Girl in Luv

by Jay Crownover

  “Absolutely.” My chest tightened. He smelled so good, like soap and a cologne I couldn’t identify.

  “I guess we’ll see you girls at the wedding,” Iker told them as he took my hand into his much larger one.

  I said a quick goodbye as we headed out to the valet.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked while the valet ran for the car.

  “They took one look at you, and thought they knew you.” I shook my head. But hadn’t I also done the same the first time I laid eyes on him? How he’d put himself in harm’s way for a stranger in a dark parking lot. How he’d stepped up to help a stranger out. They thought he was nothing more than my rebellion...but wasn’t that why I’d hired him? Wasn’t that reaction exactly what I’d gone looking for when I found Iker? “They’re all the same. All of them. Like assembly-line Barbie dolls, impossible to tell apart. And…” I shook my head.

  He didn’t push, just watched me with perceptive eyes, waiting for me to speak and admit the awful, self-reflecting truth.

  “And I’m one of them.”

  “No, you’re not,” he said quietly.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “You came looking for me.”

  I scoffed. “Just to piss them all off.”

  He shrugged. “So what? You still came looking. You didn’t jump Dick’s best friend, right?”

  “What?” My neck was at an almost impossible angle to look at him.

  “Dick. Richard. Seemed fitting. You didn’t fuck his best friend, did you?”

  My lips parted. I couldn’t think of one instance in the last twenty-one years when I’d heard that obscene word spoken in these hallowed halls, but I was all for hearing it again. Or using it as a verb. Or putting it into action. Whatever.

  “No, of course not.”

  He nodded, then grabbed a few bills from his wallet as the valet handed him the keys to my car. “Thanks, man.”

  “No problem. See you soon, Miss Vaughn.” The valet held open my door and I slid into the soft leather of my passenger seat.

  Iker buckled in and put the car in gear, but didn’t drive.

  “Iker?” I asked, wondering what the hold-up was and slightly desperate to escape this place that so clearly highlighted our vast array of differences.

  “Those women are all identical in a way,” he agreed. “All a blur because they don’t care to stand out. There’s comfort in conformity—I get that.” He swallowed, then turned to face me. “But you’re not one of them. Maybe in some ways you are, sure. You’re all highlighted with the same shade of money-green. But I can see you through the glow, Langley.”

  Emotion squeezed my throat.

  “Me or my ten thousand?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

  “You,” he assured me.

  I expected my hair to start flying from the static he caused, that’s how electric the air felt around him.

  “But that ten thousand isn’t too bad either.” He winked, and peeled out, leaving tire marks and open mouths in front of the golf club.

  Iker

  “Are you sure you’re going to be able to come up with the rest of the money by the end of the week?” Gael’s voice cracked through the speaker of my cell and I could tell he didn’t want to get his hopes up too high. Disappointment was something we were both well acquainted with, which meant I would sell my soul in order to come through for him. No matter what it took.

  “I told you not to worry about it. When have I ever not come through when I promised you something?” I tried to keep my voice light, but my heart dropped into my stomach when I pulled up in front of the sprawling, extravagant home tucked away in the old, rich neighborhood of the Broadmoor. I knew Langley’s zip code came with a big ass house, but I’d underestimated just how big. “I’ll have the rest in no time.”

  Gael sighed and I could picture him shaking his head. We looked a lot alike, though he was much softer and gentler all around than I was. I liked to think I was the buffer between my brother and the harsh realities of our childhood, which allowed him to grow up without all the sharp edges and pointy, protective pieces I’d developed along the way.

  “You didn’t do anything that’s going to get you in trouble in order to pay for my school, did you?” He sounded nervous again because he knew me well. There wasn’t much I wouldn’t risk to provide for him and my grandmother.

  I swallowed as I found an empty spot in the huge, circular, brick-lined driveway in front of the old, Victorian mansion. My pickup towered over the low-slung sports cars and luxury sedans filling up the rest of the available space.

  “Depends on your definition of trouble.” My unwanted attraction to Langley Vaughn was proving to be much harder to ignore than I anticipated. “It’s actually kind of a funny story. I’ll tell you next time I see you.”

  “When will that be?” Now Gael sounded sullen and bratty. Admittedly, I hadn’t been home as much as I would like, but my job was unpredictable at the best of times.

  “I’ll come and see you when I get…” My sentence was cut off when the giant, wooden front doors of the house swung open and Langley came running out. It seemed like she’d been waiting for my arrival. I let out a little grunt of surprise when she suddenly ran toward me, throwing herself into my arms and nearly strangling me with a hug around my neck as soon as she was close enough to touch.

  “Hey.” My greeting was less enthusiastic than hers. I put a hand on the small of her back when I felt the way her lithe frame was shaking against me.

  “I really wasn’t sure you were going to show. I thought the cold soup might have been the last straw.” She was trying to make a joke, but when I pushed her back a step, I could see how tense she looked.

  I pointed at my phone and the call still connected to my brother. “Give me a sec.” She nodded and I turned my attention back to Gael. “I gotta go. Tell Gram not to worry. Everything is under control and I’ll be home soon.” But not soon enough. It never was.

  Gael snorted. “I miss you. Stay out of trouble.”

  I muttered a goodbye and tucked my phone in my back pocket. I turned my attention back to Langley, only to find her pacing in front of me, tugging on her bottom lip. She was always kind of high-strung, but today she seemed especially fragile. It looked like one wrong move would make her break.

  “You okay?” She was really good at hiding what she was feeling behind a very practiced smile, but today, there wasn’t even a fake smile to be found.

  She stopped her aimless marching and let her hands drop to her sides. I watched as she visibly pulled herself together.

  “I’m okay. I’ve been fielding a million questions from literally everyone about you all day, ever since I announced that you were coming. It was a little stressful. Plus, Richard’s entire family is here. Do you know how awkward it is to have both the mother and father of the groom offering their condolences every time they walk past?” She shook her head. “Not to mention, Richard’s mother has told me no less than four times that ‘Camille is simply a better match.’ I swear, I’m at my breaking point.”

  I grunted out a sympathetic sound and let her wrap her fingers around the inside of my elbow. I’d worn one of the damn polo shirts she insisted on, but you would have to bury me before I put on a pair of khakis. I was wearing black jeans, the only pair I owned which didn’t have a hole in them. Hopefully they let me through the front door.

  “Sounds rough. Point her out to me and I’ll be sure to mention she looks like someone I know back home… only much older.”

  Langley giggled and looked up at me from under her lashes as we made our way to the front doors. The old house was massive and I felt like I was stepping back in time.

  “I’ll point her out, and everyone else you might want to avoid. They all want to know about your family and background. It’s best to steer clear if you don’t want to end up answering leading questions.” She sounded apologetic.

  I shrugged. “Let them ask. I don’t have anything to hide.” And I’d
long gotten past being ashamed of where I came from. “There isn’t much to tell. My family is small. Just me and my brother. Our mother bounced in and out of our lives until Gael was five, so it was primarily our grandmother who raised us. Neither one of us ever met either of our fathers. Gael still lives with my abuela in Texas. At least he does until he leaves for college. That was him on the phone. He was making sure I could cover his first semester’s tuition for him.”

  She paused a step and her expression changed from worried to thoughtful. “You’re paying for your brother to go to college?”

  I nodded and reached for the door. “Yep. He’s hella smart. He’s one of those kids who’s going to change the world if he has the proper tools. I promised him he could go to whatever school he wanted. Financial aid covered a solid chunk, but the rest is all on me.” And it would be until he graduated.

  She didn’t ask if the ten grand was going toward my brother’s education, but she was a bright girl, so I bet she was able to put two and two together pretty fast. Her fingers tightened on my arm and her voice was slightly breathy as she whispered, “You’re kind of amazing, did you know that?”

  I gave her a grin. “Depends on the day.” I had some pretty good qualities, most of which my grandmother had drilled into me. I had some pretty bad ones too, but I did my best to keep them reined in.

  She nudged me with her elbow and pulled me to a stop before we entered the opulent foyer. “My dad asked where we met. I told him I had car trouble and you stopped to help out. I didn’t go into much detail, but everyone knows we’ve only known each other for a short time. I told them you were in the military, which is why it was hard for you to commit to being my date before now.” She shifted slightly on her high-heeled sandals. “I also made it clear we are casually dating. I figured I would save myself the headache of trying to explain why you’re no longer around once the wedding is over. Don’t let my dad corner you and ask what your intentions are toward me. He can be a little overprotective.”

  I put a hand over her increasingly tight hold on my arm. There was a slight tremor making her fingers shake, and I was momentarily blindsided by the desire to protect her. I didn’t have time to be her hero, but damn, if I didn’t want to try.

  “Everything will be fine. We’ll go in, schmooze, piss your stepsister off, and call it a day. Don’t worry about me. I got this.” At least I could pretend to have this. No lie, though, the house was insanely intimidating, but I didn’t give a shit about anyone inside of it. The girl next to me was my priority—and my job—and that was what I was going to focus on.

  I heard Langley suck in a breath and again watched as she visibly prepared herself for battle. The plastic smile was locked in place and her pretty blue eyes went flinty and cold. She became an entirely different person in that moment. I preferred the quirky, self-deprecating girl I’d spent the last few days with, not this alter-ego version. This icy socialite was not someone I would ever choose to spend my limited free time with if given the opportunity.

  Langley faltered a step as an older woman suddenly appeared from around a corner.

  “I thought maybe you got lost, or had to go find a date on the street, you were gone so long. Come to the garden. Everyone is waiting on you to start eating.” The woman barking the clipped orders was lurking just beyond the entryway, as if she’d been waiting for Langley to come inside just so she could pounce on her.

  I lifted my eyebrows at the Real-Housewife-of-Colorado Springs, and watched as she barely concealed a shiver of distaste when she finally caught sight of me. The woman was wearing the kind of jewelry I’d only ever seen on celebrities going to the Oscars, and dressed like Lucille Bluth from Arrested Development, even though she was a decade younger. Can you say, ‘trying too hard’?

  Langley sighed and shifted a little closer to my side. “Virginia, this is Iker Alvarez. He’s going to be accompanying me to the wedding.”

  I felt the woman’s calculating gaze drift over the tattoos on my arms, and watched her sneer when she caught sight of my jeans. When she met my gaze, there was nothing but contempt and scorn in her eyes. I felt a chill dance down my spine, and instantly understood why Langley had been so crazy desperate for someone to shield her from this woman’s wrath.

  “You explained the wedding has a dress code, I assume?” Her disdain switched to Langley and I felt her flinch.

  “How about you say ‘hello’ instead of worrying about the dress code?” The response was spoken softly, but the older woman recoiled like she’d been shot. Apparently, Langley wasn’t one who usually snapped back when attacked. It was almost worth the silent scorn to see the look of shock that crossed the bitchy stepmother’s face.

  The older woman sniffed and turned on her heel. “Don’t waste any more time. Today is about Cammy and Richard. Stop trying to make it about you.”

  I watched with wide eyes as the woman stormed away, heels clicking on the hardwood floors in an angry rhythm.

  “Wow.” The word escaped before I could stop it. Langley gave me a panicked look, so I shrugged. “She’s something else, isn’t she?”

  “I wish I could say it’ll get better, but it won’t. Camille is exactly like her.”

  I’d been in war zones more welcoming.

  I nodded and let Langley guide me down the hall. I was trying not to gawk at the artwork, which I assumed were originals, lining the walls and the obviously expensive and antique furniture filling the rooms we walked by.

  “If she’s that bad, what did your dad ever see in her? If he’s overprotective, how can he stomach the way she speaks to you?” It didn’t make any sense.

  Langley sighed. “When my mother passed away, my dad was devastated. They had a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. He really lost himself, and his interest in almost everything and everyone around him. Including me.”

  She shook her head a little, the ends of her long blonde hair brushing across my bare arm. It felt like silk and I wanted to grab handfuls of it and bury my face in it. Oh yeah, there was definitely more than one kind of trouble to get into when this woman was involved.

  “Virginia moved in on him when he was still grieving. I think she saw he was vulnerable and took advantage of the situation. But, she made him happy. She pulled him out of his funk and forced him to start living his life again. She and I never clicked, and you already know how Camille felt about me. None of that mattered, though, because my dad was happy. Generally speaking, we keep the animosity to a minimum. During the school year, I don’t live in the house, so that helps some.”

  I wondered if she called this monolith of a house home, because it felt anything but homey to me.

  “Where do you stay during the school year?”

  She lifted an eyebrow and finally flashed a real smile. “Guess.”

  I snorted out a little laugh. “In a sorority house.” It wasn’t that hard to figure out.

  She tossed her head back and laughed. “Yep. Got it on the first try.”

  Of course she was in a sorority. It was just one more thing separating her from everything I’d ever known. The only time I’d stepped foot on a college campus was when I’d gone to tour a couple local campuses with Gael.

  Langley tugged on my arm, trying to quicken the pace. I gently pulled free and waited until she stopped and turned to face me. I rubbed a hand over my chin and cocked an eyebrow. “She wants us to hurry, so we should make her wait. I’m sure she’s already out there telling everyone about the heathen you brought to sully their pristine garden party. Let her stew for a little bit. It’ll be fun.”

  Langley looked uncertain. It was obvious she was used to keeping the peace inside these walls. But, she hired me for a reason, so even if she didn’t want to rock the boat, I was here to do more than just make some waves…I was ready to sink that ship. Deciding to give her a built-in excuse for not following orders like a docile little lamb, I asked her to show me where the bathroom was. There had to be several on this floor alone, and God forbid I use the wrong o
ne or wander into a room that was just there for looking at. I was pretty sure all rich people had one of those.

  With obvious reluctance, she pointed me down another hallway and told me she’d wait for me. I could tell she was anxious about directly defying her stepmother, but after hearing how the woman treated her, I knew it was long past time for this Cinderella to shake things up, so I made my way as slowly as I possibly could toward the “facilities,” as I’m sure it would be referred to in proper social circles.

  “Richard…everyone else is right outside. You need to stop.” The female voice brought me to a halt mid-step and I felt my eyes widen. It could be a coincidence that the soon-to-be-groom shared the name Richard with the dude pressing up on a pretty, dark-haired girl I thought I recognized from the golf club yesterday. “Camille will kill us both if she catches us.”

  Not a coincidence. The blond guy in the polo and khakis was definitely the groom. Well, wasn’t that something? It looked like Langley wasn’t the only Vaughn he was stepping out on. This whole situation really was like something out of an outrageous reality TV show. This guy was bold. His entire family was a few hundred yards away, waiting to celebrate his upcoming wedding, and he hadn’t even bothered to close the door to the bathroom before throwing his moves on the chick he had pressed up against the vanity.

  I cleared my throat and motioned to the bathroom behind them.

  The blond guy stepped away from the brunette. The girl audibly gulped and gave me a little finger wave as she practically bolted down the hall. She tossed a hurried, “Nice to see you again,” over her shoulder, and I watched as she practically plowed into Langley, who was hovering at the end of the hall.

  The sleazeball smoothed a manicured hand down the front of his pressed polo and gave me a narrow-eyed look. The watch on his wrist cost more than my truck, and I felt a nearly uncontrollable urge to put my fist in his perfectly straight and polished smile.

  “Who are you? What are you doing in the main house? Don’t you know the help has a separate entrance?”