Hard As Stone

by K. M. Scott

  She turned to her new helper and smiled. “Summer, please go back down to my office and get ready for the staff meeting. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

  As I kept my eyes locked on my sister, Summer turned to my father and said, “It was very nice to see you again, Mr. Stone. I’m really looking forward to working for your company.”

  “We’re glad to have you here, Summer. I think you’re going to love working with Tressa. Her staff raves about her.”

  Every word seemed to take forever as I stood there feeling more trapped than ever before in my life. Not only did I have to work at this goddamned place that felt like a fucking prison, but now I had to do it with my most recent ex-girlfriend right down the damn hall.

  I sensed Summer wanted to say something to me, but I never made eye contact, so she hurried out of the office, leaving me standing there with the two traitors. When the door closed, I finally shifted my gaze to my father and hoped he saw how much I hated Tressa’s newest idea.

  “So you two think this is a good idea, huh? It’s not bad enough I’m stuck here doing a job I hate, but now you have to bring her around? Why?”

  My father’s expression hardened. “Your sister’s allowed to hire anyone she wants to be her assistant, Ethan. Summer Carmichael has excellent experience, as you well know.”

  Clearly, I was going to get nowhere with him, so I looked to Tressa still standing next to him and smiling that fucking smile that told me this had nothing to do with Summer’s experience. “There are millions of people just on this island alone, and you felt the need to hire her?”

  “I thought it was the least we could do, to be honest. She did lose her job because of a Stone. The poor thing had to move out of her apartment after she got fired from Belle because she couldn’t afford it. She lost her home, Ethan. Your behavior has consequences, and it doesn’t always just affect you. I’ve given someone immensely qualified a chance to make a good living. What have you done for anyone other than yourself today, this week, or I’ll even go back to since the day you arrived here? Anything?”

  I opened my mouth to tell my sister exactly what I thought of her and her little charity efforts, but my father stood up and bellowed, “Enough! Now Ethan, I’m sorry you don’t approve of Summer’s hiring, but your sister is right. She’s qualified, and we can always use people like her at this company. Since it’s unlikely you’ll actually have to deal with her that often since she’ll have nothing to do with the ad division, I don’t see what the problem is.”

  My head began to pound. Neither of these people would understand why I didn’t want to be stuck in this job with Summer so close by. Fine. My prison now had its own personal torturer.

  “I guess there’s nothing else to say then. If you’re done with me, I’ll be going back to my cell now.”

  My father frowned but remained silent, so I left without another word to either of them. By the time I got back to my office, I didn’t know if I wanted to hit something or throw up. Slamming the door shut, I locked it and sat down behind my desk. I had no idea what the hell Tressa was up to, but I didn’t appreciate whatever the fuck it was. Summer being there in the building every day just made a bad thing even worse.

  As much as I didn’t want to, I couldn’t help myself from thinking back to the time we spent together. We didn’t date for that long, so I didn’t know why she made such an impression on me. We didn’t do anything particularly unique the whole month we were together. Just a lot of hanging out. We laughed a lot and watched too many goddamned movies.

  I hadn’t laughed that much in forever. Even as I sat there stewing about my sister’s newest way of punishing me, a smile crept onto my lips when I thought about that time Summer and I tried to make dinner and just ended up making a mess and getting silly drunk on some special red wine she’d read went perfectly with that beef recipe. We never did make that meal and instead ended up having phenomenal sex right there in her kitchen instead of eating.

  Her kitchen. I didn’t like hearing she’d had to give up her apartment because she lost her job. That’s not something I had to deal with when I got canned.

  I never meant to get her fired. It’s not like I ruined her life or anything. We had a good time and then it ended. Why did everyone have to act like I was the villain in all this?

  Tired of thinking about the past, I grabbed the remote and called Cole. My friend since grade school, he’d make me forget how shitty things had gotten, assuming he was up at this hour of the day. Club owners didn’t exactly do a lot of their living during the day, especially at nine in the morning.

  A second later, I saw his face staring back at me and looking strangely awake for so early in the day. Pushing his nearly black hair off his forehead, he laughed when he saw me.

  “Look at you, man. You’re sad. What do you say to me springing you from that place and the two of us heading down to my place at the beach?”

  I shook my head, wishing I could do as he suggested. “I’d love nothing more, but no go. I have things I have to deal with here in a little bit. How’ve you been, man?”

  With his typical grin, he chuckled. “You know me, Stone. Same old, same old. You’re lucky you caught me up this early. You know I don’t usually head to the club until around noon. Something going on?”

  I shrugged, even as I wanted to throw something. “Nothing I can’t handle. My favorite sister just hired one of my exes to be her assistant. You remember me telling you about that Summer girl? Now she’s working down the hallway from me. It’s like this fucking place just gets better and better every day.”

  Cole rolled his eyes. “Tressa. I swear to God that sister of yours hates you, man. Why is that? Did you try to smother her in her crib when you were babies?”

  I shook my head as the thought of smothering her later that day made me smile. “Not that I remember. I can’t figure her out. It’s like she wants to see me miserable. I mean, bringing one of my exes here to work on the same floor, for Christ’s sake? Who does that?”

  “Tressa Stone. The woman is your mortal enemy. She has been since you were like ten. At least you have another sister who isn’t, though. How’s Diana doing?”

  That glint in Cole’s eye I’d seen every time he’d set his sights on some woman made my defenses shoot up all over the place. “She’s fine, and stop looking like that when you talk about my sister, dude. No good.”

  Caught red-handed, he threw his head back and laughed. “I was just asking. You can’t blame a guy for wondering about someone like her, man. You know I always liked her.”

  “I know, and what did I tell you the first time you told me that?”

  Cole twisted his face into a painful grimace. “I don’t know. I couldn’t hear anything once you landed the first punch. I still owe you for that, you know.”

  I waved away his veiled threat and chuckled. “Yeah. Feel free to knock me around the first time I say I want to get with your favorite sister.”

  “I don’t have a sister, dude. All I’ve got are three brothers, as you well know, but you’re welcome to get with any of them, if they’ll have you.”

  “Thanks. I’ll pass. I have to go. Time to see my sister.”

  Cole’s eyebrows shot up into his forehead. “Time to go let Tressa know what you think of her latest stunt? Good. She needs to be put in her place. In fact, I can come over and do that for you, if you want.”

  I rolled my eyes. “She’d have you for lunch, man, and then she’d wear your bones as a necklace.”

  “I’m up for a challenge.”

  Unlike when he talked about Diana, it didn’t bother me at all when he said things like that about Tressa. She could handle herself. She might literally have the guy for a snack.

  “If you’re not busy, come over after work tonight and we can have a few beers.”

  With a smile, he said, “Sounds good. Maybe I’ll duck out of the club early. Have the beers ready by midnight.”

  “I will. See you then, man.”

  The
screen faded to black, leaving me alone in my office again. I knew talking to Cole would cheer me up. I still hated what Tressa did, but I had other things to deal with today.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Ethan

  With every step down the hallway, I thought about what I’d say to my sister. It had been a while since we really talked. I’d put it off because I was so consumed with my own bullshit, but I needed to get myself out of that place before I got stuck and nothing would get me out.

  I stopped at her door and took a deep breath. Whenever we wanted to make sure the other person knew it was us, my sisters and I had a special knock. I tapped on the door once, twice, and then a third time before pausing and adding another three quick knocks. It probably wasn’t very special, but when we were little, we liked to think we’d made up something unique to just us, so I always knocked that way for my sisters.

  After a few moments, the door opened. My sister stood there smiling at me like she always did when I came to see her. With her hair pulled up in a ponytail, she looked just like she did when we were in high school. She wore a pink sweater and jeans that furthered the impression that she was a teenager.

  “Ethan! You didn’t tell me you were coming over. Come in!” she said sweetly, opening her arms to hug me.

  “I’m sorry I haven’t been by for a while. I’ve been dealing with some stuff, but it’s still no excuse.”

  She pulled me into the room and closed the door. “Let me look at you. Oh, my God. You look just like Daddy in that suit. I love it! Tell me everything that’s been going on. What stuff are you dealing with?”

  I let her tug me over to the couch and sat down next to her. “It’s nothing. Certainly nothing worth wasting our time together on.”

  Her smile faded, and she nodded. “I had a feeling this morning when I woke up that you’re not doing well. Your texts seem happy, but every time you send me one, I get the feeling you’re not.”

  Shaking my head, I wondered how she and I could be so in tune with one another and Tressa and I could be like complete strangers. “Well, I’m better now. What’s new with you?”

  “Mommy and I just got finished talking. If you had gotten here a minute earlier, you could have seen her. She’s so excited about her show, Ethan. You better go and tell me everything about it. Promise?”

  “I promise.”

  I didn’t like lying to Diana. Tressa I could lie to all day, but I couldn’t do that with Diana without feeling bad. I just didn’t know if I could go to my mother’s show with how I still felt.

  “So what else is new? How is working with Daddy and Tressa? Are you having fun?” she asked with that same hope in her eyes that my father always had when he asked about how work was going.

  Hesitating, I tried to think of a way to tell her the truth and not make this visit all about my misery. Diana didn’t need that in her life and definitely not from me.

  Before I could answer, she grabbed my hand and pressed it to her cheek. “I know you’re not happy there, Ethan. I’m sorry this happened. You don’t belong there. For what it’s worth, Mommy thinks that too. I know you miss being out in the world and taking pictures. You can tell me.”

  I forced a smile. “It is what it is. I can’t change what happened. So what do you want to do? We can do whatever you want.”

  “What about a movie? One of my favorites?” she asked, jumping up from the couch to hurry over to the TV.

  “Whatever you want.”

  I watched as she chose a movie to watch and then came back to the couch to sit next to me. “Do you want popcorn? I can make some. It won’t take long.”

  All I’d put in my stomach was that giant coffee hours before, but I didn’t want to waste our time together making popcorn. “I’m good. What are we watching today?”

  With a big smile that lit up her entire face, she said, “Beauty and The Beast. It’s always been my favorite, as you know, and I’m in the mood to see it today. That okay?”

  Ever since we were kids, that had been Diana’s favorite movie. She loved the really old cartoon version my mother first showed to us, so that’s the one we’d watch today.

  “Perfect. Are you going to sing?”

  Diana gave me a look like I’d asked the dumbest question ever. “Of course. Ready?”

  “Let’s do this.”

  She snuggled up against me as the movie began, and I wrapped my arm around her to pull her close. I loved seeing her happy like this. After all she’d been through, she deserved all the happiness in the world. If I could give her that, I would.

  But I couldn’t, so I gave her moments like this.

  As the movie played and Diana began singing along with the candelabra, I asked her, “Have you gone out recently?”

  She tilted her head up toward me, and in her deep blue eyes, I saw the answer. She hadn’t.

  “You should get out more. It’s not good to stay cooped up in this hotel room.”

  She frowned and looked away. “I get out. Sometimes.”

  I knew when she was talking about—when our father came to see her. “I mean other times than when Dad comes by.”

  “Do you want to go out instead of watching the movie? Is that what you mean?” she asked in a hurt voice.

  I pulled her closer and shook my head. “No. That’s not what I meant. I’m fine with watching the movie. I just wish you’d get out more.”

  She curled up next to my body and mumbled, “It’s cold out, Ethan. If it was nice out, I’d go out more.”

  If only that was the truth.

  While we sat there watching the movie, my mind drifted back to one time when Diana was sick with the flu. Always smaller than Tressa and me, she looked so frail lying in bed tucked under the covers as my mother and father nervously hovered over her day and night. I stared at her from her doorway for hours because they refused to let me in, afraid I might get the flu too.

  When my parents left the room at one point during the night, I snuck in and crawled into bed with her. Her skin felt like it could burn me it was so hot, but I still wrapped my arms around her and hugged her to me. She opened her eyes once and looked at me so afraid before she said in the tiniest voice, “Ethan, I don’t feel good. Don’t go.” When my parents found me there, they tried to force me back to my room, but I wouldn’t go. I was afraid if I left that she’d die.

  Not much had changed since we were kids.

  I looked down at her and saw her smiling as she watched the movie. After a few moments, she caught me staring at her and asked, “What’s wrong?”

  In that moment, even as the rest of my life seemed like it just got worse by the day, I answered the absolute truth of how I felt when I was with her. “Nothing’s wrong,” I said with a smile, shaking my head. “Nothing at all.”

  * * *

  “So what the fuck is going on with you Stones? You looked like you wanted to kill yourself this morning, man. I wasn’t sure you’d be with us anymore by the time I got here tonight.”

  Normally, Cole spent most of his time joking around, but I saw in his expression my friend was serious this time. I must have looked pretty bad this morning after my sister’s Summer ambush. Fuck. That meant she saw how much the whole thing had gotten to me too.

  “My sister seems hell bent on making my life miserable. She’s studied at the knee of Tristan Stone for all these years, so now they’re like two peas in a goddamned pod,” I answered before taking a long swig from a fresh bottle of beer.

  “Two against one. Those aren’t good odds. And now Tressa has your ex working for her. Three against one. Not good, Ethan.”

  “To say the least.”

  “Maybe if your sister had something other than work to distract her, she wouldn’t be so difficult. I could try to help you out there, you know?”

  I stared across the room at Cole and decided I liked him too much to do that to him. “You wouldn’t come out alive. Trust me. If she can do the kind of stuff she does to me, her own brother, can you imagine what she d
oes to the men she dates?”

  A broad grin spread across Cole’s face. “I wasn’t planning on dating her. What I had in mind was more along the lines of stress release for both of us.”

  “Watch yourself, man. That’s my sister you’re talking about.”

  He put his arms up as if to surrender. “My bad. I thought you were only hyper-protective of Diana. I didn’t realize Tressa got that same treatment.”

  “Could we not talk about you having sex with either of my sisters? I just want to enjoy some beers with a friend and forget how fucking shitty my life has become, okay?”

  “Got it.”

  But I couldn’t stop myself from talking about what happened this morning. “I mean, what the fuck is she thinking bringing Summer around to work at the same place I do? Who does that kind of shit?”

  “Tressa Stone. Man, I told you. I think she holds a grudge from when you were kids. You took her applesauce one day, and she’s never forgiven you.”

  I thought back to when we were kids and wondered if she held something against me since then. I did steal her Barbie doll once and cut all the hair off it. She was pretty pissed about that.

  Cole interrupted my memories with his own suggestion. “Maybe Summer has something on Tressa and she’s forcing her to help her get back with you.”

  So much of that sounded ridiculous that I didn’t know where to start. “First of all, Summer’s not like that. Tressa would hold things over someone’s head, but not Summer. Second, my sister would never allow someone to have that kind of control over her. Trust me. That would never happen.”

  Shrugging, Cole took a drink of his beer. “Well, then maybe Tressa wants to get Summer back with you and this is her way to do it. You didn’t dismiss my idea of her wanting that, I notice.”

  “Because my sister wouldn’t help with that kind of thing. Playing Cupid to help with my happiness is the last thing Tressa wants to do in this life.”