The Rules of Persuasion

by Amity Hope

  “I thought I wanted to be alone. But I really don’t. Is it okay that I’m here? I promise I won’t be a downer.” She motioned down the street. “Kylie gave me a ride. The weather looked questionable. I’m supposed to text her if I’m staying.”

  “Yes, stay.” That would explain why I didn’t hear her drive up. My ears had become weirdly attuned to the Rebel. It always grabbed my attention, even when I wasn’t expecting it.

  She sent her text and slid her phone into her pocket.

  “Are you okay?”

  She winced. “I’d be better if you didn’t treat me like something was wrong.”

  “Done. I do have one question.”

  She grimaced. “Luke, I really don’t want to talk about Sydney.”

  “It’s not about Sydney.”

  “Then what?”

  “Megyn?” I lifted my eyebrows. “I had no idea your name was Megyn.”

  Apparently there was a helluva lot about Meg I didn’t know.

  “Oh.”

  “I like Meg. It suits you better.”

  “Thanks. I think.”

  “It was a compliment. ‘Meg’ sounds like a no-nonsense kind of name.”

  “And I’m a no-nonsense kind of girl.”

  “Exactly. It’s one of the things I like best about you.”

  She wrapped her arms around her waist and glanced around. No one was on this side of the house but a lot of noise was coming from the backyard.

  “Why didn’t you just come and find me?”

  “I was going to, but I saw Julia first. I wasn’t sure if you still wanted me here. I didn’t want to cause a scene so…”

  “Got it. Ready to go face everyone?”

  She nodded. I slung my arm around her shoulder.

  “You didn’t tell anyone, did you?” she asked. “There’s a reason I keep it to myself. I hate the way people look at me when they find out.”

  “I haven’t said a word. That’s your secret to tell.”

  We rounded the corner and bounced to a halt when we found ourselves face to face with Jaclyn.

  “And what secret would that be?” Jaclyn demanded.

  “The secret way she manages to drive me crazy.” I tugged Meg a little closer. She did not need to deal with this today of all days.

  Her lip curled. “Yeah. I can imagine. Is that why you’re slumming it?”

  “I’d watch your mouth if I were you, Jac.”

  “You’re the one who needs to watch it, Luke. Your parents aren’t real happy with you right now.”

  “And how happy would George be if he knew why we really broke up?” I asked. “The bigger question is what would your extremely devout Catholic mother think?”

  “You are such an ass,” she hissed.

  “I’m the ass? I let you walk all over me.” I jabbed a finger her way. “Stay the hell away from me. Stay the hell away from my girl. Maybe then I won’t fill your parents in on what kind of person you really are. The best thing you ever did for me was cheat on me. It was the wake-up call I needed.”

  I sidestepped her, pulling Meg along with me.

  I bypassed the tent that was set up as a precaution against rain. I needed a minute to pull myself together and thought maybe Meg could use one, too.

  We took a seat on a bench in the garden.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I know this is a rough day for you. I shouldn’t have gotten into it with her. I should’ve walked away.”

  “You really liked her.” Meg studied me with a look that was quizzical but not judgmental.

  “That’s what you got out of the argument?”

  “I heard it in your voice when you were arguing with your mom at the restaurant, too.”

  “We were together a little over a year. I’ve known her since we were kids. Funny how I didn’t really know her at all. She played me. She was playing me the entire time.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “I know you don’t pay a lot of attention to my friends, but she and Julia used to be BFFs, or whatever. She’d been messing around on me for a long time. Maybe even the whole time.” I’d never actually confessed this to anyone. “Julia finally told me about it. She’d known for awhile. I think because she was with Adam, she was having a hard time keeping it to herself. Knowing her friend was cheating on her boyfriend’s best friend? And keeping it from him? Anyhow. She eventually came to me. I didn’t believe her. She told me where I could find Jaclyn. And. Yeah. I found her all right.”

  “I’m really sorry.”

  She slipped her fingers around mine.

  It made me feel like crap. She shouldn’t be trying to make me feel better, not today.

  “Like I said, at least now I know.” I forced my tone to be light. “When I caught her, she freaked out. She begged me to take her back. For awhile I even considered it. I was such an idiot. You know what’s even more messed up?”

  “What?”

  “Julia told me the reason Jaclyn was chasing me so hard. Her dad wants us together. How twisted is that? He got it into his head that Dad’s going to make him partner. Dad’s current partner, Frank Holbrook, is retiring soon. Mr. Winters wants to buy out his share of the firm, but there’s already an agreement that Dad is buying him out. By next year the firm will be Prescott and Prescott.” Unless Gabe truly defected, but that was Dad’s problem to figure out. “With our families’ history, I guess he thought if Jaclyn and I were together, he’d have a better shot.”

  “She still wants you back?”

  “A few months ago she was laying it on thick. Saying she missed me, promising she wouldn’t mess up again. Putting her off was exhausting. And then that night, I was out for a run, trying to clear my head and get some perspective on the situation…”

  “You caught me—”

  “I was feeling so desperate,” I finished. “I wanted Jaclyn off my back. I knew the only way to do that was to make her think there wasn’t a chance. My head wasn’t in the right place to date someone for real.”

  “Hey. Prescott. Get your ass over here,” Adam bellowed. “We’re going to have a team meeting.”

  I motioned to Adam to let him know I heard.

  “I better get over there.” I stood and waited for her to follow, disappointed that we were being dragged away.

  …

  I stared up at the dark window, mentally berating myself because I was about to do something stupid. And totally lame.

  I hit Meg’s number on my speed dial. Maybe she shut her phone off at night. Or silenced it. Or maybe not, I realized when she answered on the third ring.

  “Luke?” She sounded groggy. Not a surprise.

  “Hey, Nutmeg.”

  “Do you know how late it is? Why are you calling?” Her voice was soft and sleepy. She sounded content all curled up in her bed.

  “I know exactly how late it is. I’m calling because throwing a rock at your window seems like kind of a cliché.”

  Her next words were sharp, as if she’d snapped herself awake. “My window?”

  “Also, it sounds questionable. With an arm like mine,” I joked, “I was afraid I’d bust the glass.”

  Three seconds later her curtain was shoved aside.

  I waved.

  She waved back.

  “Come outside?” I urged.

  The curtain fell, and she disconnected. I stood there looking up. Had she hung up on me because she thought I was crazy? Maybe I was crazy.

  The front door swung open and she slipped through it. She was wearing yoga pants and a black hoodie. Her hair was twisted into a sloppy, sexy mess on top of her head. A few strands fluttered around her face.

  “Hi.”

  “Hi,” she replied.

  The sound of a vehicle cruising down a side street melded with the sounds of crickets chirping in the distance. We stared at each other a moment, neither of us seeming to know what to say.

  “Why are you here?” she finally asked.

  “I wanted to see you.”

&nbs
p; “You spent all evening with me.”

  “I know. Didn’t seem like long enough. I ended up stuck in a team meeting. You had to hang out with Julia. I feel like I didn’t really get to see you at all.”

  Amusement lit up her eyes. “Are we just going to stand here on my sidewalk?”

  “Wanna go for a drive?”

  She nodded, and we hurried down the block to where I parked.

  I had no idea where I was going as we skirted the edge of town.

  “Slow down. Slow down.” Meg slapped her hand against the dashboard.

  “What? Why?”

  “Please.”

  I did better than slow down. I pulled over to the side of the road.

  She leaned forward, craning her neck so she could look skyward. Laurel’s water tower was probably a hundred feet in the air. It was stark white and stood out against the starlit sky.

  “Are you checking out the water tower? It’s not new. It’s been here, like, forever,” I said.

  “I know. I’ve never noticed it before.” Her eyes were sparkling. Excited energy radiated from her.

  “No.”

  “What?” she shot back.

  “Meg, you can’t really be considering painting the tower.” I tried to sound reasonable. “How much painting have you done since the high school?”

  “None,” she said, all wide-eyed innocence. “I’ve been good. Really good. But this would be perfect. It’s ideal.”

  “It’s illegal.”

  “There is that,” she cautiously agreed.

  “We’re talking not only vandalism, but trespassing. It’s fenced in. There’s barbed wire topping the fence.” That should be a deterrent, shouldn’t it?

  This was not what I had in mind when I asked if she wanted to go for a drive.

  “I don’t plan on climbing over. There’s a gate. That little piece of linked chain just needs to be cut and the door will open right up. It’s nothing that a little old bolt cutter can’t contend with.”

  How could she sound so reasonable when she was so obviously edging on insane?

  “It’s not happening.” That was an order.

  She said nothing.

  “It’s not only illegal. It’s dangerous.” I suddenly felt as if I were the rational guy trying to talk a jumper off a ledge. Only I wasn’t doing a very good job, judging by her twitchy excitement level.

  She leaned back against the seat and made a vague motion with her hand. “You’re right. It’s a dumb idea. Let’s get out of here.”

  I studied her, noting the way her hands were clenched tightly in her lap. Her feet had the smallest bit of bounce to them. Her bottom lip was clamped firmly between her teeth.

  “You’re a terrible liar,” I accused. “You’re going to paint the tower the first chance you get.”

  “You should come with me,” she said excitedly. “The ladder starts…what…eight feet up? We come up with a makeshift ladder that reaches the real one. It’s easy-peasy. It’s like this tower is asking to be climbed.”

  “If anyone is asking for anything, it’s you.” I shook my head. “What you’re asking for is your very own arrest record.”

  “Okay,” she shrugged. “Don’t come. It’s better that way.”

  “You’re really going to do this? What if you fall to your death?” Had that thought crossed her mind? “No one would find your body until morning.”

  “I won’t fall.” She sounded so sure. “People climb water towers all the time.”

  “You know this?”

  “I’m guessing.”

  “Well it’s a horrible idea.”

  She grabbed my hand. The excitement in her tone had faded to a desperate plea. “I need this.”

  Something in me shifted.

  “Why the tower? There’s got to be a nice brick building in town. Another overpass? A parking lot?”

  “I want that.” She pointed out the windshield. “It’s the first thing people see when they come into town. It’s the closest I can get to the sky.”

  To Heaven. That’s what she really meant.

  “I’m basically going up a ladder. What’s more natural than climbing a ladder?” She sounded so reasonable. “That’s what they’re made for.”

  I rarely admitted defeat but realized I was not going to win this argument. Meg’s stubbornness would not be taken out by my common sense. The anniversary of her sister’s death was probably the worst possible day to have to talk her out of this.

  “When are you doing this?”

  “I have no idea. It’s not like I’ve formed a plan yet.”

  I pulled back onto the road. “Promise me one thing.”

  “Maybe.” The girl knew better than to promise at random.

  “Let me know before you go through with it.”

  “That,” she said, “I can do.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Meg

  Two days later I crept out of the house minutes before midnight. The moon was full. It was the best sort of night for painting. Dark enough to blend in, but light enough to see what was right in front of me.

  I sprinted down my steps, down the sidewalk, and continued on down the block.

  Luke was waiting at the corner.

  The dome light lit up the cab for a moment. I didn’t bother to suppress my smile when I realized he was dressed in all black.

  “Criminal is a good look on you.”

  “Oh, yeah?” he asked, half laughing. “We all know you have the ninja look mastered.”

  “I might have to pull out some ninja moves if I’m going to climb that tower.”

  He tossed a plastic bag in my lap.

  “What’s this?” I pulled the bag open before he had a chance to answer. I found a black hat and a pair of gloves inside.

  “The gloves are the sort you use for rock climbing.”

  I ran my fingers over the palm, noting how they would help with my grip.

  “And I thought a ski mask would be smart, just in case,” he said grimly.

  I tentatively held up what I had thought was a hat. It was, indeed, a ski mask.

  “I figured if I’m going to be your partner in crime, I might as well dress the part.”

  “Actually,” I said quickly, “it was impulsive of me to ask you. I don’t want you to get in trouble. You could stay on the ground. Be my lookout?”

  “I can’t stand the thought of you climbing that ladder alone. Which,” he said, “I know is stupid. It’s not like I’ll be able to catch you if you fall. But still.”

  We drove in silence. My palms were sweaty. I was grateful to Luke for his foresight and purchase of the gloves.

  “Are you nervous?” He pulled up to the curb a few blocks away from the tower.

  “Kind of. I’ve never been nervous before, but then again, I’ve never had someone else’s reputation at stake,” I admitted. “I’ve only ever had to worry about myself if I got caught.”

  “Let’s be sure not to get caught then.”

  We hopped out of the vehicle. Our synchronized footsteps echoed softly as we hurried down the deserted sidewalk. My cans of paint clanged familiarly in my backpack. Most of the houses lining the street were dark. The field where the water tower stood was directly before us.

  I felt a moment of trepidation as my gaze went up, up, up to the sky. The moon shone down, lighting the field in an eerie fashion. Now that we were so close, I noted the tower was taller than I had realized. My nervousness faded as adrenaline kicked in. I was doing this for Sydney, and that gave me the courage I needed. I picked up my pace. Luke adjusted his stride to keep up.

  We reached the fence that enclosed the base. Four sturdy metal legs led to the top. A cage-like ladder was attached to one of the legs. It was tubular, with rungs circling all the way around to keep a person from falling backward. The ladder started a good eight feet up.

  I rummaged around in my backpack, pulling out what I needed.

  “Let’s do this!” I tugged on my ski mask and gloves. I pulled out t
he bolt cutter. I put it in place and gave the handles a squeeze. It took more effort than I anticipated. Luke reached for it, a silent offer to do it for me. I shrugged him away. I wanted the breaking and entering to be on my shoulders.

  With a crack the deadbolt snapped. I hurriedly unwound the chain. I tossed it to the ground and shoved the gate open.

  I put the bolt cutter away and pulled out a carefully rolled up bundle.

  Luke took one final look around as he pulled the gate shut.

  “Coming?” I asked.

  “Yeah.” He laced his fingers together. I held the bundle I had pulled from my backpack in both hands. I stepped into Luke’s makeshift hoist, just as we’d discussed. He catapulted me upward.

  Being a worrier, Mom had purchased a rope ladder for my second floor bedroom. It was the sort of ladder that hooked onto a windowsill and reached the ground in case of a fire.

  The moment he lifted me high enough to reach the rungs of the water tower ladder I hooked the emergency ladder to it.

  I quickly found my balance with the foot that was not in Luke’s hand. Once one foot was on the ladder, I stepped on with the other foot.

  In no time I realized how helpful the gloves were. My hands easily gripped each wrung. As a trickle of perspiration dribbled down my spine, I knew my hands would’ve been sweaty and slippery. The climb would’ve quickly become treacherous.

  There’s a fine line between fear and rapture. When your adrenaline kicks in, even the direst of circumstances can create a euphoric rush. I scaled the hundred or so feet, not with ease, necessarily, but not with difficulty, either. I was a misbegotten superhero on a mission.

  When I emerged at the top, my muscles were trembling from the exertion. I clambered onto the narrow walkway that encircled the tank. A waist high guardrail offered some security. I dropped my backpack onto the metal grated floor as Luke appeared.

  He looked over the edge and then quickly pressed himself against the tank. “I don’t think I like heights very much,” he admitted.

  “You’re just realizing that now?” I pulled my black spray paint from my bag and uncapped it while keeping an eye on Luke. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “Sure. Yeah. I haven’t exactly been in this kind of situation before. I’ll be fine.” He stayed seated while I got to work. Both of us were puffing and panting. Our breathing eventually evened out as our bodies relaxed.