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For as far back as anyone could remember, the Valley and Villas had always been mortal enemies, and bringing me over to the Valley wouldn't change that, no matter how hard Christian tried.
"Not so bad, is it?" Chloe laughed, sinking into a seat beside me.
"No," I said, shifting in my seat to keep from fidgeting. So far, it wasn't that bad. None of my worst-case scenarios had happened yet, though the group of women and girls directly across from us hadn't stopped staring since I stepped outside as they whispered between themselves. It could be a complete coincidence, but I doubted it. I'm sure everyone wondered who brought the girl from the Villas into the Valley. "I need a drink." I pushed out of my chair. I needed a break from the stares. "Do you want anything?"
"No thanks," Chloe said. "I think everything is still inside." She pointed to the double doors leading into the clubhouse.
Pushing through the door leading into the country club, I searched the large room for any sign of where they served drinks. The room was full of proud parents mingling and discussing their children's successes. Jealousy bloomed in my chest, wishing I had a parent here swooning over me.
"Wow," a woman's voice said, stopping me. "You look just like your mother." I twisted to see a petite brunette woman standing to my left. Her eyes swept over my face like she was examining it.
"I'm sorry." I smiled politely. "Do I know you?" I knew I didn't, but she seemed to know my mother, and I would love to know how.
"Mom," Link interrupted, strolling up to us. Mom? She was Link's mom. The woman married to the man who could be my father. "I see you've met Harper." Link threw an arm across my shoulders, and her eyes went wide, locking on his arm.
"Is this—" she paused, swallowing hard; her entire body went ridged. She cleared her throat. "Um, is this your girlfriend?" And, at that moment, I knew she knew. I could see it in her eyes. The fear that her son could be fucking his sister. But what did she know? Did she know there was a possibility I was Link's half-sister, or did she know I was?
"No." Link laughed. "Harper and I are friends. She's Christian's girl." Her body visibly relaxed. There was a slim chance she was uptight because she didn't want her son dating a Villa girl, and if she knew my mother, then she knew where I was from, but I didn't think that was it. I was almost one hundred percent positive she knew who my father was.
I wanted to ask her, but I didn't want to do it in front of anyone, especially Link. Link was important to me, and I didn't want to hurt him unnecessarily.
"Well, you guys enjoy your day." She forced a smile before turning and walking away.
"Come on," Link said, guiding me towards the bar. "Let's grab some drinks." I nodded, my gaze following Ms. Elliott to her table.
I couldn't focus on anything but Link's mom for the rest of the day. The way she'd looked at Link and me when she thought we might be dating. There was no way she didn't know something, and I needed to find out what.
"Are you okay?" Christian asked, worry lines creasing his forehead. I'd tried to disguise how distracted I was, but apparently, I wasn't doing a good enough job.
"I'm good." I forced a smile. "I need to use the restroom."
"Do you want me to go with you?"
"No, thank you." I pushed out of my chair. I leaned over, placing a kiss on his lips before heading inside. I didn't want him to go with me because I wanted to find Link's mom alone and talk to her, but I knew that would be hard to do here.
As I walked through the crowd, I searched the room for Ms. Elliott, but she wasn't at her table or anywhere visible.
Sighing heavily, I pushed through the bathroom doors, deciding to use the restroom and then take a casual walk around the club. Maybe I'd get lucky and find Ms. Elliott alone. The clubhouse bathroom was bigger than my entire childhood trailer. Flipping on the hot water, I washed my hands. A toilet flushed behind me, and my eyes flashed to the mirror to see Ms. Elliott stepping out of the stall.
"Harper." She said, stepping beside me and flicking on the water. "I was hoping I'd run into you again." I wasn't sure what to say or how to respond. So, I let her do the talking. "Your mom was an old friend of mine." I somehow doubted that. My mom and Ms. Elliott were from two different worlds. "How is she?"
"I wouldn't know," I muttered. "She abandoned me a few years ago to start a new family." I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek. I had no idea why I'd just said that.
"You had a good childhood?" My brows furrowed as our eyes locked through the mirror. My mind raced. Why would she care? That was such a random question. Until it hit me, she was trying to make herself feel better. She needed to hear about my amazing childhood to feel better about Mr. Elliots abandoning me.
"You know," I said, more a statement than a question.
"Know what, dear?" she said, her gaze darted down to her hands still under the sink's running water.
"That your husband could be my father." I scoffed. I couldn't believe we were playing this game. She knew; I knew she did. She swallowed hard but made no effort to confirm my suspicion, which I took as confirmation. "Does Link or Mr. Elliott know?"
"No." she reached out for me. "Please, they can never know."
Chapter 44
Harper
How did she know if he didn't know?
