“Oh God, Levi, stop her.” She points at me. “She’s planning everything out. I can see it in her eyes.”
“I definitely am,” I giggle. “I’m going to have so much fun styling you.”
“I wish I could be part of all this,” Z says. “I always thought I’d be pulling a lot of responsibility in her wedding.”
Lilith crawls out of Con’s lap and back to where she was sitting with Z earlier. She cups his cheeks with both palms and leans in really close. “You are walking me down the aisle, Z.” The look that passes between them is full of intense love. “There is no one Dad would want to do that in place of him more than you.”
A single tear falls from his eye, and she swipes it with her thumb. We all look away to give them a little privacy. I look over the side of the yacht and am surprised to see we’re already coming into the marina to dock for the night so Z can grab his flight home.
“I guess I better grab my bags,” Z stands and heads for the stairs.
“I’ll come with you,” Lilith follows.
25
LEVI
“Thanks for coming all the way out here with me,” I look over at Griff who’s sitting in the passenger seat of my G Wagon. “I know it’s hard for you to get away in the summer, especially since we just got back from Greece.”
I’m taking him to check out Foster’s with me. I want a second opinion before I pull the trigger and purchase it. It’s definitely a risk to do this without talking to Ives first, but deep down, I think she’ll love it.
“Not a problem, as long as you don’t mind having me attached to my phones during the drive,” he answers. He’s completely dressed down for the first time in weeks, wearing a faded green t-shirt and jeans.
“Used to it,” I tease. He’s actually not that bad while we’re up in Boston. Pretty sure his older sisters have him on lock down during school.
“It’s going to be weird not having you around next year,” he says after he sends an email. “Have you heard from Yale?”
“Yeah, they’ve accepted me. The apartment is paid for. I figure I’ll let Ives do all the decorating.” I change playlists to something easier to chat over. “We’ll have a guest room, so if you want to come down to Hartford on the weekends, you’d have a place to crash.”
“Oh, you mean I can go from being the third wheel with Con and Lilith to being third wheel with you and Ivy?” He smirks, “no thanks. I’ll probably spend quite a bit of time in New York.”
“Huh,” I scratch my chin, “I didn’t think of you being a third wheel. Sometimes a fifth wheel.”
“Fuck off,” he says with no heat.
“I’ll be doing a lot of that from now on.”
“Breaking news, you’ve always done a lot of that.”
“Ha, truth.” I say with a chuckle. “I’m a reformed man whore now.”
“Good.” He puts his phones in the cup holder. “I’m really glad you guys are back together. Are you both in a good place with everything?”
“I think so. We might hit a few bumps here and there. I was actually thinking about seeing if she wants to do a few couple’s counseling sessions with me. Just to work any remaining tension between us, any buried resentment.”
“That’s actually a really solid plan,” he says sounding a bit surprised.
“I can be deep sometimes.”
“I know, but therapy seems like a pretty big step for you.”
“Did you know how bad things were for her the past few years? The shit she’s been working through?”
“She’s talked about it a bit with Lilith when I’ve been around. I’ve always kept an eye on her for you, even if I didn’t tell you. I knew the type of therapy she was doing was pretty intensive. “
“The things she’s shared with me so far have me all over the place. I’m pissed. At her mom, at her dad, at her brother. I don’t know how they weren’t more aware. I’m pissed at myself for not seeing how Jennifer was tearing her apart inside. She always seemed so strong, so unflappable.”
“I know. I didn’t see it either.”
“She told me that she used to hate looking at herself in the mirror, that she always felt inferior and worthless compared to everyone around her.”
“Seriously?” he furrows his brows.
“Yeah. I feel like I fucking failed my best friend. Letting her feel like that for years.”
“You didn’t know, apparently no one did.”
“Yeah, I don’t even know if she’s shared any of this with Hoodrat.”
I pull off the highway onto the road that will lead us to the camp. Nostalgia clogs my throat as I drive down the road that used to fill me with excitement every summer. Part of that excitement was knowing I was about to spend eight weeks eating, breathing, sleeping sports. Another was the thought of long, warm nights on the dock with Ives.
It didn’t matter if we were skipping rocks, sharing a bag of gummy bears, staring at the stars, talking about anything and everything, or just enjoying the quiet together. She was always my quiet place, the person who held space for me to be me. I could be goofy, serious, sad, or happy. She never cared and was always just present for whatever.
The trees seem taller, but the forest seems smaller. I roll down the window, and as soon as the scent of the pine and maple trees mixed with the wet granite smell hit my nostrils, another wave of nostalgia hits me. I feel the need to rip open a bag of gummy bears and listen to some old school Kings of Leon.
The metal arch that we used to drive under is rusted, and it looks like the gate has been broken for a while. We drive up to the cafeteria and administrative buildings. There’s a Jeep already parked in front, and the man who I assume is the listing agent gets out.
“Levi Marsh?” he asks walking toward us.
“Yes.” I shake his hand. “This is my friend Griffin Potter.”
He introduces himself to Griff as Shane and immediately launches into his sales pitch, going over the specs and history.
“I actually know all this, already,” I hold my hand up to stop him. “I used to come to camp here when I was a kid.”
“Ah, looking to purchase for nostalgic reasons then?”
“Something like that.” I start walking toward the lake. I hear Griff asking for all the details. I just want to see everything and sit with the decision for a bit. I walk past the pool. The paint is chipping, and black water sits in the bottom of the diving well. There’s some nasty looking mold crawling up the walls too. One of the diving boards is missing, as are a few of the starting blocks.
I walk down the trail toward the lake, passing the tennis courts which are in a similar state of disrepair as the pool. The trail is overgrown, and some tree roots are sticking up, posing tripping hazards. A couple trees have fallen down and are blocking the trail.
When I get down to the lake, I see the dock partially submerged. I stand on the rocky shore, taking in the steep hills that surround the lake. It’s still completely undeveloped except for one farm on the far side of the lake.
I bend down and grab a flat rock. I throw it horizontally across the water, watching it skip several times before finally sinking into the dark blue green water of the lake. I could sit out here all day. The sun is warm on my neck and arms, but there’s a breeze off the water keeping the heat at bay.
I tear myself away to go check the cabins. Some have screens missing and a couple have broken windowpanes. The metal bedframes all look pretty solid. The floors and walls of the cabins are all sturdy, too. All in all, they look better than I thought they would.
I have one last place to stop. The clearing that I used to meet Ives in which holds the maple tree we carved our initials into. The same clearing we bumbled our way through losing our virginity to each other. The trail is almost completely overgrown now. If I hadn’t walked it countless nights, I probably wouldn’t even know it was here. I walk through a couple ferns and find the clearing. There are some saplings growing, as well as some forest floor covering plants. In a co
uple years, it won’t be a clearing anymore.
I spot our tree and walk toward it. Our initials are still there, still obvious to anyone who knows where to look. When we did that, it was to cement our friendship, not a romantic statement. I trace my fingers over the grooves and smile. It’s good to be back here.
When I get back up to the main buildings, Griff is looking over renderings with the agent.
“The property needs a lot of work,” I say as walk up to them. “It’s really fallen into disrepair.”
“That’s why it’s priced as aggressively as it is,” Shane replies.
“What’s the interest been like?” Griff asks. He knows I want this place regardless of price, but he has his indifferent mask firmly in place. “Any offers?”
“There’s a developer who’s looking to build a luxury resort. Kind of a glamping type of set up.”
Oh, fuck no. I’m not letting this place be overrun by middle age upper east side housewives.
I look at Griff, and he gives the slightest nod. I know he’s already checked everything the agent has said. I had my broker come out last week to check everything, too.
“I’ll have my broker call you with my decision later,” I extend my hand.
“Good deal, looking forward to it.” He shakes my hand, then Griff’s, and we climb in my SUV.
I grab my cell phone and shoot a text to my broker to have my offer drawn up and submitted today. I have so many plans for this place.
We get back to city mid-afternoon. I drop Griff off at NNC and decide to head to Con’s apartment. It’s not worth an hour of work to fight midtown traffic. I’ll just go bug him while he tries to work. It’s been awhile since I’ve been a true nuisance.
After parking at the end of Con’s row of cars, I go straight up to his office. One of the best parts of their building is the elevator that goes from the executive level of the parking garage straight to the executive level offices. I’ll only have to shmooze with Helen, the gatekeeper to Victor, Connor, and Lilith.
“Good afternoon, Helen,” I give her my warmest smile.
“Mr. Marsh,” she replies. “Lilith is in a meeting right now.”
“I’m actually here for Connor. Is he available?”
“He is,” she tilts her head toward his office, “you know where to find him.”
I call my thanks over my shoulder and walk down the hall to his corner office. I don’t bother knocking and push the door open. “Hey asshole,” I say as I let myself in.
“The fuck are you doing here?” Con doesn’t even look up what from what he’s doing on his computer.
“Just got back from checking out the camp.”
“How was it?”
“It was good. My broker just submitted my offer.”
“Do you think they’ll accept?” He finishes typing something and swivels his chair to face me and his perma-scowl makes an appearance. “You look like you’ve been in the woods.”
“What?” I look down at my faded jeans and vintage Nirvana tee. “I’m just casual.”
“You have a leaf in your hair.”
“Seriously?” I run my fingers through my hair, and it falls to my lap. “I do think they’ll accept, it’s lower than ask but all cash and a quick close.” My phone vibrates in my pocket right as Con’s alerts, too. I ignore it thinking it’s probably a text in our group chat.
We talk for a few more minutes about my plans for the camp. How I plan on telling Ivy about it, surprising her with picnic on our dock. A nostalgic way to begin our future together.
We’re interrupted by Helen knocking frantically on the door.
“There’s a hoard of photographers downstairs.” She looks at Con, “Lilith’s friend is completely surrounded. Saul’s trying to get to her.”
Con and I are out the door and at the elevator in the blink of an eye. He keys in a passcode that bypasses all the other floors and sends the elevator directly to us. The two minutes it takes for us to reach her are the longest in my life.
When the doors open to the lobby, we have a direct view of the plaza in front of the building and between VI security, Nelson Security, and the photographers, Ives is nowhere to be found. As soon as we exit the doors, the photographers nearest us turn and start yelling questions.
“Levi, are you upset about your stepsister’s affair with your dad?”
“Are you in open relationship with Ms. Bane?”
“How does it feel to be lied to and cheated on?”
“Connor, are you sleeping with Ivy, too?”
The crowd parts, and I see the unmistakable white blonde of Hoodrat’s hair as she muscles her way through the crowd with a team of her guys around Ivy. She elbows one photographer when he asks a particularly nasty question, and his camera falls to the ground. Her other hand clutches Ivy’s protectively.
We both rush to the girls, standing in front of them and trying to shield them from the rest of the paparazzi shouting ridiculous questions. Saul opens the door for us as we follow the girls inside. Everyone is looking at the spectacle outside and staring at Ivy.
“I don’t know why everyone is staring and not working,” Con’s voice booms across the lobby. Everyone goes back to work, but there’s plenty of sideways glances at Ivy.
I wrap my arm around her shoulders and tuck her in beside me. I know if I full on hug her she’ll probably start crying, and she wouldn’t want that, so I only push as far as I think is comfortable for her.
As soon as we’re in the elevator, we all turn to Ives, but she looks completely confused as to what just happened. All four of our phones buzz or alert with a text message which can only mean it’s from Griff. He would be the one to know what the fuck is going on.
Con pulls his phone out first while Lilith wraps Ives in a hug. He lets out a string of colorful obscenities and lets me take his phone. It’s a string of texts from Griff.
Griff: Jennifer sold a story to every tabloid that would listen
Griff: You guys to need to make sure Ivy doesn’t use the front door at VI. A bunch of paps are on the way there to ambush her
Griff: WHY THE FUCK AREN’T YOU ANSWERING ME?
Griff: On my way
He attached a link with the headlines.
A DAUGHTER’S BETRAYAL.
SLEEPING HER WAY TO THE TOP.
ARE THE VOLKOVS NEXT?
“That fucking worthless cunt.” I want to throw the phone against the wall, but Con reads my mind and wisely takes it back.
“Oh God.” Tears fill Ivy’s eyes. “My mom?”
I give a slight nod.
She pulls her phone out and opens the group text. A strangled grunt comes from her throat as we step off the elevator. One tear falls, and her lip wobbles, but then she takes a deep breath and blows it out slowly. When she looks up again, a mask of indifference is firmly on her face. She walks past Con and Hoodrat into the apartment and goes straight back to our room.
We all look at each other.
“Should I talk to her?” Hoodrat asks.
“Probably one of us should.” I send a nervous glance down the hall.
“Or just give her a minute,” Con interjects. “It sounds like she might on the phone.”
I pull my phone out to read the articles. Each one is pure lies and trash. I shouldn’t be surprised that Jennifer would do this, but as she’s proven before, she lacks even the most basic maternal instinct. In one, she claims that Ives slept with me in high school to break up her marriage to my dad and that now she’s sleeping with my dad to get a job. Gross and wrong. Another says she’s set her sights on Con now.
The door opens, and Griff walks in. He looks at the three of us with a question in his eyes. He must the get the answer just from looking at us because he starts rolling his sleeves up and pulling his phones out.
“I’ve already informed all our affiliated newspapers and magazines that they are not to take stories from Jennifer.” He looks over at me. “I can put a catch and kill out though, if that’s better.”
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Ivy chooses that moment to walk out of her room and join us. She still has that blank look on her face, and it’s starting to worry me.
“Dad and Isaac are working on stopping her,” she says stepping up beside me.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding when she loops her arms around my waist. I wrap my arm over her shoulder and kiss the top of her head. “Are you okay?” I whisper into her hair.
“No, not even remotely. I’ll probably go to Connecticut this weekend, hide out with Dad and Isaac. I don’t want to bring all this attention on you guys.”
“Fuck that,” Con says. “This is a family, and we face our problems as a united front.”
“Yeah,” Griff adds, “we just got you back. Levi just got you back.”
“Exactly. I’m done dealing with his whiny ass when he doesn’t have you.” Con grabs his phone, “I’m ordering dinner.”
“No running, Ives.” I look down at her. “Remember your promise.”
“Plus, we have an appointment to go look at wedding dresses this weekend,” Hoodrat reminds her. “I know you are dying to dress me up in hideous poofy white dresses.”
That comment makes her lips curl into a soft smile. “It would be a shame to postpone that appointment, especially since we slid into a cancellation.”
“Exactly. Text your dad and brother and tell them to stand down. They can focus on a legal way to get your mom to stop. Griff will cast a net for any other possible stories. I’ll increase security around the building.” She hugs Ives. “We’ll take care of this.”
26
IVY
The rest of the week was a complete nightmare. Even with the announcement of Connor and Lilith’s engagement, the media still finds me every day, asking more and more intrusive questions and making crazier allegations. No one has seen Jennifer in several days. Dad hired a PI and is gathering everything he’ll need to file a defamation lawsuit against her.
Relentless (Titans of Founder's Ridge Book 2) Page 21
