The Six Month Lease (Southern Hearts Club Book 2)

by Melanie Munton

  I find my release in seconds.

  I swear…seconds.

  “Did you like the way I licked you, princess?” West rasps in my ear, his smooth timbre bringing me back to the present.

  “You know I did.”

  “Think about that while I go to the bathroom, and then we can leave.”

  “I thought you wanted to wait until they cut the cake.”

  There isn’t a whole lot left of the evening anyway. We’ve already eaten dinner, and the eye roll-worthy awards ceremony is about to start. The cake cutting will follow the donation presentation at the end of the ceremony. As she does every year, Mother will be presenting all the awards, most likely because she wants to be seen as the face of generosity.

  Yeah, she’s a real Mother Teresa.

  Since the Foundation board makes the final decision on who receives the sizable donation, I’m not sure who the recipient is this year. I really hope it’s the new after-school program a group of local educators started that teaches teens how to cook, handle personal finances, fix basic car and household problems, and a lot of other practical skills that help prepare kids for the real world.

  “Yeah, well, that was before a slight problem arose.” West stabs that thick, hard problem into my hip. “I can’t be swinging this around in polite—or not-so-polite—society.”

  I hum in agreement. “We definitely can’t have that.”

  He kisses my cheek. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

  I revel in the sight of his firm ass twitching in his tux slacks as he walks away. And because I don’t take my eyes off of him until he walks around the corner and disappears, I notice every single woman—young and old—who cranes her neck in his direction, treating herself to the same view.

  Sharp, ugly jealousy tries to bore through my chest, but it quickly abates. Just like he’s the only one who gets to enjoy me in this dress, I’m the only one who gets to peel that tux off of him later.

  A head of ash blond hair rushing across the room toward me catches my attention.

  Shae.

  I can’t say I’m surprised to see her here. If she wasn’t able to sneak a ticket out of the various men in attendance she’s slept with, then she talked my mother into providing her with one. After all, I’m pretty sure Mother likes Shae more than she likes me.

  Notice I didn’t say love.

  I’m not convinced the woman who birthed me is capable of that emotion.

  Shae’s body language as she approaches is odd, uncharacteristic. Her frantic eyes are darting all over the room, particularly back at the stage where the ceremony is about to take place. We haven’t spoken in weeks, ever since I told her off during our happy hour date. I’d love to say I’m expecting an apology from her, but her expression suggests otherwise. Whatever I’m about to get, I sense I’m going to want to throw it back at her like a live grenade.

  She was a harbinger of death to my relationship with West last time.

  And I don’t want this grim reaper anywhere near me tonight.

  “I need to talk to you,” she says in a hurried voice.

  Our years of history suddenly swamp me, making my resolve falter slightly. The look on her face reminds me of the ten-year-old version of her who was just desperate for a friend. Someone to be nice to her. Someone to actually give a shit about her.

  “Now’s not the best time.” I hold back my wince at my cold delivery. But tonight has been magical with West, despite our environment, and I don’t want Shae to be a dark cloud that blocks our sun. “How about we meet up sometime tomorrow?”

  She’s shaking her head in refusal before I can even finish the question. “You don’t understand. Tomorrow will be too late. You need to hear this now.”

  “Unless it’s an apology for how you’ve behaved about the whole West thing, I don’t really want to hear it.”

  I start to turn away, but she stops me with a tight grip on my arm. Her eyes are wide and nervous when I glance back at her. “It is about West. Sort of.”

  I sigh, even as a prickling sensation starts at the base of my spine. “Make it quick, Shae. I was just about to leave.”

  After I shake off her hold, she wrings her hands together in front of her, biting down on her lip. “I need to tell you what really happened between West and I that night.”

  That sense of foreboding travels all the way up my spine until I feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “What night?”

  She swallows, looking almost…scared. “The night of my birthday party.”

  All my senses go on Level 5 alert.

  Memories from that night months ago whiz through my mind. West and I having a good time at the waterfront bar, listening to the live band. Despite the fact that we didn’t know any of Shae’s co-workers, whom she’d been taking shots with all night, we’d been enjoying ourselves.

  Then everything changed about halfway through the evening.

  West had turned moody, annoyed, and almost furious at one point. Then he’d started drinking, heavily. It was the first and only time I’ve ever seen him drunk, and I had no idea what was provoking it. He’d said nothing was wrong, but the scowl on his face had contradicted that. We left not too long after.

  He’s been avoiding Shae ever since.

  I didn’t even notice it until the night we broke up. When he said he’d gotten a glimpse of who she really was, the real person inside, and he didn’t approve. Working backwards, it all seemed to start the night of her birthday.

  “What are you talking about?” I demand, my spine now rigid with uncertainty.

  She blows out a shaky breath. “I…hit on West. I came on to him that night.”

  It’s like my world stops spinning. The earth stops rotating on its axis, halting in its orbit around the sun. Everything just goes…eerily still.

  “Excuse me?” I take a step toward her, causing her to retreat. “You made a move on my boyfriend? Are you kidding me?”

  “Nothing happened, I swear,” she blurts out, looking more panicked by the second. “He pushed me away. Said he’d never hurt you like that in a million years.”

  Yet my oldest friend in the world hadn’t felt the same way.

  “How could you do that to me?” I notice the volume of my voice rise, but I don’t give a shit. “I’ve done everything I can for you, Shae. I’ve killed myself over the years trying to help you. What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “It’s not my fault!” she nearly shouts.

  My hand slices through the air. “Oh, don’t you dare try to blame it on alcohol.” Fuck that noise. “Or anything else for that matter. That was a straight-up bitch move. And you know what?” My laughter comes out flat. “West was right about you. He tried telling me you weren’t a good person. That I shouldn’t be friends with you. And instead of trusting my boyfriend, I defended you and broke up with him. God, I’m such an idiot.”

  Those memories from our years together that were flashing through my mind just moments ago go up in flames. With this confession, she’s demolished every facet of our relationship. Leveled every smile, every giggle, into nothing more than ash and rubble. I’ll never see past this degree of betrayal. She actually made the conscientious decision to willingly destroy our friendship. Like all our years together never mattered. Like all I’ve ever done and tried to do for her haven’t meant anything. There’s no excuse and no apology good enough to make up for the pain she’s caused me.

  “I can’t believe I’ve wasted so much time and energy trying to make you happy,” I fume. “I never let myself believe what everyone has tried to convince me of for years. I was a blind fool, and they were just trying to open my eyes.”

  “Harper, you have to listen to me—”

  “No, that’s just it, Shae,” I cut her off. “I don’t have to listen to you. In fact, I never have to listen to you again. I’m done.”

  “Wait, just wait—”

  “You and my mother deserve each other.” One betrays me, the other blackmails m
e. And all they’re really supposed to do is love me. “Goodbye, Shae.”

  “Your mother was behind the whole thing!”

  I halt in the middle of storming off.

  Turning halfway back around, I incline my head. “Behind what exactly?”

  When her voice eventually comes out, it’s small and frail. “She…paid me to break the two of you up.”

  “Did you just say you accepted money from my mother to sabotage my relationship with West?”

  Because that couldn’t be real. Someone must have slipped a hallucinogen into my champagne or something.

  Shae reaches for my hand, but I yank it away. “She wanted you and West broken up. Said he was diverting you from all the plans she has for you. She promised me things if I could get the two of you to split up.”

  “What things?” I barely manage to get out.

  She lowers her head, along with her voice. “Designer clothes, invites to all the exclusive parties…”

  I shoot her a seething glare. “Your new car you told me it took you forever to save up to buy?”

  She nods sullenly. Like a petulant child being scolded for not cleaning up her toys.

  But the act isn’t working on me this time. It never will again.

  “You guys had only been together for a couple of weeks at that point,” she rushes out. “I didn’t think it was too serious. Didn’t think it would be a big deal if…” She trails off, finally having the decency to look a little guilty.

  “If what?” I snap. “You destroyed any happiness I might have found? Did that make it okay for you? Is that how you justified it in your own head? ‘Well, since they’ve only been together for two weeks, surely, she won’t care if I break their whole world apart’?”

  She fingers the ends of her long braid, plucking nervously at the strands. “I know what I did was wrong.”

  “Really,” I mutter sarcastically. “What tipped you off? Why are you even telling me this now? Here?”

  Her gaze flicks over to the stage. “I made a mistake, but I’m not the one you should really be mad at. Your mother plotted the whole thing. It was her idea, not mine.”

  “Ah, I see. I guess that excuses what you did, then, huh?” I narrow my eyes. “I think you’re only telling me this now because you’re afraid of losing your meal ticket.”

  Her face loses all of its color “No.”

  It’s all starting to make sense now. “Yeah, I think that’s what this is. I finally put my foot down with you, haven’t contacted you in weeks, and you’re panicking. You don’t want to lose the benefits that a friendship with me has.”

  Her eyes water with unshed tears. “That’s not true, Harp.”

  “My main excuse for your behavior over the years has always been it’s not her fault, it’s not her fault. You can’t help where you come from, can’t help the disorders you have. But it is your fault that you accepted money from my mother to hit on my boyfriend. No one forced you to do that to me, Shae. And a true friend would never have even considered it. She would have told my mother to go to hell. You ended our friendship the second you agreed to be apart of her sick, twisted agenda.”

  She makes another grab for my hand when I spin away again. “No, please, Harper. I didn’t know you loved him! I never would have done that if I’d known.”

  “I don’t believe you,” I spit out, disgusted more at myself than her. “And it doesn’t matter anyway. If you really loved me, you couldn’t have done that. You made your bed, Shae, and you have to lie in it. Now, I’m going to go make mine.”

  The last image I have before I storm off is of her arms wrapped protectively around her middle and tears falling down her face. But I refuse to allow old memories to rise up from the ashes like a resurrected phoenix. No longer will the sympathy I’ve always harbored for Shae and her unfortunate circumstances cloud my judgment toward her. Whether or not my love for her is even real—because I honestly can’t work anything out in my discombobulated head right now—I will not allow it to act as a blinder to the truth anymore.

  I need to find West and get the hell out of here.

  I have to make the past four months up to him before any other wrecking balls come barreling toward us and deconstruct everything we’ve built.

  I’m winding my way through the ballroom in search of him when my mother’s voice rings out over the microphone onstage, welcoming everyone to tonight’s awards ceremony.

  Too late.

  Where the hell is he? He should have come out of the bathroom by now.

  “We are so fortunate to have such tremendous support from the community,” Mother begins her spiel as I skirt past candlelit tables, heading for the bathrooms. “Thanks to your charitable efforts, the Charleston Society Foundation has been an institution in this city for sixty-two glorious years.” A polite round of applause follows.

  Finally, I spot West standing near the bar along the far wall, in a quiet discussion with Dan. He’s not acting like his entire world just got turned over on its head like mine. His smile is easy and relaxed as he speaks with my stepfather, using his hands animatedly.

  I breathe a sigh of relief.

  Then that breath gets stuck en route when I see his smile slowly tick down into a frown. As Dan continues whatever lengthy explanation he’s in the middle of, West’s mouth curves downward at the ends. Mother’s voice still echoes over the sound system, drawing chuckles from the crowd, but she could be speaking Hindi right now and I wouldn’t know. I can only focus on West’s expression that grows more and more disturbed with every word Dan speaks.

  Then West’s eyes start wildly searching the room. When they lock on me, they fill with frustration, confusion, and even accusation, not necessarily in that order.

  Oh, God, what now?

  Did Dan say something about the deal I made with Mother? About the anonymous money coming to West? Or about my taking the position in the Planning and Preservation department? What else would put that look on his face? I have to get to him and explain everything now before things get worse.

  “And to help me present this year’s awards, I’d like to introduce someone that most of you already know.” Mother’s voice is a distant buzzing in my ears as I launch myself across the room to my boyfriend. “My daughter, Harper St. Clair.”

  I stop dead in my tracks as every head in the room turns in my direction.

  What the hell is she doing? I’m not supposed to be up there with her. She prefers to have the entire stage to herself.

  When I cautiously meet her gaze, there’s a suspicious shrewdness in her eyes that has a knot forming in my stomach. What’s her angle?

  She holds out her hand. “Harper, dear, won’t you come join me in honoring this year’s recipients?”

  I want nothing more than to bolt for West and make for Mexico where we can escape all of this. But that look in her eyes is also part warning. If I want her to hold up her end of our deal by giving West his start-up money and not blacklisting his business, then I have to play this game. I can’t make a scene by publicly rejecting her and tearing out of here, no matter how strongly I feel that something bad is about to happen.

  If I embarrass her, then our deal is off.

  Her threatening expression is practically broadcasting those words.

  West watches me with wary curiosity as I make my way toward the stage. More polite applause precedes my ascent up the stairs until I’m standing next to Mother. I peek up at him again with the spotlights shining on my face to see him standing with his hands in his pockets, still watching me with rapt attention.

  But there’s clear disappointment in the lines of his face. And that’s when I know.

  I know that he knows.

  Dan must have said something about me running for that board seat because West is looking at me like he doesn’t even know me. At the very least, his expression is demanding answers.

  “The first award of the evening…” Mother’s voice trails off in my ears, turning back into a low droning noise.<
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  My movements are wooden as I hand her each plaque, my insides twisting with dread, soul plunging into despair with every minute that passes. Somehow, it feels like every second that West and I remain separated, it gives his mind more time to spin and warp with falsities. I don’t even know what mountains I have to climb yet, but I feel the distance already forming between us. Right now, it’s just an anthill. But if I don’t get to him soon and fix whatever this is, it’s going to grow into Mount Everest.

  My leg is jiggling beneath my dress, my heel anxiously tapping against the stage as Mother finishes up with the awards. All that’s left is the announcement of the donation recipient, and then I can get to West.

  Almost there.

  “I’m happy to say that I actually have my daughter to thank for bringing this year’s donation recipient to my attention.”

  My head snaps around to her in shock as that knot in my stomach turns into tight, sickening nausea.

  Smiling out at the audience, she says, “Every year, the Foundation board selects an organization, institution, or small business that we feel is most deserving of monetary assistance for their service to the community. And while this year’s selection is not a non-profit organization or healthcare institution like some of our past recipients, we at the Foundation have been most impressed by the entrepreneurial efforts of one gentleman.”

  Oh, no.

  Oh, no, no, no, nooooo.

  I know now why she brought me up onstage. Why I’m surprised she has this level of nerve, I don’t have a clue. She’s already bribed my best friend to ruin my happiness. She’s blackmailing me to live out a miserable existence for her own gain I shouldn’t be the least bit shocked that she would have a back-up plan. A way of ensuring my cooperation.

  Yet when realization dawns on me, my head still rears back so sharply I have to adjust my feet so I don’t tumble head-first off the stage.