Love to Hate You: An Enemies to Lovers, Best Friend's Brother Romantic Comedy (The Fillmores Book 2)

by Melissa Schroeder

  “Yeah, he’s out with the network. He’s probably going to cry foul, but this isn’t the first time he was fired for the kind of crap he pulled on you and Travis.”

  Garrett Howard is considered one of the best director/producers for reality shows. It was seen as a big deal when he was hired to handle our show. Because of that, I kept most of my concerns to myself. I know I probably should have said something, I didn’t know if it was just the situation with Travis. By the end of the season, I didn’t care anymore.

  “I’m actually calling about your contract with At Home. They need an answer.”

  The At Home Network airs our show, and they have been trying to get me to sign on for another year. I know I should just take a few days, let the dust settle, but I can’t. Doing that puts me at the bottom of my personal list, and one thing I promised myself on the long drive from Amarillo to Juniper Springs (which felt like three days) is that I had to make myself a priority. No one else would if I didn’t do it for myself. I learned that lesson early in life. Okay, that’s wrong. Syd always makes me a priority. But right now, I need to put myself first. The only way I can survive this emotionally is to walk away.

  “I think it’s best if I don’t go back.” The words rip a hole in my heart, the pain filtering out to the rest of my body. Flipping Texas was actually my idea and I went to Travis with the idea. We had worked on a few projects together and, with our back and forth arguing, I knew we would be good on TV together. It’s like giving up a limb. I don’t really know how to go on from here and I hate it. Still, I know I would despise myself if I stayed on. It can’t get better, not with what went on this season.

  “Okay, I hate that you are going to leave the show, but it opens up a few other options for you. Guest spots on various shows and, well, I think we need to start thinking about your own show about designing.”

  There’s a tickle in the back of my throat, and I have to clear my throat before speaking. It will be official in a matter of about an hour, and I will be out there on my own. Without Travis.

  “Compile all the ideas and email them to me. I’m going to take time off, step off the grid, and think about things.”

  “Check in every ten days,” Marty says.

  “I will. Thanks, Marty.”

  “Anything for you, Nancy.”

  We hang up and I stand there for a long moment. I thought I would feel relief, but instead, my stomach is in knots. I want to cry. Sit down on the floor and have a good cry. That’s what you do when a dream dies, right? If my heart felt broken before, I now feel as if someone reached in my chest and ripped it out. With each breath I take, the grief grows. God, it shouldn’t be this hard.

  “If you don’t get your ass out here, I’m gonna eat your donut,” Everly calls out.

  I close my eyes and draw in a deep breath trying to steady my nerves. I open my eyes and after a second or two, I feel centered enough to rejoin them in the kitchen.

  “What was that about?” Everly asks.

  “Everly,” Becca admonishes again. “If she took the call in private it means she wants privacy.”

  “What? She left this yummy breakfast she requested.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t think I requested it.”

  Becca points at me in affirmation as she nods.

  “She spoke to me in my dreams,” Everly insists, her hazel eyes dancing with humor.

  “So, are you saying that you dream about me?” I ask, sitting down and grabbing up my donut. “I had no idea you went that way.”

  Everly laughs. “Who knows what I like?”

  “Maybe the mystery dude in Denver?” Becca asks sweetly. See, people think she’s not too smart, and she definitely doesn’t have a mean bone in her body, but she knows how to stick it to her bestie.

  “I’m not talking about him.” Her face flushes. “Mainly because he doesn’t exist.”

  I blink. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Everly so flustered.

  “Sure, keep telling yourself that.” Becca is smiling like she knows all the secrets and, knowing Becca, she probably does. It’s always the quiet, sweet ones you have to look out for.

  “So, tell us what you have planned for your new designs.” I know Everly is trying to change the subject, so I let her have it. Because, if I am honest with myself, and I am about fifty percent of the time, I want to avoid the subject of men altogether.

  And with that thought, I launch into my thoughts and my objectives, all the while ignoring the nagging feeling in my gut. I’ll get over this with a lot of time, sugar, and alcohol—not necessarily in that order.

  Chapter Two

  Travis

  The door to my bedroom slams open and bounces off the wall so hard I know that it probably left at least an indentation in the sheet rock. I blink, trying to figure out where I am and finally remember I’m in the apartment in San Antonio. Fuck. There’s only one person who would do that, and she’s probably here to kick my ass.

  “What the fucking hell is going on, Travis?” my sister Syd demands.

  I close my eyes hoping that she’ll go away, but I know better than that. Sydney Fillmore doesn’t put up with shit, especially from me. I reach down and make sure I’m covered, but knowing her, she wouldn’t give a damn. Older sisters suck sometimes. Granted, this is her apartment. It’s a three bedroom so that Nancy and I have a place to crash when we’re back in town, but Syd spends more time at Grady’s these days. When I got here last night, I was surprised Nancy wasn’t here. It was then I realized she stopped in Juniper. Or I assume so because she didn’t answer my texts. I would have heard from Syd if Nancy hadn’t made it home though. It’s probably a good thing she ended up in our hometown because our last fight was fucked up. We both need time to cool off.

  “I could ask you the same thing,” I groan out. Fuck, I’m tired. I left after we wrapped up the last show of the season. It wasn’t an easy drive after a full day of work and the party that followed, but I was ready to get the hell out of Amarillo. I was sick of the smell of manure, and I was sick of the person I was while we filmed there.

  “I got a call from Nancy’s agent today.”

  Just hearing the name of my cohost has my stomach muscles clenching and a shard of pain to my chest. It also has my dick twitching. Yep, I am sick. She’s done this to me for close to a decade. I keep thinking it will change, that I will somehow get over the infatuation I have with her. And sometimes, when we are apart for a week or two, I think that I have moved on. But I came to the realization that it will never happen, and that’s when I started acting like a world grade prick to her. At first, it worked on the show, until it didn’t.

  “And you couldn’t just text me?”

  “I did. You didn’t respond and it’s been two hours.”

  I open my eyes again as she stomps around to the other side of the bed. Her dark brown eyes are filled with disappointment. Immediately, a sense of shame fills me. It’s been just Syd and me for years. She’s only a few years older, but I look up to her. I hate to cause her any worry. But I know I have this season and it embarrasses me more than I will ever admit.

  “What? She wants more money?” I ask, trying to add a sneer but it comes off as a juvenile taunt.

  She studies me for a long moment as if weighing how much to tell me, and actually how to tell me, then she sits down on the bed. “No. She’s not coming back. She’s leaving Flipping Texas.”

  For a long moment, the words don’t register. Once they finally make sense, alarm lances through me. “What the actual fuck?”

  Her eyes widen at my tone. Okay, I sounded a little panicked there, but it has to do with the fact that she’s my co-host and nothing to do with the fact that my heart feels like someone has taken a dagger to it.

  “She told her agent she couldn’t work with you anymore.”

  I signed my contract three months ago. It wasn’t due, but at the same time, I made sure that Nancy was getting the same deal. We always look out for each other that way. But apparen
tly, I pushed her too far. I was an ass this season, but I needed to be. Otherwise, I would have done something stupid. Really stupid. Like grab her and kiss her. And that’s just wrong. She has no idea how close I’ve been for years to doing just that. Being in love with a woman who wants nothing to do with you isn’t fun. Working with that woman for ten plus hours a day is painful.

  Nancy and I have known each other for well over a decade, and I can’t think of a day that I didn’t wish she was mine. From the moment she smiled and introduced herself as Syd’s best friend—by the way, within ten minutes of meeting Syd—she’s been in my heart. Well, at first, it was a simple infatuation, which quickly turned into lust, which morphed into all out obsession. But we work together, and nothing can ever happen. Still, her hanging around with Carter Hawthorne has been…okay, fuck, it pisses me off. The guy has so much money and is kind of my boss in that his family owns the network, and he’s been flirting with Nancy. Hell, he flew in for a few hours just so he could attend the wrap party we had yesterday.

  “Listen up, I’m going to lay it all out there for you.”

  “I wouldn’t expect anything else,” I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

  She smacks me on my ass hard enough to cause a sting to me both physically and emotionally.

  “Fuck, Syd. I’m not five years old.”

  “I can’t tell by the way you’ve been acting lately.”

  “Sydney, stop being mean to your brother,” Grady says from the doorway of my room. Great, the CEO of Hawthorne Enterprises is here to witness my embarrassment.

  I turn to look over at him standing in my doorway. He’s dressed in a suit that probably costs more than one year’s education at a state university, and he looks perfectly groomed. Not one hair out of place for the oldest Hawthorne sibling.

  She snaps her fingers to get my attention back on her. “Get up. Grady made coffee. We’re going to figure out how to save your show.”

  With that, she pops up off the bed and stomps out of the room. The door shuts and I groan. Fuck, there’s no way out of this. Syd will come in here with water to pour over my head next. With a sigh—because I’m not kidding about the water—I sit up on my bed. My bones creak and I sigh again. Jesus, I’m getting fucking old. Granted, I’m turning thirty this year, and I’m in excellent shape, but when you have a job that requires a lot of physical exertion, you notice the aches a little more.

  After relieving myself and brushing my teeth, I slip on a pair of workout shorts and a t-shirt. All the while, I think about my co-host and best friend. She might be Sydney’s best friend, but I consider her mine too. I have friends from back in Juniper and some of the guys on the crew—and to an extent the Hawthorne brothers—but Nancy knows me better than anyone, except my sister. I close my eyes as I try to beat back the worry, but that, of course, makes me envision her. All that long dark hair, blue eyes, and a smile that always knocks my socks off. Add in her home improvement store addiction and one of the best asses I have ever seen in a pair of jeans, and she’s the perfect woman. Well, if you ignore her temper and the fact that she might have threatened our former producer’s balls with a nail gun. That last part, I’ll give her because Garrett Howard definitely deserved it.

  I shuffle out of my room as if heading to the gallows. The scent of coffee hits me hard. I thank God for small favors. Syd is in the kitchen pouring herself a cup. Grady is murmuring to her, something I can’t hear. They are standing close together and Grady has his hand on the small of her back as if to soothe her. She worked for Grady as his executive assistant for about a year and a half before they fell in love. Now her job is Talent Liaison. She might be here as my sister, but she is also here to kick my ass as part of her job.

  Syd notices me and frowns, but she hands me a cup of coffee. I sip the brew, enjoying the heat as it slides down my throat and the jolt it gives me. I should be able to have a conversation like a normal person in about fifteen minutes. Of course, Syd’s not going to wait for that.

  “So, we have to save your show.”

  I frown as I settle at the little dining table. “Why would we have to worry about that?”

  “Uh, your cohost is gone, jackass.”

  Grady chuckles and I shoot him a dirty look. He says nothing as he sips his coffee. Not much I can say to him. He might be my sister’s whatever—boyfriend?—but he’s also my boss. I turn back to Syd, who is standing in the kitchen, her arms crossed as she taps her foot.

  “Nancy leaving will not hurt my show.”

  “First of all, it was not just your show. It was Nancy’s too. From the beginning.” I stay silent because I know it’s true, but I’ll be damned if I admit it. Syd, being who she is, goes in for the kill. “You never would have made it without her.”

  “I would have made it without her.”

  Grady gives me a look of pity because he probably knows what’s about to happen. In the past, I might have counted on him for support, but now that he’s in love with my sister, he will let me burn in the fire he’s envisioning Syd is building. Hell, he’d probably hand her the matches after she douses me with lighter fluid.

  “You and I both know that it wasn’t easy for you to do this, and without her there to coach you, you never would have been able to succeed like you have. And must I remind you, it was her idea to begin with?”

  It’s true and it shames me. Just a little. Nancy did coach me, but there’s more that I don’t think even Syd knows—which is odd. I thought they shared everything. That first year, I had panic attacks every week we were filming. Nancy had been there to hold my hand, calm me down. And I really fucked things up. Being silly on TV looks easy, but it isn’t. Nancy was there all the way. I would have failed miserably that first season.

  “Okay, yeah, I might have needed some help.”

  Grady shakes his head, but he still says nothing. He lets Syd do her thing, which is basically handing my ass to me. She’s very good at her job.

  “So, I want to tell you what’s going to happen if you don’t get Nancy back,” Syd says. “You can get another cohost, but you know that is going to be iffy.” She’s right. Chemistry can’t be faked, or at least, I can’t fake it. One of the reasons so many people love our show is our bickering. We go back and forth in a playful way. Or we did. I can’t be sure that’s going to happen again with someone else.

  She’s here to help me and, while I want to return to my bed and sleep for five days, I will listen to her. “Go on.”

  “You will lose sponsors. We have several very valuable sponsors who are ready to run if Nancy isn’t around—namely, Target.”

  “Target?”

  “Yeah, she signed a deal with them—didn’t know about that did you—and they’ll definitely follow her. Not to mention a couple of furniture retailers who are trying to get her on their team.”

  Fuck. Why didn’t Nancy tell me? We used to share things like that, celebrate in our own way. Of course, it depended where we were when we got the news. We could be anywhere in Texas, big city or small town, but we would find a way to mark the occasion. It could be drinks at one of the fanciest bars in Texas or burgers for breakfast at a Whataburger. No matter what, we supported each other. The fact that she didn’t come to me and tell me about it means that we are a little more than broken.

  “And right now, you’re probably trying to figure out why she didn’t tell you, right?”

  I hesitate, then nod. “Yeah.”

  “Because she doesn’t trust you anymore. Plain and simple.”

  My heart aches from that bit of news. “But she told you and you didn’t tell me.”

  “She swore me to secrecy.”

  “I’m your fucking brother, Syd,” I say, anger threading my voice.

  “I think you need to watch your tone,” Grady says. I glance at him and realize he’s saying it as Syd’s boyfriend and not our boss. Irritation spikes, but I hold my tongue—barely. He’s her boyfriend, but he owns the company we both work for. I’m in enough trouble as i
t is.

  “I didn’t tell you because I spent the entire season trying to convince her to stay, but by the end of it, I couldn’t continue in good conscience.”

  “What?”

  “You were especially horrible to her this season. Your behavior has gotten…I’m embarrassed to tell people you’re my brother.”

  “Syd.” A lump rises in my throat. Our childhood was a nightmare and all we ever had was each other. That is, until we met Nancy. But I could count on Syd to be there, the support I always needed. We both knew it was us against the world—well, also Nancy. Syd always said she was so proud of everything I’ve accomplished. So, her saying she’s embarrassed hits me hard.

  “It’s true, Travis. I love you. I do. And I have always been proud of everything you accomplished, but this season you did things that I…well, I just can’t. And I know it’s worse because Nancy doesn’t tattle on you all the time. Trying to bring in your latest location skank? Having her tell Nancy—who is considered one of the top designers in the country—how to decorate? You did that to hurt Nancy.”

  I know that’s true. Fuck. I swallow past that painful lump in my throat. This can’t be the end of it. I have to fix this and if there is one person who can help me, it’s my sister.

  “So, what can we do?”

  She sighs. “First, there is no ‘we.’ You’re on your own here. You have to win her back.”

  I don’t like that, because I know if Syd was in my corner, I would have a fighting chance. Now the odds are probably sixty-forty in Nancy’s favor. “Okay. But how?”

  “You have to apologize to Nancy.”

  “I’ll text her.”

  She shakes her head. “You think a text will fix this? You are way past that.” I know she’s right. “Besides, she’s going off the grid and, seriously, you think that’s acceptable after what you pulled on and off set? You are going to get down on your hands and knees and beg her. Although, if I were in her position, I wouldn’t take you back.”