by Laura Pavlov
“Oh yeah? You’re going to start putting Simon in his place?” I teased.
“I’m here, aren’t I?” she asked as she swiped at her tears.
“You are. And I appreciate it.”
“Merry Christmas, Gray. I love you.”
“Love you too, Mom,” I said, and we both dug into our food.
“Now tell me what’s going on with you and Cade.”
We spent the next two hours talking. I told her about Gigi and about my fight with Cade. She listened and she offered advice. She said she’d always thought there was something there with Cade’s little sister and me, and we laughed about it. We talked about my father and his road to recovery. His past mistakes and my hopes for his future. It was the most we’d spoken in a long time, and it felt damn good.
Because even after all this time, it turns out I still needed my mom.
And she’d finally shown up when I needed her most.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Gigi
“Can I talk to you?” Cade asked as he stood in my doorway and leaned against the frame. It had been three days since Christmas, and we had still barely spoken.
“I don’t know. Are you going to throw a temper tantrum and punch someone, or can you have an adult conversation?”
“Come on, Gigi. He’s my best friend. You’re my little sister.” He dropped down to sit beside me on my bed.
“So what, Cade? I get it. We should have told you. But do you see why we didn’t? Look how you reacted. And Gray knew you’d never be okay with it. Trust me, he tried everything not to give in to the feelings we have for one another, and that’s because of you. Because he loves you so goddamn much. And you treated him like shit. You act like he’s unworthy.”
“You don’t know how many girls he’s been with,” he hissed, pushing to his feet and pacing my room.
“Once again, you’re wrong. I know who Gray is. He’s told me everything. I don’t care about his past. I care about now. And how about you? You’ve been with a lot of girls, does that mean that Camilla shouldn’t give you a chance? You’re such a hypocrite.”
He gasped and turned to face me. “He shouldn’t have kept it from me. He should have talked to me about it.”
I nodded. “Okay. So, had he come to you and said that he wanted to date me, what would you have said? Be honest with yourself, Cade.”
“Fuck. I would have said no. But it’s not because I don’t think Gray is a great guy. Jesus. He’s my best fucking friend. This is what I tried to explain to Camilla. I obviously think he’s fucking awesome. He’s like a brother to me.”
“Yet you attacked him before you let him explain. People change.”
“He was supposed to look out for you. He’s a player. It’s not going to last.” He ran a hand through his hair.
“You’re wrong. We love each other. Our only issue is my brother is being a jackass,” I said.
“If he hurts you, I’ll never forgive him.”
“Do you hear yourself? You aren’t even giving him a chance. This is not new, Cade. It’s just new for you. And you can either get on board or lose both of us,” I said, pushing to my feet because I was done with this conversation.
“Wow. You’re taking this the whole way. You’re that serious about him?”
“You know what surprises me? That you don’t get it. He’s your best friend, and you aren’t willing to give him any credit. He’s always been there for you. When you thought Camilla was pregnant,” I whispered because obviously that was a secret that my parents didn’t know about, “he jumped in his car and was there for you immediately. It didn’t matter that he was in the middle of finals, or that he was dealing with so much stuff with his dad. He dropped everything for you. And you didn’t even give him a chance when he tried to talk to you. Maybe you need to learn how to be a good friend and quit judging everyone else,” I said, my gaze locking with his before I stormed out the door.
You could lead a horse to water… but maybe it would be better to just hit him over the head with a bucket.
My brother needed the latter.
I met the girls at The Rusty Pelican for lunch where Jett’s mom, Mae worked. We loved her and had been eating here every week since we started high school. She wanted to hear all that was going on with us after our first semester at school, obviously she talked to Addy all the time because she and Jett were always together. But she had a million questions for the rest of us. We hugged her goodbye and made our way outside.
“Who wants to go with me to Lenny’s for some hot chocolate?” Addy asked as she rubbed her hands together.
Lenny Balsalcki owned The Chocolate Fountain right down the street from the diner in town.
“I’ll go,” we all said in unison and laughed.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite Willows,” Lenny said, surprising all of us because he was rarely full of holiday cheer. He was probably the most pessimistic person I’d ever known. The glass was not only half-empty… it was drier than dirt.
“You’re in an awfully good mood,” Addy said as she went around the counter and hugged him. They’d always had a special friendship.
“Am I? Well, it has nothing to do with the fact that the donut king next door just got written up by the health department for not being sanitary. The Chocolate Fountain has always received exemplary marks for cleanliness. That two-bit hustler thinks he can make his shop ‘dog friendly’,” he said, using two fingers on each hand to show us quotation marks. “Well, karma is a biotch with a capital B. Don’t you forget that, girls.”
We laughed. He was one of my favorite people in town. We placed our order and found a table in the back.
“So how is it going with your brother? Any better?” Maura asked. We hadn’t covered my drama just yet, as we’d been discussing the fact that Maura had gotten in a little fender bender this morning, with none other than Crew Carlisle. The Carlisles were enemies with the Bensons, Maura’s family, and they had a long, bitter family history that no one really understood. She’d told us that he’d been a complete ass to her and recommended that the cops arrest her. For a fender bender. Thankfully Officer Powell was Maura’s neighbor, and he found the whole thing hilarious and he’d sent her on her way in a huff.
“It’s fine. We’re talking a little more. But I’m still mad at him for how he’s treating Gray.”
“Your brother is lucky he’s so fine. It almost makes me forget how freaking judgmental he is. Gray is like a brother to him and he’s willing to throw their friendship away because you two are in love? He’s ridiculous.” Coco rolled her eyes dramatically and clapped when Lenny set down our hot chocolates before hustling back to greet some customers that walked in.
“How is Gray doing with everything?”
“He’s been studying for the LSAT and insistent that I stay here and work things out with my brother. He made me promise. But I don’t know that I’ll ever get through to Cade. He’s a stubborn ox. And I just want to go back to school and be with Gray.”
“I think it’s sweet that he wants to make sure you and Cade are okay. Who would have ever thought Gray Baldwin would be such a sweet boyfriend,” Ivy said, shaking her head and smiling before scooping a huge pile of whipped cream on her spoon and devouring it.
“I know. He’s so stinking cute with you. I love it,” Maura said.
“So, fix things with Cade and then you can go back to school early and enjoy your hot, sexy boyfriend. Damn, I need to get me one of those.” Coco closed her eyes and smiled, and we all laughed.
“Your parents are totally fine with everything, right?” Addy asked.
“Yes. I would have liked to talk to them myself, but thanks to Cade, I’m fairly certain they know we’re sleeping together. I mean, why else would my mom suddenly feel the need to take me to the doctor and get me on the pill?” My mother had the talk with me a few days ago
and insisted on taking me to see her gynecologist. I was fairly certain she’d overheard Cade’s outburst about Gray and me and assumed we were sleeping together. Thanks, brother. “But yes, they are really happy that Gray and I are together. They love him. They can’t believe the way Cade is behaving.”
“He’ll come around,” Maura said. “And I think it’s sweet your mom took you to the doctor. My mom would never talk to me about sex or boyfriends. All of that makes her so uncomfortable. She’s so old school.”
“Please. Have you met Cricket? She would never utter such nonsense,” Coco said in her haughtiest voice and rolled her eyes. “She thinks sex is dirty. I’m actually shocked she has two kids. I’m guessing those are the only two times she’s done it.”
We burst out laughing.
“Maybe Cricket’s a closet sexy girl,” Ivy whispered as if she had just said the most sinister thing in the world.
“A closet sexy girl? Did you just call my mom a whore?” Coco said as tears streamed down her face and we continued to laugh some more.
Time with my girls always made me feel better. And they were right. I needed to fix things with Cade so I could get back to Gray. I missed him so much, and I was tired of letting Cade control the situation.
We finished our drinks and Lenny walked over. “All done, ladies?”
“Yes. We wish there was a Chocolate Fountain at school. I crave these when I’m not home,” Addy said, smiling up at the older man.
“I’m sure. That cafeteria food is terrible. Filled with chemicals. Hell, it’s a racket. They charge kids a fortune for crappy food. The world has gone to hell in a handbasket, I swear it has.”
“Hey. What happened to cheerful Lenny?” Addy teased.
“Cheerful Lenny does not exist, my dear. Yes, I’m happy that weasel got served some papers, sure. But that doesn’t make up for the Howards coming in here this morning and stiffing me on my tip. They said that I should try being a joy spreader. Can you imagine that?” He shook his head as we all pushed to our feet and tried to hide our smiles.
“Joy spreaders get old. We like you how you are, Len.” Coco patted him on the back.
“You know what they say about the Howards, don’t you?” He leaned in and whispered, a town gossip down to his toes.
“Do tell,” Ivy said, her eyes wide as saucers.
“They’re hoarders. You know… like you see on TV. They have piles of crap everywhere. It’s a serious addiction.”
Addy couldn’t contain her laughter. “I’ve babysat for the Howards and I promise you they are not hoarders, Lenny. Their house is immaculate.”
“Why do you always have to ruin the fun with all that sunshine, Addy?” he barked and even he couldn’t hide his smile.
“Love you, Len,” she said, leaning over to hug the crotchety old man. We all followed suit and hugged him goodbye.
“Stay warm, girls. There’s a nasty bug going around. My cousin’s daughter had to have her leg amputated last week because of it. You wouldn’t want to be hobbling around on one foot, would you?”
We waved goodbye and practically fell out the door laughing.
“It’s the people like Lenny that make me miss Willow Springs,” Coco said, wrapping an arm around me. “All that gossip and negativity reminds me of home.”
“Yeah. I love being home with you guys again.” Ivy interlocked her arm with Maura and Addy, and we made our way down the street.
Nothing could beat time with my girls in Willow Springs.
Aside from time with my boyfriend.
I had a relationship to repair so I could get back to him.
And that’s exactly what I planned to do. Starting today.
When I got home, it was quiet. My dad was at work and my mom was at a fundraiser meeting for the Willow Springs annual luncheon. I saw Cade’s car in the driveway, and I peeked in his room, but he wasn’t there. When I got to my room, he was sitting on my bed staring at a photo album of us when we were kids.
“Hey,” I said, walking in and dropping to sit beside him.
“Hi. I hope you don’t mind. I found it on your shelves.”
“Of course not.” I glanced down and laughed at the picture where Cade and I had cake all over our faces after my third birthday party. On the next page was one with Gray and Cade and me all covered in cake and icing.
He was there.
He’d always been there.
Cade closed the book and dropped back to lie on the bed. His legs hung off as his feet were still on the ground. He covered his face with his hands and groaned. “I fucked up, didn’t I. Why do I always overreact?”
“Because it’s who you are.” I raised a brow and smiled when he looked up at me.
“It’ll suck if it doesn’t work out, because he’s my best friend and you’re my sister. But you’re right, G, he’s been a really good friend to me. I just know all the dumb shit we’ve both done over the years.”
“But I know about it too. Gray and I don’t have secrets. And why can’t you trust that I can make decisions for myself?”
“I don’t know. Camilla says I’m mad because apparently I’m a control freak, and I didn’t see this coming,” he said, pushing up to sit.
“She’s a wise woman.”
“I guess you’re right. She saw something there with you and Gray the first time she met you. And Mom told me she always saw it too. I guess I’m the idiot.”
“No, you’re not. I didn’t see it. I was irritated with him more than I wasn’t. But he said he always knew.” I cocked my head to the side and smiled.
“You really love him, don’t you?” he asked.
“I really do.”
“And he didn’t pressure you into anything?” he asked, and he looked away.
I waited until he looked up and my gaze locked with his. “Never once. He tried everything to push me away. Even after we were together, he wouldn’t do, um, things…” I hesitated and he covered his ears.
“Gigi. I do not need the details.”
“But you do, Cade. You need to know that he hasn’t pushed me to do anything. Not ever. He’s been so careful and loving. He’s the one who was worried about you—much more than I was.”
He barked out a laugh. “Oh really. And why is that?”
“Because it’s not your business. Yes, we should have told you when it first started. But honestly, we’ve both never had a serious relationship, so announcing it to your brother when you don’t even know if it’s going anywhere seemed ridiculous. We wanted to give it a chance before we added that pressure, you know?”
“Damn. I get it. Camilla and I didn’t tell anyone when we first started dating. Hell, I wouldn’t even admit it to myself. I never thought I could be in a relationship like this.”
“And can you imagine when you were first figuring things out if you had to get approval from your sister or your best friend?” I rolled my eyes.
“But Gray wrestled with it, didn’t he? He’s a loyal fucking bastard to the core. Fuck. I messed up.” He fell back again and covered his face.
“You did. And he needs a friend right now, Cade. His dad is back out and living in a halfway house. Simon was a royal asshole to him after your fight because he assumed Gray got into trouble. So, he went back to school by himself. On Christmas Eve.”
“Jesus Christ. I fucking hate myself. Why haven’t you gone back yet?”
“Because he made me promise I would repair things with you before I went back. He’s so worried about coming between our relationship.”
“I suck.”
“You really do,” I said, over my laughter. “And he’s the only one who isn’t mad at you. He keeps sticking up for you, which pisses me off.”
Cade sat up and pushed to his feet. “All right. Are we good?”
That was abrupt. “Um, sure?”
“
That’s not what I mean. I know what I need to do.” He paced in front of my bed.
“Okay. Well, I think we’ve made some headway. I’m going to head back to school tomorrow.”
“Can you hold off a day or two?”
“What? Why?”
“Because I’m going tonight? I need to make things right with Gray, and it will be better if I can apologize without you there. I need to fix this. Can you let me do that?”
I smiled and lunged at him, hugging him tight. “Of course, I can. That will mean a lot to him.”
“It’ll mean a lot to me.” He smirked before walking toward the door. “And don’t call him and tell him I’m coming. Let me do this my way.”
“Fine. But if you touch him again, you’ll be dead to me.”
“Oh, it’s like that, is it?” He knocked on my doorframe and raised a brow.
“It’s totally like that,” I said.
Because it was.
But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thrilled that my brother was finally being rational. I wanted things to go back to normal for him and Gray.
And it seemed like that was finally going to happen.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Gray
Gigi and Cade had repaired things and I was relieved. It was the first time that I’d talked to her that she wasn’t angry at him. I didn’t know if he and I would get there any time soon, but I hoped we would. But for now, this was better than the alternative. I needed to make sure she and her brother weren’t fighting over me. I couldn’t live with that shit.
I shot Wren another text asking if he’d seen my dad. Wren had called me last night and said he’d been out with Mae Stone but had received a call that my father had been at the fight club and was hanging with those two dudes that had come looking for him once before. How many times could we do this?
My phone rang and I picked up when I saw it was Wren calling.
“Hey, any word?”
“It’s not good, Gray. There was a big upset last night at the fight club. The guy that was a sure thing did not win, and a lot of people lost a shit ton of money. Your dad apparently bet on the losing guy and is in trouble. He’s fucking around with the wrong people. He’s playing with money he doesn’t have, and I don’t know how long I can protect him from this shit.”
