My phone rings again, but my feet are already moving in her direction.
She glances up as she’s talking, then pauses.
“Harley Shelton.” She stands as I come upon her. “I owe you a very big apology.”
“What?” I blink back. Those are the very last words I thought I’d hear from Ashley Grayson, or from anyone for that matter.
“It was never my intention to send you out on those hygiene ads. I had you slated to work with Joel Barber in Times Square. It was a huge campaign, and this was a huge mishap. It turns out, my nephew got ahold of the files. He must have switched your bio with someone else’s. My secretary swears up and down she didn’t do it, and Lord knows I’d never make a mistake like that. He’s mostly harmless, but this time his pranks have gone too far.” She glances behind me. “Speaking of which, here he is now. Eli!” She gives a hearty wave.
“Eli?” I turn to find Eli Gates running over, his face distressed.
He blinks back when he sees her. “Aunt Ashley?”
“What?” I inch back, trying to decipher if I just hallucinated his greeting. “Wait. She’s your aunt?” My mouth falls open as I look at the two of them. “So it’s true what she said? You goofed my ad with Joel Barber and stuck me with the hygiene ads as a joke?” My blood is pumping as I take him in, and it’s for far more nefarious reasons than it usually is.
A thunderous laugh breaks out from behind, and I turn and gasp at what I see.
“It’s you!” I shout to the look-alike before turning to Eli. “This is the guy, Edison. This is your twin from New York.”
Eli steps forward with a ripe fury of his own. “We don’t need any introductions. I know exactly who this is.” He nails him with a right hook, and the entire establishment breaks out in cries of terror as the place clears out.
“What’s happening?” I shout at the top of my lungs.
Eli roughs up his look-alike by shaking him by his shirt. “This is the little shit that’s been terrorizing you, Harley.”
“What?” both Ashley Grayson and I shout in unison.
Edison lifts a finger. “I can explain. My brother and I—”
“Wait”—I bark it out and stop the room cold—“did you say brother?”
“That’s right,” Ashley answers for him. “Eli and Edison are fraternal twins.”
“Oh my God,” I riot out the words with a newfound venom. “You lied to me!” I swat Eli with my purse. “You told me that your family was dead! And you knew that Ashley Grayson took me on as a client and you never once even hinted at the fact she was your aunt—not to mention the fact you ruined a life-changing opportunity for me and landed me on a fake toilet for sixteen hours! You are a liar, Eli!” I glance around the room. “Eli Gates is a liar!” I shout as loud as my lungs will allow. “I bet you were in on this stalking thing with your brother, too. That’s despicable and sick, and I think I need a restraining order from the both of you!” I turn to leave. “I’m sorry, Ashley. I’m sure you’ll want to get rid me of now.” I bolt out the door and make a mad dash for Prescott Hall.
Eli Gates is nothing more than a fake, a player who did and said anything he needed to in order to get into my pants.
The sad truth is, he didn’t have to try so hard.
And as much as I hate to admit it—my sister was right.
ELI
C rap.
My adrenaline has hit its zenith. My panting is out of control as I watch Harley hightail it out of here. My instincts say run after her. Leave this idiot behind. She’s the one you care about. But my greedy flesh wants to finish pummeling Edison’s head into the wall, and that’s what I go with.
I twist his shirt into my fist and shake the living hell out of him while throwing wild punches and missing half the time. I clock him over the chin, and he staggers backward, taking out a table and chairs. By this point, Hallowed Grounds is all but empty save for a couple of staff members. My Aunt Ashley is standing dutifully at a safe distance calling out obscenities at us like only a seasoned New Yorker can.
“Hey, hey”—an aggressive female voice calls from behind—“take this outside or I’m calling security.”
It’s one of the baristas. She’s gripped a chair as if she might crash it over our heads, and judging by that pissed look on her face, the odds are good she’ll do it.
I grip Edison by the shirt and drag him out the door. Aunt Ashley follows with her screaming tirade. Edison spits blood to the ground, and it jars me enough to snap me out of my ass-beating stupor.
Aunt Ashley wrestles us apart before whacking us both with her purse.
“Geez!” Edison clutches his chest where she struck him. “What the heck do you have in there? A bowling ball?”
“It’s filled with good sense. Did I manage to knock any into the two of you?” Her hair is sticking straight up in tufts as if she had gotten in on the action, pale and angry looking, just like she is at the moment. “Now pull it together. The two of you haven’t seen one another in years. I wasn’t expecting a hug-fest, but I sure as hell wasn’t expecting World War III! And who the hell holds this much volatile resentment for that long?”
“This doesn’t have anything to do with the past.” My palm forms softly over my cheek in an effort to comfort it. “He’s been stalking Harley.”
“Bullshit.”
I jump over to him and get in his face. “You were terrorizing her!”
Edison closes his eyes a moment. “Okay, fine. I can see where the pictures could freak her out.”
Aunt Ashley wedges between the two of us once again. “I can see this has gone incredibly sideways. I don’t know about you, but I’m starved. As far as I can see it, you have two choices. Come to dinner with me or I’ll have you arrested.”
WE CHOOSE DINNER. And that’s exactly how I find myself seated across from Edison Gates and my Aunt Ashley at the Black Bear Saloon.
Serena has already brought us our meals. She hasn’t clawed my eyes out, so that tells me Harley hasn’t spoken with her yet.
The first thing I did before we walked into this place was text Harley and let her know how sorry I was. She texted right back.
Leave me the hell alone.
Edison takes a bite out of his burger. “Mmm”—he moans—“this is good. They really know their stuff. I can see why you like to hang out here.”
Aunt Ashley takes a breath. “In light of recent hostilities, I think I should moderate this event. I’ll ask the questions, and you’ll answer them. Instead of interrupting one another, if you have something to add, lift a hand and we’ll get to you eventually. No warring, no shouting, no kicking each other under the table, no surges of uncontrollable violence. Are we clear?”
Both Edison and I nod in agreement.
“First and foremost”—she offers a pained smile my way—“I think it’s time we delve into the past. What’s the real reason the two of you broke off all communication after the funeral?”
“It’s funerals, plural.” I glare at my brother. “The accident never would have happened because one of us would have driven Sarah to her sleepover.”
Edison bows his head because he knows I’m right.
“But we were too hopped up on anger”—I continue—“stoking the fire of regret, of pity.” I glance to my aunt. “I dated a girl named Lauren. I thought Lauren Anderson was the one for me and we would get married right out of high school. But Edison had the bright idea of swiping her away when I wasn’t looking.”
He lifts a hand, and Ashley nods to him. “I didn’t swipe her. You had asked me to tutor her in chemistry because you couldn’t. You were playing this or that and had practice every free minute. Lauren and I grew close.”
My hand slams down over the table. “I asked you to help her memorize the periodic table of elements, not jam your tongue down her throat!”
Aunt Ashley audibly gags as she does her best to calm me. “Do you even hear yourselves? All of this grief was over some girl?” She grunts in disgust. “Eli, d
on’t you dare try to pin that to the deaths of your parents and sister. That was an honest to God accident with nobody to blame. Edison is right. You had practice coming out of your ears. If Sarah would have asked for a ride, you might have been too busy. Same with you, Edison. Whenever I spoke to either of your parents, they were carting Sarah off somewhere. So don’t waste your life wearing a coat of guilt that doesn’t even fit you.” She blows a hard breath through her lips. “This girl, Lauren, I’m assuming there was a messy breakup?”
I growl over at Edison without even trying. “You could say that. The night before the accident, practice was canceled, Coach was sick. I went over to Lauren’s house to surprise her. Her parents were away. I knew she had the house to herself. Just as I was about to knock, I glanced through the window next to the door and spotted them horizontal on the couch. The door wasn’t locked, so I barged in. I freaked out. Lauren freaked out. Edison and I battled it out—damn near destroyed the living room. Lauren broke it off with the both of us, and I thought that was the end of the story.”
My aunt takes another big breath. “It was, Eli. You are no longer welcome to wedge anyone’s death between the two of you. Edison, what were you thinking? What a heart-wrenching thing to do to your brother.”
He glances down, spinning his finger over the table in small concentric circles. “I wasn’t thinking. Not with my head anyway.” He glances my way and shrugs. “I don’t know. Lauren was beautiful. And no matter how much you don’t want to hear this, she was openly flirting with me for weeks before we did anything.”
A dull huff comes from me. “Right.”
Edison jerks in his seat. “Why is that so hard to believe? Because you’re the only Gates brother the girls wanted? You and I both know that’s not true. The only difference was that I wore glasses. And newsflash, jock, it drove the girls wild. Still does.”
“Good for you.” I take a sip from my water to cool me down. “I hope you thank your glasses each time you get laid. I don’t give a crap how many Coke bottoms you need to see the world through. You knew Lauren was my girlfriend. Apparently, wearing glasses doesn’t necessarily equate to brain cells, because if you had any, you’d realize that my girlfriend—whom I had told you on many occasions that I was in love with—was off-limits to you.”
Aunt Ashley nods over to Edison as if prompting him to speak.
“It’s all right.” I push my plate forward without having taken a single bite. “He can’t defend himself.”
“You’re right.” My brother leans back in his seat, his features sagging in a sure sign of defeat. “I was an asshole. And instead of apologizing for it like I should have, I threw punches at you—but only because you threw them first. In fact, I was on my way to apologize when I got news of the accident. When I found out what happened, and you rightly blamed me for all the bull—I knew words wouldn’t mean anything at that point.”
Aunt Ashley picks up his hand. “Eli stayed in school. Your next-door neighbors took him in for the remainder of his senior year and you came to New York. I couldn’t get a straight story out of either of you, so I stopped trying. I figured eventually we’d get to the bottom of this, and tonight it feels like we have. I had no idea it would take this long.” She shoots those steely eyes my way. “Now, how does this tie into the present? What’s happened now? And I can already surmise it has to do with Harley, as if that poor girl hasn’t been through enough. Eli, you start this conversation. Edison, you’ll finish it.” Her tone is stern and to the point, and I can tell there is no room for bull and I agree.
“A few months back, a friend of mine, Harley, was looking to head to New York. Her sister couldn’t go with her and she didn’t want her to go on her own, so I volunteered. I thought I could visit you. It would be nice.” I pump a dry smile because we all know how that fell to crap. “Once I realized she was heading there to meet with you, I thought I’d have a little fun with her. I didn’t tell her that you were in fact the aunt I was going to visit. And, when she left your office, I went in to speak with you.” I squeeze my eyes shut tight. Why is it so much easier to bring other people’s sins to light? “You told me that the girl who was in your office was gold, that you were going to have her kissing some rock star in Times Square, naked—I got a little edgy.” Edison chuckles as if he were enjoying this, and I’m sure he is. “When you asked me to take the files out front, I switched the bios. I’m a jerk. I deserve everything you want to fling my way. I’m sorry. And as sorry as I am with you, I’m ten times sorrier to Harley. I feel like I let a little petty jealousy ruin her life.” I rake my fingers over my face a moment.
Aunt Ashley tips her head toward Edison. “How does he factor into this?”
I look over to my brother and glare at him a very long time. “Harley let me know she was using the dating app I designed. She ended up talking to some guy going by the nickname Shark. One conversation led to another. The next thing she knew, he was shooting her creepy pictures—pictures of Harley in intimate settings, pictures that sent a clear signal to her that he was watching her every move—that he always knew where she was.”
“Oh God.” Aunt Ashley inches back from Edison. “Start dancing, boy, before I call the police myself.”
Edison winces. He looks to me and nods. “I’m sorry. It was warped and twisted, and just like I said, all meant for you. Harley chose me on that app, but only after I tapped her first. And—in full disclosure of the truth, I saw the two of you speaking to one another right here at the Black Bear right after the semester started. I came by looking for you—wondering what you’d do if you saw me, if you’d deck me or hug me.” He inverts a smile. “I saw that look you were giving her—same one you did Lauren. I could tell you were into her, really into her, and not in a one-night stand way. And—I saw the way she was looking at you. She was fighting it, though. I thought I’d make things interesting. Either she’d ditch the app altogether or you’d send her running, and it turned out the latter was true. Harley and I had several heartfelt conversations. And the next thing I knew, it felt like Lauren all over again—me messing with your girlfriend, getting sucked in when I knew it was wrong. So I thought I’d turn her off. That’s when I started with the pictures. And when I saw how hyped up you got, I thought I’d shoot off just a couple more. I thought I could make up to you what happened between Lauren and me by pushing the two of you together, bonding you over it, making you stronger.”
And as much as I hate to admit it, he did just that.
Aunt Ashley sighs. “Edison.” She closes her eyes and shakes her head, the look of grief ripe on her face. “You’ll be lucky if either of them doesn’t press charges. That was a cruel game. You have to have known it.”
“And again, I’m sorry.” Edison looks as if someone just eviscerated him. “Look, all of this happened because I hunted you down to finally ask your forgiveness and heard the two of you talking about the app. And that’s what the letter was about in the event you were wondering. I wanted to set up a time and a place. I’m not texting Harley anymore. Hell, I won’t text you either. I just needed you to hear my apology, see me do it face-to-face.” His voice breaks, and he swallows hard. “Do what you want with it. I’m renting a place in Hollow Brook Hills.” He pulls something out of his pocket and drops a business card onto the table.
Edison Website Design and Technical Analysis.
His phone number is listed at the bottom. His home address is scrawled over it in his familiar handwriting, and it looks like an old friend staring back at me.
He looks to Aunt Ashley. “I’ll wait in the car.” Edison takes off, leaving his burger mostly untouched.
“That went well.” She shakes her head wistfully. “So, how long is it going to take for you to accept his apology? You need another six years to think about it?”
“Maybe.” I rub my eyes, hoping to see another reality when I open them, but I don’t. I’ve never been lucky. “Maybe I won’t. How long are you in town?”
“As long as it takes
to get this settled. I’ll be inviting Harley back to the scene of the crime for coffee this Friday after she’s had some time to digest all of this nonsense. I’ll let you know what time. I suggest you bring flowers.”
We wrap up the night, and I walk her back to his car and watch as Edison and she drive off into the night.
It’s hard to believe Edison is back in my life.
It’s even harder to believe that Harley wants out.
Hell, I believe it.
If the tables were turned, I’d want me out, too.
THE OTHER F WORD—FORGIVENESS
HARLEY
T he next day after class—which I did not attend, after expertly dodging Eli as if it were my chosen sport—I meet with Serena, Teagan, and Colby at Hallowed Grounds, just a few tables over from where my life unraveled.
I’ve filled them in on every last detail of this nightmare, and the four of us stare vacantly at one another as if we had stumbled upon a corpse. Oddly enough, Serena really did stumble upon a dead body last summer, and it was that very murderous situation that helped bring her and Shep together. Although, in my case, I’m pretty certain the corpse in question is my relationship with Eli, and there isn’t a thing I can do to resurrect it. I’m not quite sure I want to.
Serena shakes her head. “Wow. I had no idea it was that complicated. The three of them came to dinner last night. And at first I thought I was seeing double. I for sure thought the other one could have been Eli’s twin, but I assumed his family was dead. I didn’t realize he had a brother left.”
“That’s because he didn’t tell anyone. His parents and his sister, Sarah, died. At least that’s what he wants me to believe.”
Teagan groans, “I have sister that passed away, and if I find out he’s lying about this, I will go ballistic.”
Colby grunts, “The dude is a psycho. Face it, Harley, you escaped a fire. But what are you going to do about Ashley Grayson? She’s legit. You need to have a meeting with her.”
Shameless Kisses (3:AM Kisses Book 18) Page 12
