Bad For You

by Parker, Weston

  “What would you like to drink?” I asked as we swam back to the shallower water before walking the rest of the way out. “They should’ve stocked that little bar in the corner with all the regular stuff. If you want something specific, I might need to make a call, though.”

  “Nah. A cold beer will do the trick.” She shook the sand from her towel before wrapping it around her body. “I have simple tastes.”

  “A girl after my own heart,” I teased, hooking my towel around my waist.

  When I reached for her hand as we walked back up to the house, she linked her fingers loosely through mine. We only let go when we hit the deck, and she made herself comfortable in one of the loungers while I went to go grab our beers.

  She was lying on her back facing the water when I handed over her drink. I took the seat beside hers, spreading out my towel before sitting down. There was a small awning above us, providing shade as we looked out over the beach and the waves lapping at the shore.

  “So,” I said. “What would you like to know? You already know where I went and what I did in the time I was away. I’m not sure what else I can tell you.”

  “What was it like?” she asked, still facing the water but turning her head enough to be able to glance at me while we talked. “Was it what you were expecting?”

  “Yes and no.” I shrugged, sliding my sunglasses over my eyes as I rested my head on the built-in cushion. “A lot of it was what I thought it would be. Hard work, grueling days, and some fucking long nights, but I didn’t realize just how tough it could be. I also didn’t really know the kind of camaraderie I would find there. I’ll spare you the details for now, but it can be as heartbreaking as it can be rewarding.”

  Brittany kept asking me questions, but she didn’t pry. It was like she knew exactly when to ask more and when to leave a subject be. She told me about college and about her friend Shelley. We talked for the rest of the afternoon, taking a few more dips before going back to our loungers each time.

  We had a relaxed, easy day that reminded me how much I enjoyed her company and how good we were together. During dinner, however, the mood changed.

  A chef had cooked our meals while we had sundowners on the deck, and he called us to the dining room when the food was ready. We sat down at the small table, the sun starting to dip closer to the horizon and painting the sky in hues of orange and pink as we sat down.

  “I really could’ve cooked for us,” she said, reiterating a point she’d made as soon as the chef had arrived. “You really didn’t have to get it catered.”

  “I wanted to. I didn’t want you to have a lift a finger this weekend. It was supposed to be a break, remember?”

  “Sure, but I like making food. It wouldn’t have been a problem.” She smiled and thanked the chef when he put her plate down in front of her. “This looks delicious, though. I’m not sure I would’ve been able to make anything like this, so I can’t be too upset about it.”

  “You might be a little upset about what I’m about to tell you,” I said, barely glancing at the filet mignon with roast potatoes and vegetables that the chef had prepared.

  Brittany looked up, her expression sobering when she caught sight of my own. “What now?”

  “It’s nothing serious, or bad, for that matter.” I held her gaze, taking a deep breath and swiping my tongue across my lips before I ripped off the Band-Aid. “My mother is throwing a party tomorrow in my honor. It’s at their house just down the beach, and I want you to come with me.”

  I’d felt bad enough knowing I’d be catching her off guard, but seeing the look on her face when it dawned on her that this party was why we were here made me feel like absolute shit. “Before you say anything, I need you to know that I didn’t mean to trick you into coming here with me. I was just afraid you’d say no to the weekend if I told you up front.”

  Her chin lowered, her throat working as she dragged air into her lungs. She just stared at me for a long minute, so many emotions flickering behind her eyes that it was impossible to know what was going on in her head.

  “Not wanting to tell me because you were afraid I’d say no is kind of the same as tricking me, though.” She sighed, shaking her head as she brought her gaze back to mine. “I’m not happy about this, Tristin. I really thought you just wanted to spend the weekend together.”

  “I do,” I said, reaching for her hand and holding it when she tried to pull it back. “If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to. I’ll go make an appearance for an hour or two, and you can stay right here.”

  “You’d really let me stay?” she asked, but it didn’t sound like she believed it.

  I nodded. “I’d never force you to do something you don’t want to do, but it would mean a lot if you’d come to this party with me. I didn’t ask for it, but Selena organized it anyway. The only thing that makes the thought of it bearable to me is if I could have you by my side while I’m there.”

  At the mention of my mother’s name, she flinched just a little. I wanted to ask her about it, but now didn’t seem like the right time. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea for me to show up there with you. All your parents’ rich and powerful friends will be there. I won’t fit in.”

  “You fit with me,” I said firmly and without even needing to think about it. “I don’t give a damn what any of them think. They can all fuck right off if they don’t think you belong there. You and I belong wherever the other is. That’s how I feel about it, anyway. Since it’s my party, that’s really the only thing that should matter.”

  We went back and forth about it for a few more minutes, but eventually she agreed. She picked up her cutlery again, pointing at me with her fork before she speared a piece of her steak. “I’ll go, but it might not end well for us. I don’t belong in that world, Tristin. Everyone there will know it. It doesn’t matter how you and I feel about it. It never has.”

  I frowned, confused about why she’d said what she had. Since I didn’t want her to change her mind about going with me when she was the only reason I’d agreed to going myself, I left her statement alone for the moment.

  But that didn’t mean I’d forget about it. There were a lot of things we still needed to talk about, but I got the feeling that her comment was closely tied to the rest of it.

  If only I’d known just how right I was, I’d never have left it at that. I shouldn’t have. I’d have saved us both a lot of heartbreak if I hadn’t stuck to my plan to be patient about talking about the things we needed to talk about.

  Patience might be a virtue, but it turned out there was such a thing as having too much of it.

  22

  BRITTANY

  Nerves tightened everything inside me as I stood in front of the mirror in our bedroom. Tristin had already gotten dressed and was waiting outside for me to get ready.

  My stomach churned with nausea, and my hands were trembling. I couldn’t believe that he hadn’t given me a single hint about this party. Not even to tell me to pack something appropriate to go out in.

  Although I’d agreed to accompany him, I still felt tricked. Also, since I’d thought this was just a beach vacation, I hadn’t brought anything to wear.

  The sea-green sundress I had on was the closest thing to appropriate party attire that I’d packed, and I already knew I was going to be woefully underdressed. When I’d shown it to Tristin, he’d said it was fine, but it wasn’t.

  He’d offered to take me shopping when I’d told him I knew it wouldn’t be good enough, but I hadn’t taken him up on it. I didn’t want him buying me clothes, despite the several good arguments he’d laid out for letting him do it, and I definitely wasn’t splurging on some fancy outfit I’d never have a reason to wear again.

  The strappy leather sandals on my feet were pretty, but they didn’t have heels, and no flats—no matter how pretty or how comfortable—would be welcome at this party. I remembered Selena too well. If a guest wasn’t dressed in couture, she wouldn’t approve of said guest being there.
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br />   Then again, she wouldn’t approve of me being there regardless of the clothes I arrived in. The queen of England herself could’ve given me an outfit and Selena still wouldn’t have thought I was good enough to be there.

  Sighing as I ran my brush through my hair for what had to be the hundredth time, I pulled my shoulders back and narrowed my eyes at my reflection. I can do this. I might be resenting Tristin for not telling me about the party before, but I can do this.

  He let out a low whistle when I walked into the living area, but the look I gave him shut him up. “You’re still in the doghouse, mister.”

  Grinning as he opened his arms and strode over to me, he pulled me into a hug and dropped a kiss on top of my head. “I know, but you look beautiful anyway.”

  “Beautiful for dinner at a beachside café, maybe. Not beautiful for a party attended by every important person in the county.”

  “As far as I’m concerned, you’re the most important person in the county.” I felt him grinning against the side of my face before he let go of me and schooled his expression. “I’m being serious here, Brit. If you’d rather not go, you don’t have to. Even if you do decide to come, we can leave anytime.”

  “I already said I’d come with you, but I might take you up on leaving early,” I said, extricating myself from his light grip on my arms to grab my casual purse from the kitchen counter. “This is going to be a disaster, but we shouldn’t keep it waiting to happen. It’ll only get worse if we do.”

  “It’s going to be fine,” he argued, taking my arm as we made our way outside. “Just don’t let any of those pretentious old fools get into your head. Whenever you feel like one is about to, remember that they dropped everything and came to the party at short notice for me, and you’re the only one I care about having there.”

  I breathed deeply, exhaling through my nose as I glanced up into those sincere, golden orbs fixed on mine. “Stop saying stuff like that. This is a big deal, Tristin. Everyone who’s going to be there tonight is important to your parents and to the company, which means they don’t give a damn about me being in attendance, and neither should you.”

  “I’m sorry, but that’s just not possible for me,” he said, not looking or sounding sorry at all. “A lot of them may be important to the company, but the company is as important to them. It doesn’t matter whether they enjoy my personality or sipping cocktails my parents have paid for. There’s something to be said for networking, but this is nothing more than my mother parading me out for people.”

  Yeah, and she’s not going to happy about who’s parading around with you. “Let’s just agree to disagree, shall we?”

  “Sure, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m right.” He flashed me a lopsided grin and opened the car’s door for me. “Let’s get this show on the road. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave and come back here.”

  We drove down the shore to the huge mansion just a few blocks over from the place he’d rented for us. The house was massive with a long driveway, stairs leading to the double-wide front doors, and even a valet parking stand.

  We hadn’t even parked in the space that had been reserved for him yet, and I was already feeling intimidated. A feeling that didn’t subside once he led me into his family’s beach house. It was light and airy, but the rooms were cavernous in their size which made it feel cold and impersonal despite the sunlight shining in.

  Well-dressed, fancy people milled about all around us. Several guests greeted Tristin on our way in, but few even bothered to acknowledge me. Not that I could blame them.

  I stuck out like a sore thumb. Clinging to Tristin’s arm, I kept having to remind myself that as long as he was with me and wanted me here, I could be strong for him. I can do this.

  My inner bravado took a nosedive when we entered a large den where Selena was holding court. As soon as she saw me, a brief look of shock passed over her features before she literally thrust her nose into the air.

  Tristin walked me over to her, seemingly not having noticed her reaction to seeing me there with him. He pecked the air next to her cheek, his voice cordial and polite. “Hello, Mother. You remember Brittany, don’t you?”

  “Of course I do.” Her tone was cold as ice, but the look in her eyes was positively glacial when they came to a rest on me. “Brittany, darling. What an absolute surprise to see you again.”

  She didn’t wait for me to reply before brushing an imaginary piece of something off of Tristin’s jacket and flashing him a tight smile. “Your father needs you in his bedroom for a minute, my dear.”

  He took my hand and squeezed it before turning to me. “Will you be okay alone while I go lend him a hand?”

  “I’ll be fine,” I said. “Go ahead. I’ll be here when you’re done.”

  “I’ll be right back.” He pressed a light kiss to my temple and took off, the crowd swallowing him up as more and more people arrived.

  Selena fixed me in her gaze, her mouth twisting into a sneer as she looked me up and down. “If you had to come here despite knowing you wouldn’t fit in, the least you could’ve done was to make an effort. Honestly, darling, a sundress? This isn’t a lawn picnic in the morning.”

  She stalked off after making her snide comment, leaving me feeling more out of place than ever before. I tried to mingle, but it didn’t go well for me. No matter what I did or who I spoke to, I kept feeling like they were looking down on me.

  It got even worse when I ran into Faye Marston near the buffet. The sophisticated, well-dressed, beautiful woman was everything I wasn’t. I recognized her from the pictures she’d been in with Tristin, but seeing her in real life was something else.

  It was no wonder Selena was pushing her on Tristin. She moved in that same graceful way they did, the sound of her freaking laughter was like hearing bells tinkling, and she had no problems holding her own among this crowd.

  I didn’t speak to her, but I didn’t need to. She was the kind of woman who belonged in a place like this. The question was whether she belonged at Tristin’s side as well. He said she didn’t, but what if I was making the wrong choice by being with him again? I didn’t fit into his world at all, but she did.

  While I didn’t doubt for a minute that he wanted me here with him, I couldn’t say that it felt like I should be. If I would always feel like this at events that he would always have to attend, was there any point in trying again with him at all? I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life trying to prove that I belonged in a world that didn’t want me, but I wanted a man who belonged to that world.

  I wanted him enough that I didn’t cut and run as all these realizations dawned, but I couldn’t deny that the thought crossed my mind. How was it possible that something could feel so completely right when we were alone and so utterly wrong when we weren’t?

  The only logical conclusion was that it wasn’t. It either wasn’t right even when we were alone, and we were simply fooling ourselves into thinking it was. Or it wasn’t wrong here, and I was being hypersensitive to being around these people.

  As I glanced around the room, I snagged a flute of champagne from a passing waiter and tried to steel myself against those looks. I wasn’t some party-crasher. I’d been invited here by the guest of honor. I wouldn’t let them drive me away. Not that easily.

  23

  TRISTIN

  The door to the master suite was closed when I got upstairs. I knocked softly before entering, finding my father struggling with his tie in front of the full-length mirrors that made up their closet doors.

  He smiled when he saw me approaching in the reflection, his eyes lighting up despite the frustration lining his features. “I’ve been wearing a tie every day since my twenties, but it seems my fingers are suddenly too stupid to make the damn knot the way I want it.”

  “They’re not too stupid,” I said, striding up to him to give him a hand. “They’re just a little out of practice, and they probably weren’t expecting to have to do this again so soon. May I?”


  I waited for him to nod before I started helping him. Luke Ramsey was a titan of industry, a proud, capable man who hadn’t needed assistance with anything for decades before the heart attack. I wouldn’t just dive in and do it for him without permission.

  My father looked dapper in a dark gray suit, his silvery hair slicked back and his shoulders squared. He wasn’t pale exactly, but he also didn’t look completely healthy either. There was a grayish tinge to his pallor I didn’t like, but it had been there since I’d gotten back.

  “Are you sure you’re really ready for a big event like this?” I asked, my eyes on the knot I was busy tying and my voice quiet.

  He chuckled into the silence of the suite, shrugging a shoulder. “Your mother seems to think I am.”

  Irritation and maybe even a little bit of anger sparked in my blood. I patted his tie once it was done, then stepped away and made sure I had my emotions in check before saying anything.

  “You don’t have to do this.” I looked him in the eyes, seeing a faint red rim of tiredness around them, and he wasn’t even downstairs yet. “If you’re not up to it, get back in bed. I’ll bring you up some snacks, and I’ll make your excuses at the party.”

  “That’s not necessary, son.” He raised both his hands and planted them on my upper arms, giving me a reassuring squeeze. “I want to show folks I’m feeling better, and I won’t stay for long.”

  Once again, I held my tongue. This party had been a shitty idea. I understood my mother’s reasoning, but I didn’t agree with it. At the very least, she could’ve held off for another month or two.

  “Let me walk you down, then,” I said instead of voicing my opinions. “Just promise me you’ll take it easy, okay?”

  “You’ve got it.” He winked one tired but twinkling eye at me, then motioned toward the door.

  We descended down the stairs together. When he got snagged by someone almost as soon as we hit the floor, I sought out a butler that had been working for my parents at this house for a long time.