“Is Brandon in?” I ask.
“He’s busy.” Her cold reply doesn’t shock me as much as it used to.
“Can you tell him I’m here?”
“He’s already eaten,” she bites back.
“That’s fine.”
She stomps off, and a few minutes later, Brandon walks in. “Jenna.”
Holding up the bag, I say, “I brought food.”
“Uh, I ate already.”
“I know, but you can have it later. It’s your favorite.”
A smile curves his mouth. “Thanks.”
We stand there awkwardly, and I finally ask, “Can we talk?”
“Uh, actually, I’m really busy right now.”
“Oh. Well, okay. I can just—”
The blonde he was with the other night comes sailing in the door right at that moment. “Hey, babe. Is my ride ready yet?”
He stares at me, gauging my reaction. But what does he expect? Does he want me to run up to her and hug her, introduce myself, and be her best friend? And that’s not fair at all, is it? Because I have Kenneth, and I’m doing the same thing to him.
Taking two steps backward, I say, “I’ll catch you later.”
“Yeah, take it easy.” And with that, he turns to Blondie and says something, but I don’t stick around to hear it because I’m out the door as fast as my feet will carry me.
Eight
BRANDON
This thing between Jenna and me has to stop, I tell myself for the millionth time. She’s made it exceedingly clear that she has a boyfriend and only wants me as a friend. And how long can I pretend to be just a friend when I want so much more?
“Are you coming by tonight?” the woman who’d spooked Jenna asks.
My distraction has become a nuisance. She’s supposed to take my mind off of Jenna, not make me wish she was her.
“Yeah, not tonight. I’ll back your car out.”
Hours later, I go home alone to an empty house. Why had I given the blonde a pass? Not in the mood for cooking, I regret not taking Jenna’s offered food. I grab a beer from the fridge and plop on the sofa.
I’ve just picked up the remote when the front door opens and my brother walks in. With his crestfallen expression, I ask, “What happened to you?” He enters my kitchen without answering me. “No beer,” I add.
Sighing heavily, he comes and flops on the sofa with a Coke in his hand.
“Well?” I ask again.
“Girls.”
My brother is the happy-go-lucky sort. He’s the optimist in a sea of pessimists. Growing up with Mom, I learned never to depend on anything or anyone but myself. Braedon’s just the opposite. He relishes teamwork and looks forward to the future. So to see him so sullen is almost hard to watch.
“Women,” I say, lifting my beer. “What’s her name?”
He tells me. “She broke up with me. Out of the blue, she’s like giving me shit, but won’t tell me what I did wrong. I have no clue what crawled up her ass.”
“Just apologize,” I say. “It’s the easiest way if you want her back.”
“But what am I apologizing for?”
I shrug. “Sometimes it doesn’t matter.”
He shakes his head. “I’m not just going to roll over. There are other girls out there.”
Shrugging again, I add, “That’s on you. Do whatever you can live with.”
“Is that why you don’t date?”
Eying him, I’m tempted not to answer. Then I remember, Dad isn’t around to impart wisdom and shit. And God knows what Mom has tried to brainwash him with.
“I date. But more important, I work.”
“Yeah, you work too much. You never have fun. You take care of Mom and me…”
So he sees that. Not that I’ve tried to hide it. I give Mom money, but I don’t announce it when I do.
“If I didn’t work, I wouldn’t have been able to buy the shop when Will wanted to sell.”
“Yeah, but Mom told me you’d wanted to go to college for mechanical engineering or to be an architect.”
I had. All that changed when Mom had lost her job the summer before I went off to school. I’d made the decision to stay on at the shop and apprentice with Will. Mom had tried to get me to go to school, but when I explained all the benefits of me staying, she hadn’t put up much of a fight.
She’d eventually found a job, but it didn’t pay all the bills. It certainly wasn’t enough to save for Braedon to go to college.
“School’s not for everyone, kid. I like my life. And I’m fine with how things are.”
Braedon is anything but stupid. “So you say.” Just when I think he might leave the topic alone, he hauls off and adds, “Thank you.”
The moment feels too heavy. “Don’t be such a sap, and go get your girl.”
“Nah,” he says. “I did everything for her. And I won’t let her lead me by a chain any longer.”
We sit in silence for a long time before Braedon’s phone rings with Mom wondering where he is. He tries to get me to go over there for dinner, but I can’t deal with my mother tonight. As he opens the door to leave, Jenna’s there with her hand about to knock on the door.
My brother is quick to turn on the charm.
“Hello, gorgeous,” he says with a smile brighter than the sun and eyes all for her.
Jenna blushes, and I’m out of my seat swatting at my brother to stop. “Go home, Braedon,” I warn.
“If you ever get tired of my brother, I’m available.”
I clap the back of his head, and he ducks, saying, “Ouch.”
“Ignore him. He’s seventeen,” I tell Jenna.
“Dude.” Braedon gives me a look of betrayal. “Not cool.”
“Go home or Mom will send out a search party for you soon.”
“I’ll be eighteen in a couple of weeks,” he says to her, as I shove him none too playfully out the door.
Still, he’s my baby brother. I stand there in the doorway and watch him get into his car before I turn my attention to Jenna.
“I know, stalker much?” She gives me puppy dog eyes before brushing past me and into my house. The contact is slight, but it charges through my body like she has jumper cables attached to her. “I just didn’t like the way things ended with us.”
Slowly, I turn to face her, because I’m a live wire. I’m horny as hell, and I have a beautiful woman alone in my house.
“Jenna.”
Her name comes out of my mouth like I gargled coal.
She holds up a hand. “Let me speak first.”
My mouth clamps shut, and I wait for what she has to say. Will she admit that there is more than friendship that could be between us?
“I like you, Brandon.” She licks her lips, and damn, if it isn’t sexy. I shift on my feet, waiting for her to say the word so I can pounce. “Okay, truth.” I nod. “I like you far more than I should. But I can’t. It’s not fair. Kenneth…”
He’s everything I’m not from what I’ve heard of him. He has the right last name, the right amount of savings in his bank account. Everything about me is wrong. She hasn’t said as much, but I gather her parents would not like to see me grace their doorstep. And that means something to her.
“Why are you here?” I ask.
Stubborn in a way that’s far too attractive, she marches toward me.
“Because I’m selfish. You’re my friend. Hell, with Cate not here, you’re like my best friend.”
Her eyes plead with me as she stands way too close. I drop my forehead to meet hers to avoid taking that extra movement to press my lips to hers. Just a few inches and we can put this so-called friendship to the test.
She angles her head to look into my eyes. Now our mouths are less than a breath apart. My control breaks, and I throw caution out the door. I make my move, but Jenna is quicker. She takes a dancing step back. A quirk to her lips and I’m not sure if she’s mocking me.
“Besides, it’s my birthday next week, and you owe me a wish.”
/> Her smile is a little too bright. She knows she’s won and has me by the balls.
“And what is your wish?”
“If I told you, it wouldn’t come true. But I can say that I can’t imagine spending my birthday without my friends.”
Clearly, I’m infatuated with her, because all my brain functions have fled one head for the other. If she told me to jump over the moon for her, I’d find a fucking rocket to hijack.
“What about your boyfriend?”
She waves a dismissive hand. “He won’t be in town.”
“Maybe I’ll stop by then.”
“Maybe?”
I shrug. “If you don’t have plans and I don’t have plans.”
She comes over and lightly punches my shoulder. “You better at least call. Or you could come by my office and pop out of a cake without your shirt on and yell surprise.”
Tossing my head back, I laugh. “Shirtless?” She nods. “So that’s what I am to you now. A cake topper?”
“Not the topper, but the surprise in the middle. I do have a reputation to keep.”
The fact that she says it all straight-faced has me laughing harder until she joins with me.
“You would look good coming out of a cake. Besides, there are a couple of single women I could fix you up with.”
That stops my chuckle midway. She sighs. “Too soon?”
I nod. “Yeah, we aren’t quite at the fixing each other up stage.”
She bites her lip before wrapping her arms around me and pressing her cheek to my chest.
“I just wish…”
“Stop,” I say. “There’s no use in wishing.”
I want to hug her close, but instead, I awkwardly pat her back. If she gets any closer, she’ll know what’s on my mind. And it’s anything but friendly.
“I should go,” she says, stepping out of my embrace.
Licking my lips, I nod and move to the side, giving her a straight path to the door. After opening it, she hangs there for a second longer.
“We can do this.” She waits for my reply. When I say nothing, she adds, “Be friends.”
Then she’s gone. The door isn’t the only divide between us. How is it possible for two people to only be friends when there is so much more we both feel for each other?
Nine
JENNA
Today is my birthday. I’ve been at work all day, and no one has even mentioned it. My parents haven’t called, Ben hasn’t texted me, and Cate hasn’t emailed or called either. The fact that the people at work haven’t said anything doesn’t bother me because I haven’t mentioned it to them. Besides, I’m not that close to anyone here. But my family? I’ve never, ever forgotten any of their birthdays. And then there’s Kenneth. He’s in D.C. with his dad, the big senator, but he hasn’t mentioned a word, by way of flowers, phone, text, or email either. Ever since Cate left I feel like I’m the lone wolf here. And it’s no fun at all. If I didn’t have so much work piled in front of me, I’d go home and wallow in self-pity.
My boss comes in and tosses another pile of folders on my desk. Our business is soaring. Aaron replaced Evvie with someone who actually works, and it’s made such a difference in my workload I was able to bring in more business. So now the company is expanding. Kenneth keeps telling me to quit, and so does Mom. But I love the job, other than our need for more employees. With this added pile of work Aaron just gave me, it looks like I’ll be here at least another hour or so.
My phone rings, and I answer it without looking at the caller ID.
“Jenna Rhoades.”
“I’m doing my civic duty,” he says.
“What’s that?”
“Wishing you a happy birthday as required!” His deep raspy voice sings the words to me, and I can’t help but feel a bit more melancholy by them. When I don’t respond, he asks, “Everything all right with you?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
“It doesn’t sound like it.”
“It’s been a busy day.”
“And?”
Damn, he knows me too well already.
“The truth?”
“Nothing but.”
“I’m down in the dumpster,” I admit.
“But today’s your day to be on top of the world.” He sounds sympathetic.
“Yeah, I know. Can I tell you something embarrassing?”
“Absolutely. What are friends for?”
“You’re the only one who remembered my birthday.” And that is pretty damn sad.
He doesn’t say anything for a minute. “It’s still early. Give everyone some time.”
“That’s no excuse, and you know it.”
“You never know. Maybe they are trying to surprise you.”
“I doubt it. See why I need you as my friend? You are the only one who cares enough.”
“Okay, it sounds like I’m going to have to bring in the big guns.”
“What’s that?”
“I’ll have to sing you happy birthday. It’s a sure-fire way to make you smile,” he says.
“Do it. I dare you.” Already a grin has formed on my face.
He sings the first chord. “Now, aren’t you happy I won’t sing anymore?”
“No way. I want to hear the entire song.”
“You don’t. Your ears will be wrecked for life.”
Chuckling for the first time today, I say, “Let me be the judge of that.”
“Promise me one thing.”
“You got it.”
Laughing, he says, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He breaks into “Happy Birthday” and has me seriously giggling by the second line. When he gets to the end, I’m crying. He throws his voice into a false vibrato that is so exaggerated I end up snorting out my laugh.
“Oh, God. Don’t ever give up working as a car mechanic. You will be in financial ruin.”
“Hey, I warned you, didn’t I?”
“You did.” I wipe the wet off of my face. Thank God for Brandon. He made me laugh on my birthday.
“So, what are you doing right this minute?” he asks.
“My boss just tossed a pile of to-do files on my desk. Therefore, I am working. And probably will be for at least another hour.”
“Does he know what day this is?” he asks with mock surprise.
“Whatever. It’s not like I had great plans or anything. Without Cate here, my life is totally drab.”
“Damn. What about me?” Then as if he’s caught what he says, he adds, “Kenneth?”
I stare out the window of my office, which overlooks King Street in downtown Charleston. Tourists are out on this fall day, but the temperatures are well above eighty. I’m sure the beaches are filled with people, too. My mind wanders a bit over how my mother would be thrilled about a match between the esteemed Balfours and the Rhoades.
“Jenna? You there?”
“Oh, sorry. Kenneth, yes. He’s in D.C. He works for his dad, Senator Balfour. He didn’t change his plans for me.”
“Oh. I didn’t know that’s who he was.” And then the expected dead silence. I can imagine what’s running through his head, but I’m quick to stifle it.
“Kenneth is fine, but I’m not really sure about his parents. I haven’t met them, but I can only imagine.” My voice, along with my stomach, sours.
“You don’t sound too excited about them.” Brandon’s right. I’m not.
“No, but I can’t hold that against Kenneth.”
“Now isn’t that the truth? No one can choose who their parents are, can they? That’s good you accept him for who he is and not for that parent BS.”
“Well, I could never be like that.” I’m more than a little surprised he would mention it. But then again, maybe he thinks because of who Kenny is, it’s expected he would date someone of his social caliber, of which I am not. “But I need to get off here if I ever want to leave my office tonight.”
“Oh, sorry I kept you,” he says.
“I’m not. You’re the best distraction I’ve had
all day.” I mean it.
“Maybe I need to distract you more often.” I can hear the smile in his words.
“Yeah, maybe you do.” By the time I hit the End button, I’m grinning. Until, that is, I look back at the pile of folders on my desk. Ugh. Oh well. What do I have waiting for me at home? Nothing, that’s what.
It’s close to seven by the time I pull into the driveway of my house, which is located in the upper peninsula of Charleston. Everyone always used to say this part of town would never be what it used to be in the 1920s. But they were wrong. My house is newly remodeled, but it’s in an old neighborhood, close to The Citadel, the military college in Charleston. My mother nearly died when I told her I was going to buy it, saying it wasn’t appropriate for me to live here alone. But I did it anyway, and it’s turned out to be the best decision ever. It’s a three bedroom, two and a half bath home that’s perfect for me. When Cate lived here, it was like old times from college, and today I miss her like crazy. But I get why she went.
My front porch has a couple of UPS packages on it, so I scoop them up as I walk through the door. One is from Amazon, and the other is in a plain brown box. Before opening them, I head to my room to change. My skirt is the first to go, followed by my blouse, and finally I kick off my shoes. Then I slip on my favorite pair of worn-out jeans that have been washed to a softness impossible to attain by any other means than age. Next, I pull on a black tank and some flip-flops, and I pour myself a hefty glass of birthday chardonnay.
The packages are on the counter, so I gather them and head to the couch, but right before I sit, there’s a pounding on my door. I bet it’s Ben coming to wish me a happy birthday. I open the door, ready to mouth off some snarky comment, when I look up into a pair of pale blue eyes and a face that’s covered with the right amount of scruff that’s soft enough not to irritate a girl’s skin.
My jaw sags open, and Brandon hits me with a, “Surprise,” and pulls a little cake from behind his back. He hands it to me and ducks down to pick something up. A gift bag dangles from his index finger. “Happy Birthday, Jenna.” He doesn’t sing it this time.
The Cruel and Beautiful Series Boxset Page 82
