I finally get to return the favor.” Her long brown hair flows down her shoulders as she leans cross the center console, a smirk playing on her lips.
I give her a crooked smile before opening the door and climbing in. There was a time when Charlie stormed out of Bennett’s house, and she called me to pick her up on the side of the road.
