Theo noticed how she glared my way, pausing on grilling the food. She hopped to her feet, scampering towards us in six-inch heels. “Oh my gosh!” She hugged Izzy, and to my surprise, Izzy wasn’t pleased about it.
I laughed. She was the one that wanted to meet her. I guess I should have mentioned that Trixie was only like two years older than us. “Hi,” Izzy forced her greeting. “You must be… Trixie?”
“I am! And you must be Theo’s little Isabelle. He talks about you all the time.”
“Yep.” Izzy’s brows puckered, and she took a step back as she glanced from Trixie to her dad.
“And you,” Trixie said, stepping around Izzy. “Why, you must be Chloe. Her best friend, right?” She pulled me in and hugged me too tight for comfort. It took every ounce of strength within me to remain calm and hug her back like a decent, innocent person would. I couldn’t believe she was playing this game. Hadn’t Theo told her to behave? He needed to put his bitch on a leash.
“Wow, you’re really friendly,” Izzy noted as she looked Trixie over in her white romper and red wedges. Her earrings were dangly and blue, matching the headband that kept her blond curls behind her ears. Festive bitch. She’d dyed her hair, giving it a red tint. Wow. Did she want to be Mrs. Black or what? She must’ve caught a picture of her somewhere. I shook my head.
“Yeah, well,” Trixie sighed. “I like to make everyone feel like they can be themselves around me, you know?”
“Hmm.” Izzy walked around Trixie and grabbed my hand. “Well, it’s nice meeting you!” Izzy gave her dad a sharp look when Trixie pulled out her cellphone. “Chloe, come with me to change clothes?”
“Sure.”
We walked back inside where Sterling sat on the sofa watching a game of soccer. “Wow, you made yourself right at home, huh?” Izzy giggled.
“I guess I did, huh?” Sterling held his hands in the air with an innocent lift of his shoulders.
“It’s okay. My dad won’t mind.” So she thought. “Chloe,” she hissed, turning me in her direction, “Why in the hell didn’t you tell me she was like, twelve!?”
“I didn’t know! From far away she doesn’t look that young.”
“Ugh.” Izzy groaned. “I don’t like her. She comes across as phony to me. I read people, and I know she’s only with my dad because he makes good money. She’s a grubby little bitch.”
“Well, it’s who your dad likes, Izzy.” That hurt to say. I swallowed that bile down as quickly as it came back up. “If he thinks girls like her are what will make him happy, then you can’t be mad at him.”
She waved a hand. “Yeah, whatever. Now I see why he didn’t want to invite her to dinner. God… I’m gonna go change and wipe this disappointment off my face.” Izzy turned and walked down the hallway, entering one of the bedrooms.
I blew a breath, turning around. Sterling was still on the sofa, but his eyes were on me now, not the TV screen. “How’d it go out there?”
I gave him the evil-eye and sat in the recliner. “This is a fucking train wreck waiting to happen.” He sympathized with me, sitting forward as if he were all ears. “That bitch,” I whispered. “She actually had the nerve to hug me in front of Izzy.”
“Why do you call her a bitch? What did she do to you?”
“She is coming between me and Theo. She said she’d snitch if he tried to leave her for me. She found out about us the same night you did. She saw him climbing out of my window.”
“Really?” He was shocked to hear that.
“Yes.” I slouched back, wishing it were Trixie’s head on that soccer field on screen and me doing the kicking.
“Well, maybe it’s a good thing she’s here right now, Chloe. Just saying.”
I whipped my head to look at him, brows going thin. “What do you mean?”
“I mean… maybe it’s a good thing she’s here tonight. You’ll have no choice but to keep your distance from him.”
“Fuck that,” I muttered, glancing towards the balcony. “She doesn’t even deserve him.”
“And you do?”
I turned my gaze on Sterling again. I hated his smart mouth, his mellow face, but most of all, I hated that he was right. I hated that he knew so much and had gone through something similar to this himself. Speaking of…
“Hey, there’s something I should tell you—” I started to speak, tell him all about Mrs. Black being Theo’s wife and even about how Theo was once in The Union, but Theo came inside, shutting the balcony door behind him with a tray of burgers in hand. My mouth snapped shut when I looked back.
“Food is almost ready.” He glared at Sterling.
Sterling stood, extending his arm. Theo accepted the handshake, but his brown eyes never drifted. “I’m Sterling. A friend of Chloe’s.”
Theo cocked a brow. “Just a friend?”
Sterling was hesitant, looking from him to me. “Stop it, Theo,” I butted in. I stood up, and walked closer. “He knows everything about us. So just stop.”
Releasing his grip, Theo stepped back, giving Sterling a once over. “Everything as in what?”
“Well, I know you two are a thing and also that you shouldn’t be. I also know about the girl out there on the balcony, how she’s trying to cause hell.” Sterling ran his palms across the back of his jeans. “Just found that one out actually. You don’t have to worry about me, though. I get it. No judgment here. I understand.” Yeah, I bet he did.
“Mmm.” Theo grunted, turning away from Sterling and looking at me. “Come with me to the kitchen,” he said before walking away.
I waited a moment, giving Sterling a nod before going to the kitchen. “Need help?” I asked with bland enthusiasm.
“There’s seafood pasta in the fridge. Take that out please.” Theo’s voice was clearly irritated. I turned for the fridge, pulling the door open and taking out the clear bowl.
“Can’t believe she actually touched me,” I grumbled, slamming the bowl on the counter. “Theo, I don’t know if I’ll be able to do this all night. I think I’m going to leave after we eat. Izzy will understand.”
“Leave early with him?” He scowled in Sterling’s direction. Sterling was oblivious. “Why didn’t you tell me he was staying at your house?”
“What’s the big deal? He’s the caregiver’s son. She wanted to see him after not seeing him for three whole years.”
“I don’t care. I don’t like how he looks at you. And how the fuck does he know everything about us?” He puffed, slinging out a knife to cut some cucumber. “Did you tell him?”
“He heard us the night you snuck through my window. And… he also heard me asking for advice from Margie.”
“Margie?” He looked confused.
“The caregiver.”
He still looked lost.
I rolled my eyes. “His mom.”
“Oh.”
“Seriously, you have nothing to worry about with him. He’s a good guy. But… he’s also what I wanted to talk to you about.”
He stopped cutting, dropping the knife on the cutting board. “What do you mean?” His face paled.
“I’ll tell you when we meet at Dirty Black. I should go back out there. I shouldn’t be seen too close to you.” I began to turn, but Theo caught my arm, his head angled. “Do you… like him?”
His question was absurd. My face contorted, and I pulled my arm away, grimacing at him. “Are you serious?” I hissed, thinning my eyes. “I’m standing in your condo feeling like the worst woman and friend in the world because I love you, and you ask me if I like him?” I scoffed. “You’re ridiculous, Theo. Seriously.” I started to turn, but quickly caught myself, ready to add more fuel to the fire. “Oh, by the way, Izzy hates Trixie. Just a heads up. I’m pretty sure this night is about to get a whole lot worse.”
He looked at me briefly before snatching his gaze away, jaw ticking, nostrils flaring.
I folded my arms. “Just like me, she can see right through her. You shouldn’t have invited her.”
�
�And you shouldn’t have brought your friend over there.”
“I had no choice. Izzy wanted him to join us.”
“Yeah, well, neither did I.”
Theo’s nostrils flared again, his upper lip peeling back as he looked towards Sterling again. Sterling cheered over the game, and Theo’s mouth twitched. What was the big deal? Sterling was a nice guy. The last thing I was worried about was him. I worried about Theo. Us. That whole damn night was going to have my nerves running wild.
The balcony door drew shut, and Trixie’s heels clicked along the floor. I jerked back, fiddling with the plastic wrap covering the pasta. “Theo, baby, I think the hotdogs are done.” She stepped into the kitchen, coming up on his side as he diced cucumber.
“They’re not done. Told you to stay out there.”
“Why? It’s too hot out there.”
Theo’s jaw clenched. “Whatever, Trixie.” He collected all the cucumber, put it on top of the prepared salad, and then grabbed a pan for the hotdogs. He was out of the kitchen, but not before looking at me with guilt running deep in those brown irises.
I watched him disappear around the corner, and from behind, Trixie cleared her throat. I turned, looking straight into her blue eyes. She stood with her arms folded, looking me over as if I was the ugliest thing she’d ever seen. “If you know what’s best for you and Theo, I suggest you stay away from him tonight. Actually, stay away from him period.”
My mouth fixed on a heated response, and I stepped forward, but a hand touched my shoulder. Sterling appeared at my side. “Hey, got anything to drink in here?”
Trixie was surprised to see him. She liked what she saw. That was obvious. “Oh, sure!” She went for the fridge, stepping in front of me and pulling it open. “I bought some of Theo’s favorite beer and some wine coolers for myself… and the girls.” There was venom in her voice when she referred to us… well, me. “Help yourself!”
“Thanks.” Sterling took charge of the fridge, and Trixie sauntered past me, giving me one final lookover before leaving the kitchen and returning to the balcony. When she was gone, I uncurled the fists that I hadn’t realized I’d made, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Alright?” Sterling asked.
“Fine,” I muttered, leaving the kitchen. I went down the hallway and into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me and locking it. It was hard not to slam it, not to break everything in sight, but I kept my emotions stable.
Breathing evenly through flared nostrils, I stared into the mirror above the vanity, gripping the edge of the granite countertop. The tears had already started, and two slid down my cheeks. A knock sounded on the door seconds later.
“Chloe?” It was Izzy.
“Yeah.” I cleared my face, but she heard the thickness in my voice.
“What’s wrong?” She jiggled the doorknob, her voice sincere. “Come on. Open up.”
I contemplated opening the door. I didn’t want her to see me crying. Not only that, but I needed a lie to back the tears up.
So, like Sterling did, I knew I had to use the very thing that made me volunteer to spend my summer in Bristle Wave. Unlocking the door, I stepped back and sat on the edge of the tub. Izzy walked in, looking right at me with concerned eyes. “Chloe?”
“I’m okay. I swear.”
“You don’t look okay. See, I knew I wasn’t crazy. Something seems so off about you today. I didn’t want to say anything in case you were on your period or something, but now I see it’s not that time of the month for you.”
“Next week,” I sighed.
“So what is it then?” She sat beside me. When I didn’t speak right away, her face changed, and she justified herself. “Look, I know we don’t see each other as much as we used to, but you’re still my best friend, Chlo. You can talk to me about anything.”
“I know.” I cleared my face. “I know, Iz. I’m just so stressed out about my dad. I keep wondering why I tortured myself by coming back here.” Lies.
“That’s not torturing yourself. I was supposed to come but… college is a lot harder than I thought.” She sighed. “We were supposed to hang out too, but… shit happens. Plus, you have a good heart. You did good by coming back to Bristle. He needed family around. Your mom didn’t want to step up to the plate, so you did. No one can blame you for that. If anything, your mom should be to blame… leaving him alone like that. What kind of wife does that to her husband anyway?” Her face pinched.
I shrugged. “Selfish ones.”
“Yeah,” she scoffed. “Exactly. But you’re not selfish. So calm down and come with me. Dad said the food should be ready in a bit. You can help me set up the table.” I nodded, allowing her to pull me up to a stand. She playfully pinched my cheeks when I was upright, giggling as she then bumped my hip with hers. I couldn’t ignore her silliness. I laughed, dropping my head as we exited the bathroom. From the hallway, the soccer game sounded louder. I heard Sterling hooting, cursing, and cheering for God knows what team.
Izzy went to the kitchen to pull down some Chinaware, and I went for the cupboard, pulling down four glasses. I purposely forgot the fifth one. Fuck Trixie. After setting up the table, Theo was inside with the rest of the food. I placed the salad down, and Sterling assisted Theo with the meat, placing it in the center of the table.
Then we took our seats.
And dinner was served— a really fucking awkward dinner.
Izzy, of course, talked as if the world revolved around her. She went on and on about summer school and even the wreck and how it all went down as if we hadn’t heard that story a million times.
Sterling was nice enough to comment and chime in on her stories when Theo and I couldn’t stand to. And Trixie glared at me the entire time as she nibbled on a hotdog without a bun. She downed three glasses of wine like it was a ritual, but she was afraid to eat a piece of bread? She was ridiculous.
She purposely leaned in to Theo, whispering to him. He’d ignore her until Izzy would glance their way and force a smile at the weird couple. Despite the sick control Trixie had over our lives, I couldn’t help but think she felt out of place. She finished off her glass of wine and took three wine coolers out of the fridge, making those alcoholic beverages her friends for the night.
Dinner was a wrap within twenty miserable, desolate minutes. I was ready to go. “I think I’m gonna hit the pool.” Izzy looked out the window. “It’s so nice out right now. Hey, Chloe, you wanna join me? Sterling?”
Sterling and I looked at each other. “Nah, Izzy, I think I should just get home. See how Dad’s doing.”
“Oh! Right.” She nodded, and surprisingly, she didn’t pout about it. She understood, especially after my fib about being stressed over him. “Well, what about you, Sterling?”
“I… should probably get home too.”
“Aww.” She whined this time. “But we haven’t even lit the fireworks yet! I have a car too, you know? I can take you back if you want.”
Sterling glanced my way for a brief moment. I remembered him saying how he hated passing up the opportunity to swim. I had no reason to hold him back, so I shrugged. “Okay. Sure,” he agreed.
“Cool. I’ll go change. I think my dad has some trunks you can borrow.”
Once Izzy had given Sterling a pair of trunks and then changed into a gold and black two-piece bikini, they left the condo. I blew a breath as I collected the dirty plates from the table, bringing them to the kitchen where Theo stood. It was then that I noticed Trixie wasn’t around.
“Where’s your girl toy?” I asked.
He walked around me, going to the table for the half-empty trays of grilled meat. “Drunk as fuck in the bathroom. Probably shoving a finger down her throat to get rid of the little bit of carbs she ate today.”
“She acts worse than me.” I helped him clean off the rest of the oak table, picking up the cups, beer cans, and the one wine glass that belonged to the trick. “She isn’t staying the night, is she?”
Theo didn’t answer. He dropped everything on
the counter as I tossed the cans in the recycling bin and then the cups in the sink. When my hands were free, he pulled me into his arms, clutched my face in his hands, and devoured my lips whole. He crushed them but not too much to the point it caused pain. Just enough for me to feel it—to know that he’d wanted this to happen all day long.
Like always, our tongues did a slow dance, mingling and swirling, my body pressing into his. A moan filled the kitchen, one I couldn’t hold in, and then I sighed as he groaned. I felt his cock hardening through the jean material, and when the kiss broke, his brown eyes were like hot coals, black and burning.
“No.” He finally answered my question. “But I wish you could stay tonight.”
“I can’t,” I moaned.
“I know. I guess tonight didn’t turn out as bad as you thought,” he murmured, planting a kiss on my cheek and another on my forehead.
“I guess not,” I whispered.
He held my face in his hands, looking me over. “Alright. What’s bothering you?”
I batted my lashes. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, other than Izzy and Trixie being here, there’s something bothering you. What did you need to talk to me about with that Sterling kid? I’ve been wondering all day. I can tell when something’s wrong with you.”
“Oh… yeah…” I sighed. “There’s something you should know about Mrs. Black… something I found out just yesterday night.”
In an instant, Theo’s body went stiff, his face going hard like stone. He didn’t like me mentioning Mrs. Black… not when it involved something he may not have known about. “What are you talking about?” His question came out hurried and discouraged.
My throat worked harder than usual to swallow. He stared at me, and at first, I was willing to tell him, but when I spotted the raw concern—the cold, dead look—I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to be the one to break the bad news to him. I didn’t want to be the one to ruin Mrs. Black’s reputation as a good wife. He deserved to hold onto the goodness of her. Who was I to taint it with black?
“Chloe?” Theo demanded.
Just as his voice bellowed, the front door shot open, and Izzy rushed back in with Sterling trailing behind her. “Forgot my towel!” she said, but she was too buzzed to wonder why we were standing so close. I pulled away, tucking my hair behind my ear, and Sterling walked closer, brows raised as if it were a close call.
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