Jared’s golf ball went bouncing through the trees, taking leaves, bark, and maybe a few feathers with it.
Gavin and I laughed. “Had I known you’d play this bad, our wager would’ve been much different,” I announced.
Aggravated, Jared rubbed the back of his neck as he shoved the club back into his bag. He then plopped down in the backseat of the golf cart, pulled his frayed ball cap over his eyes, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Fuck off, both of you. I told you I’ve never played before.”
I reached for my 3-iron and stepped up to the ball. I glanced over my shoulder at my playing partners, grateful for having been late. Had Jared and I been on time, there was no doubt my father would’ve forced me to play with him and his club companions. How Gavin got out of it was beyond me. For our father, there was no such thing as fun when it came to golf. It was all about the competition, and there was nothing friendly about it.
With my club between my knees, I adjusted my glove before scoping the distance down the greenway toward the hole. I then positioned my hands on the handle, pulled back at my waist, and swung. The sound of metal hitting the tiny ball reverberated around us. My heart soared as high as the ball as I watched it fly through the air with precision. It disappeared into the sunlight for a moment and then landed soundly on the green.
“Now that’s how you hit a ball,” I crowed, pumping my fist. “That’s another birdie for me!”
“Show off!” Gavin griped.
“Rub it in, why don’t you?” Jared grumbled.
“I thought that’s what I was doing.”
Dropping my 3-iron back into my bag, I marched around the Club Car and slipped in behind the steering wheel. Jared and Gavin learned pretty quickly that the same rule for a motor vehicle applied for the golf cart. In other words, I drove.
Gavin and me coerced Jared into placing a little wager on the game with us. No money would exchange hands. And instead of going with our usual ‘whoever loses has to attend Andie’s next opening night’ wager, we chose to spice things up a little bit. The loser would be forced to shoot the final hole wearing nothing but their boxers.
The cart jolted to life and I drove us closer to our drop zones. Well, at least Gavin and I would be closer. Lord only knew where Jared’s ball landed.
“No way!” Gavin exclaimed, startling me. I caught a glimpse of him in my peripheral vision. He was staring at his cell phone with a look of bewilderment. He jerked around to Jared. “Dude, is she serious?” He pushed the cell phone in Jared’s face.
“What?” I asked. This was when it sucked being the driver, because I couldn’t take my eyes off the path.
“Um, well…”Jared muttered.
“Holy shit! It’s true!” Gavin punched Jared in the thigh. “You sly dog, you.”
“What?” I repeated, a little more agitated this time.
“Should I tell him or will you?”
“She’s your sister, too,” Jared deemed.
“Yes, but I didn’t share a womb with her.”
I slammed on the brakes. The vehicle jerked, throwing us forward with it. I shifted in my seat, turning to Jared. “What the hell did you do with Andie?”
Nervous and a little apprehensive, Jared inhaled a deep breath. “Look, it just sort of happened. It’s not like we planned it or anything. Last night after I left you and McKenzie, I had to get away. The idea of going back into that house, well, it about killed me. So, I left and found myself at some pub. A few beers later, Andie slid into the seat next to me. We got to talking, one thing led to another, and well…”
“He totally fucked our sister’s brains out.” My head snapped to Gavin, who appeared to be having a good ol’ time with the news that Jared and Andie hooked up. “And according to Andie,” he glanced down at his phone, “he’s a very sensitive lover.”
“That’s fucked up!” I bellowed.
“Literally,” Gavin heckled.
I punched my older brother in the arm. He rubbed his bicep but continued to laugh. “Oh, and Morgan says he didn’t leave Andie’s bed until this morning.”
I whipped around to Jared again. “You tore into me for being late, and you were just leaving my sister’s bed when you found me?”
“Not just leaving. I swear. I had to go to my room to take a shower first.”
I pulled my sunglasses from my face and slapped my hand over my eyes. “Why? So we wouldn’t smell her all over you?” I cringed at the thought.
Jared shrugged. “That, and because we worked up a good sweat last night. I didn’t want to come out here feeling all sticky.”
I turned back around in my seat and restarted the cart, completely speechless. Sparks had flown between Jared and Andie, but the idea of them actually hooking up sent me into a brotherly rage.
“I can’t believe you fucked my sister,” I groaned, wrenching my hands around the steering wheel.
“You fucked McKenzie last night!” Jared shot back.
“And I fucked no one because Morgan refuses to have sex until tomorrow night,” Gavin griped.
I extended my hand back toward Jared and exclaimed, “But he fucked our sister!”
“Get your panties out of a wad.” Gavin jabbed his elbow into my ribs. “Wouldn’t you prefer her to hook up with someone we know and trust rather than some random stranger?”
“Yeah,” I groused.
“At least with him we know she was safe,” Gavin added.
“But, Bro, that’s our sister.”
“And Jared’s our friend. I call that a win-win.”
“There’s more.”
“More?” Gavin and I echoed in unison.
“Yeah. Olivia sort of saw me leave Andie’s room.”
I pulled up to the green and slammed to a stop. “How’d she react?” Gavin coaxed.
“What did she say?” I wanted to know.
Jared bounced out of the backseat of the cart. “Nothing!” he stressed. “She walked past me almost as if she didn’t see me. I didn’t even get the pleasure of a snide comment or condemning scowl.”
“You know there’s something really strange about that woman,” Gavin noted, slipping out of the passenger seat.
“Tell me about it.”
Gavin chuckled, shaking his head at Jared. “No, seriously. When I first met Olivia, I liked her. She was fun to hang around, but then McKenzie moved in with her and she changed. She became bitchy. Even Morgan noticed it.”
Gavin and I met at the clubs, both reaching for our putters. Our next shots were simple putts. Jared stood next to the green with his club in his hand. It was sort of pointless for him to go searching for his ball, since none of us knew where it landed. “She’s always been a bitch to me,” Jared stated. “For as long as I’ve known McKenzie, she’s treated her like a servant or an afterthought. Everything she does for McKenzie is to benefit herself. She’s selfish. If only I could get McKenzie to see that.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I placed my putter between my knees and reached for my phone. It was a message from McKenzie. “Holy shit!” I gasped.
“What is it?” Gavin asked.
“The girls are on their way to the hospital. Natasha had an accident.”
“Is she okay?”
I turned to Jared. “They don’t know yet, but I do think you might’ve gotten your wish about McKenzie.” I walked my phone over to Jared and showed him the message.
McKenzie Evans: You should’ve seen Liv. She stood back and let everyone handle the situation as if Natasha’s fall was an extreme inconvenience to her. I can’t explain it, but it almost felt like she was furious and I don’t understand why. It was an accident.
“It’s about time!” Jared shouted. He handed my phone back to me and I typed out a quick response, asking if we needed to meet them at the hospital. I also told her not to worry about Olivia before putting my phone back into my pocket.
The hot summer sun beat down on us. Sweat covered my skin, making my polo shirt and shorts stick to me. With a deep s
igh, I pulled my visor off my head and rubbed my forehead, searching for the right thing to say. “Jared,” I finally said, “I know I owe you for last night.”
“Owe me?” He seemed surprised by my proclamation.
“Yeah. I’m pretty sure my evening would’ve ended differently had you not been there for Mickie.”
“Ah, yeah. It’s no big deal.”
“It is to me. And what you said about her and Olivia, I agree. Her loyalty blinds her.”
Jared nodded.
“You’ve been nothing but good to her, and in all honesty,” I took in a deep breath, “me.” I scratched my jaw, feeling a huge weight lift off my chest. Jared’s mouth dropped, and while I couldn’t see Gavin, I was pretty certain he, too, stared at me in disbelief. “What I’m trying to say is thank you.”
Jared blinked a few times, letting the words settle on him. “Does this mean you’re not going to kill me for boning your sister?”
I gritted my teeth. “Yes, on two conditions. One, you continue to help me push McKenzie to see the truth about Olivia.” My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and glanced at the message. She and Morgan were at the hospital with Natasha, but neither of them wanted us to join. They wanted us to enjoy the rest of the day just as we’d planned.
“Everything all right?” Gavin questioned.
“Yeah. The girls say don’t worry about them and to have fun.”
Gavin pulled out his phone and started to type away.
“What’s the other condition?” Jared encouraged.
“Ah, yes. The second is, be careful with Andie.”
“I’m not going to hurt her.”
“It’s not her I’m worried about. I love Andie and I’ll defend her to my dying breath, and if you ever tell her what I’m about to say, I swear the deal’s off and I’ll beat the living shit out of you.”
Jared waved his hands in defense. “I won’t say anything.”
“Good. Well, Andie is what many people would call a man-eater.”
Jared buckled over in laughter.
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever, man. Laugh all you want. Do we have a deal?”
Jared stuck out his hand. “Yeah, we’ve got a deal.”
We shook on it and went back to our game. There was a nagging twinge of guilt that ate at the three of us. It seemed hypocritical to continue to have fun while the girls were stuck at a hospital. But Morgan and McKenzie made us promise to finish our game and go to the bachelor party. We did as we were told, because none of us wanted to face Morgan or McKenzie’s wrath. And by the time we reached the eighteenth hole, our feelings of guilt had pretty much disappeared. Having lost, Jared stripped down to his pink boxers and made the best shot he’d played all day. He still bogeyed, but at least it was only one over par instead of six. Afterward, he even posed for pictures, which we sent to the girls to lighten their day.
Through it all, something changed between Jared and me. I’d always liked him. He was quick witted and funny, but my jealous nature kept me from befriending or trusting him. Which was sad, because Jared was an honest and sincere person. I’d seen that in the way he handled McKenzie the night before. Not that he did anything for me, per se, but it affected me all the same. All he ever wanted was her happiness.
Throughout the day, I’d received text messages from McKenzie filling me in on the happenings around Natasha. It came as a relief that she hadn’t broken anything, but she did have a bad enough sprain that bed rest was required. In turn, Morgan asked McKenzie to act as her maid of honor. I loved the idea and couldn’t wait to watch her walk down the aisle. It was sad, however, that she was stuck getting fitted for a dress instead of stuffing singles in a sweaty guy’s G-string. On second thought, thank God for Natasha’s bout of clumsiness.
Later that night, the three of us arrived at The Union Club, dressed to impress and ready to be bored out of our minds. Father had determined that a respectable gentleman, such as Gavin, should conduct himself in a proper manner the night before his wedding. To him, that meant drinking scotch, smoking cigars, and discussing politics and sports. Anything outside of that was unsuitable.
The Union Club was just as I remembered it from my Harvard days. Our event was placed in one of the informal meeting rooms. While it still appeared as if it were something right off the pages of a history book, it at least had a fully functional bar which lined the back wall, making it the perfect spot to remain under my father’s radar. There were also several televisions on the walls with sports programming playing on them. Wood flooring, brass light fixtures, walls painted an intense green, and off white crown molding added age and refinement to the space. The room was decorated with all of the finest furnishings. Scattered around were sections of antique leather chairs and sofas, ranging in various dark autumn hues.
Cigar smoke and conversation filled the air, while young women pranced about wearing 1950’s cigarette girl outfits, catering to our every need. “I’m not allowed to hire strippers, but this is all right?” I garbled, sucking down my virgin piña colada. It just wasn’t the same without the rum.
“They’re classy, don’t you know?” Jared snorted. He took a swig from his beer, his eyes never leaving the television.
“I bet every one of them are strippers,” Gavin noted, dumping back his shot of whiskey.
“We could easily find out,” I suggested.
Jared pulled his eyes from the television. I guess the thought of half-naked women would do that to a man. “How so?”
“We could ask.”
Jared rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the television. “And have them go tell Father Terror that you did such a thing? I think not.”
“There’s the man of the hour!” Gavin and I heard a familiar voice call out from behind us. A smile careened my face and I glanced over at Gavin, who was beaming ear to ear. We turned around to find Niles, dressed in his usual tweed and slacks, holding a box in his hand. “I figured I’d find you boys hiding back here.”
Gavin jumped off his barstool and shook hands with Niles. “Professor, it’s wonderful to see you.”
“It’s good to see you, too. Florida looks good on you boys.”
Gavin looked back to Jared and me and nodded. “Yeah. It’s been good to us both.” He extended his arm out toward Jared. “Let me introduce you to my friend, Jared Christopher.” Jared reached out to shake hands with Niles. “Jared, this is Niles Peltier. He’s an old friend of the family and a professor at Harvard.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
“The pleasure’s all mine, I’m sure.” Niles slipped up into a seat between Gavin and me. He placed the package on the bar and leaned forward, resting his weight on his elbows. “What’s good to drink?”
“Anything with alcohol,” Jared popped off.
Niles laughed. “I see he’s already been acquainted with the ways of your father.” The bartender approached. “I’ll have a Brandy Manhattan.”
There was almost a nostalgic sigh that echoed between Gavin and me. “It’s been ages since I’ve heard anyone order one of those,” Gavin noted.
“It brings back memories.”
Niles laughed and pushed the box toward Gavin. “This is for you, son. Every married man needs a set of these.”
I took a long swig of my drink as Gavin opened the box. His eyes grew wide and his mouth flopped open. He lifted a ball gag and handcuffs out of the box, allowing them to both dangle from the ends of his fingers. My drink spewed out my nose. Jared nearly choked on his. Niles only laughed at our reaction.
“Um, thank you?” Gavin said. I grabbed a napkin and started to clean up.
“There’ll come a day when you’ll find that joke really funny, or possibly the need to use those two items.” Niles gave Gavin a wink. The bartender placed a martini glass in front of him and Niles picked out the cherry and chunked it in his mouth. The crunch made me almost cringe, and I recalled a conversation McKenzie and I once had about how she hated cherries because they s
ounded like cockroaches popping on a hot day.
“I’m sure you would know having never been married.” Speaking of cockroaches.
I glanced over my shoulder and there stood my father, a cigar in one hand and a scotch in the other, glaring at Niles. At the tip of his tongue held the question, ‘What are you doing here?’ Words he would never utter because they would signify his lack of control over the situation. If he only knew I’d invited Niles two days earlier.
“Hello, Jonathan,” Niles greeted, chugging down his drink before turning around to find my father leering at him.
“Niles.” This was the first time I’d seen them both in a room together since I was a child. My father puffed his cigar. He expelled the smoke from his lungs and disparaged, “It’s been awhile.”
Niles slumped his shoulders and shook his head. “I’m only here for Gavin and Drew. That’s all.”
“Of course you’re here for Andrew.” He enunciated the first syllable of my name. My old childhood trepidations reared their ugly head. Here I was, once again, a target for their battles. And just as a child, I was unable to say anything in my defense.
“Can’t we leave well enough in the past for one night?”
“I don’t see why not,” my father sneered. “This is for my son.”
“Yes, it is. And they’re amazing young men. They were just telling me about life in Florida. It appears it’s been good for them both.”
“Gavin found an amazing woman there, I agree,” Father noted smugly.
“I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her yet, but I look forward to it.”
“Of course. You’re coming to the wedding tomorrow, yes?” Gavin asked.
“If I’m welcome.”
“You’re always welcome,” I stated. My father cut his eyes to me.
“Will your lady friend be there as well? I rather enjoyed her company.”
“Who’s he talking about?” my father demanded.
Niles looked from Father to me and smiled. Deep inside, I cringed. All hell was about to break loose. “I had the pleasure of meeting a friend of Drew’s the other day. A charming young woman full of spirit and wit.”
The Truth Be Told (The Truth in Lies Saga #3) Page 14
