by Jessica Wood
I wasn’t sure why, but I reached for the doorknob and opened the door without knocking. My body froze as I saw Katherine standing in front of Ben. There was less than a foot of space between them and there was nothing casual about their proximity from each other.
“Is everything okay?” I tried to calm myself and push away all the crazy thoughts that were running through my head.
But Ben’s face went pale as he stared at me, causing a wave of panic to overwhelm me at that moment. I saw guilt, fear, and shock in his eyes.
“Hi, little sister.” Katherine turned around to face me and flashed me a smile. She made no attempt to take a step away from Ben.
“What’s going on?” I looked at Ben and then at Katherine. There was a stark contrast in the expressions on their faces. My breath stilled as I waited for some sort of rational explanation for why I’d found them talking in Ben’s bedroom.
Ben went around Katherine and walked toward me. “Blair, this isn’t what it looks like.”
“Exactly what does it look like?” I spat out as I tried to hold back the tears. Ben’s words were coated with guilt, and I felt waves of anger and hurt fighting for my attention inside me.
“Blair, please. I can explain.” He reached for my arm and I took a step back away from him. “We—”
“We were only just talking, Blair,” Katherine finished Ben’s words. “Relax. There’s nothing to explain.”
“But why are you guys in here?” I felt the room spin as questions whirled around in my head.
Her smile grew wider as she walked up next to Ben and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Oh, little sister of mine. Don’t be like that. There’s nothing to worry about. I saw Ben in here on my way back from the bathroom, and I knew I just had to pull him aside to have a chat.”
“A chat? About what?” I tried to keep a straight face. This is my long-lost older sister, I reminded myself. I didn’t want to hastily jump to conclusions and offend her on the very same day I was reunited with her.
“About you, of course! Whatever else would we talk about?” She threw her head back in laughter and her perfectly golden curls bounced effortlessly in time with her movements. “It’s not like we’ve met before to be able to talk about anything else. Right, Ben?” She threw her arm over Ben’s shoulder and pulled him closer toward her like they were best of friends as she beamed at him and then at me.
To my surprise, Ben looked uncomfortable. But after a brief silence, he responded flatly, “Yeah.”
But Katherine didn’t seem to notice Ben’s behavior. “Anyway, I just had to be sure that he was the right man for my baby sister. That’s what sisters are for, right?”
She looked at me expectantly, her blue eyes trained on me intently, urging a response.
I wasn’t sure how I felt, but after a few seconds, something compelled me to nod in agreement.
She beamed at me and reached over and hugged me. “God, I’m just so glad you found me, Blair. I really never thought this day would ever come. You have no idea how much I’ve dreamt about this very moment—the moment where I’d be reunited with probably the most important person in my life.” She squeezed me tightly, and I could hear the sincerity in her voice. I knew she meant everything she had just said, which caused my anxiety to dissipate and my body to relax as I hugged her back.
This is my sister—my real sister! I reminded myself as I pulled out of the hug. Why was I so on edge just moments ago? Why did I jump to conclusions when I didn’t really see anything? Am I somehow misdirecting my own fears and uncertainty about Ben’s commitment and faithfulness to me and projecting them onto my sister?
“I’m so glad that we’ve reunited, too. It feels so surreal.” I then looked over at Ben, who greeted me with a wide smile. I couldn’t pinpoint why, but there was something in his eyes that brought back a feeling of unease. “Everything okay, Ben?”
“Yeah. Totally.” He sounded distracted. Then he pulled me into his embrace and kissed me on the forehead. “I think I’ve made it pretty clear to your sister that I’m indeed the right man for you, and more importantly, you’re the perfect woman for me.”
I looked at him, and when he met my gaze, his face softened and the clouds that darkened his eyes were gone.
Katherine cleared her throat right before I could lean up to give Ben a kiss. “Ben has definitely left quite an impression on me, Blair. You certainly picked a good one here.” She paused. “If I were you, I would make sure not to let this one go,” she teased as she walked toward the door. “So shall we eat? I noticed from the amazing spread on the dining room table that we’re having sushi tonight. Did you make that yourself, Ben?”
“Yeah. I wanted to surprise Blair with a romantic dinner to show her just how special she is to me.”
There was an edge in Ben voice that I couldn’t quite decipher. Is he still upset that Katherine ruined his romantic surprise? I leaned up and gently kissed his lips. “Thank you, babe. That’s really thoughtful of you.”
“Yes, that’s very thoughtful of you, indeed.” Katherine smiled sweetly. “I can’t wait to try everything and taste your skills for myself.”
I felt Ben’s body tense next to me. “What’s wrong?” I looked at him with concern.
“Umm, actually, I can’t stay for dinner anymore,” he said quickly. He looked at me, and I saw the regret in his eyes. “I just got an email from one of the partners at the firm. We just got an expedited case in tonight, and I need to head back into the office now.”
“Oh, really? Do you have to?” I tried to hide the disappointment and worry in my voice. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, no worries,” he said in cheerful voice. “You know very well how demanding clients can be.” He playfully nudged me, and I knew he was referring to my behavior as a client when we first met.
I laughed. “Touché.”
He gave me a hug and a kiss. “You guys are welcome to stay and eat the sushi.”
“Way to break a girl’s heart, Ben. I was hoping to have some heart-to-hearts with you and Blair.”
“Right. Well, sorry it didn’t work out that way,” he said flatly.
“That’s all right. I understand. Things happen. Don’t worry about leaving us girls alone.” She walked toward us and reached out and grabbed my hand. “I have a lot of catching up to do with my baby sister. There’s just so much we still don’t know about each other.”
Ben looked at Katherine, and for a split second, I thought I saw him glare at her. But then he turned to me and the look was gone. “I’m sorry, babe. I’ll make it up to you.”
I shook my head and smiled at him. “Don’t be silly. I can tell how much time and effort you put into tonight’s dinner. I think I’m the one that needs to make it up to you.” I pulled his face down toward me and whispered in his ears, “And trust me, I’ll make it up to you and show you just how appreciative I am.”
When he pulled away, I saw the familiar lust in his eyes for me, and I instantly felt relieved that we were okay.
“You promise?” he asked with a smirk.
“I promise.” I winked. “Just make sure to get that coffee ready, Mr. Chase.”
He laughed. “It’s always ready, and as strong as ever.”
CHAPTER TWO
Ben
Guilt consumed me as I hugged Blair goodbye and walked out of my front door. I had lied. I hadn’t gotten an email from work. There was no expedited project that had come in tonight. I wasn’t heading back into the office. I just needed to get away and clear my thoughts.
I felt sick to my stomach as I walked quickly to my car. The brisk evening air hit my face, sending chills down my body. It wasn’t until I got inside my car that I registered the ache in my hands from clenching my fists for too long. I forced myself to draw in a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. I started the engine and sped off down the street, away from both the woman who was the past I thought I could forget and the woman who was the future I thought I had just started a life wit
h.
I drove in silence for what seemed like an eternity as I let the shock of what had just happened wash over me. “How is this even possible?” I asked aloud. “How could she be her sister?” In frustration, I smacked my hands on the steering wheel, causing my car horn to come alive as it zoomed down the quiet residential block of Victorian houses.
After driving aimlessly for another ten minutes, I pulled alongside a curb and killed the engine. I rubbed my face with my hands. I was irritated by how tonight—the night I was going to tell Blair that I loved her—had been so easily ruined by the one person I thought I’d never see again, the one person I hated the most in life.
I also felt ashamed. I was ashamed at how much of a coward I’d been, unable to face up to the Blonde Bitch in front of Blair. I was ashamed that even after all these years, I still somehow allowed Katherine to call the shots and to somehow weave me into her web of lies. She’d always had a way of taking control of situations and making people her pawns in her twisted games.
“Why did I lie to Blair?” My body felt paralyzed with regret. “She deserves better than that. She deserves better than me…” My chest ached as the words came out of my mouth. But I also knew that as much as I wanted to tell Blair tonight about Katherine and our history, something had held me back. I knew how difficult it had been for Blair to find Katherine. I had heard the way Blair’s voice had come alive when she’d told me over the phone yesterday that she had finally found her long-lost sister. I had seen the sparkle in her eyes when I first saw her tonight—she’d looked so beautiful and happy. As much as I wanted to tell her the truth about Katherine the very moment I saw the Blonde Bitch, I just couldn’t bring myself to be the one to take that beauty and joy out of Blair’s face. Not tonight.
But I knew it was only a matter of time before the truth would come out. Just not tonight, I had convinced myself. Not when she had just reunited with her long-lost sister just hours ago. Not when she is at the happiest I have ever seen her. No, I just couldn’t bear to break her heart like that.
I was also ashamed for yet another reason. I knew I was being selfish, and I hated every fiber of my being for behaving this way. I was selfish because I wasn’t ready to tell Blair. I needed to figure out what was going to happen next between us before I could tell her about Katherine. I needed to know that I wouldn’t lose Blair because of my history of her sister.
Just then my phone buzzed, pulling me back to the present. I took it out of my pocket and looked at the screen. I didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello? This is Ben.”
“Well, hello, Mr. Ben Chase,” came a low, sultry voice on the other end.
My body stiffened at the sound of her voice, and all the anger and resentment I had felt in the last decade came rushing back. “How did you get this number, Katherine?”
“Well, that’s not a nice way to greet your best friend and high-school sweetheart,” she pouted.
“We’re not best friends. We’re probably the exact opposite of best friends.”
“Well, I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree, then.”
I ignored her comment. “You haven’t told me how you got my number.”
I heard her laugh. “From your sweet and naïve girlfriend, Ben,” she responded sweetly, her words drenched with mockery. “I just asked her if I could borrow her phone to check my email real quick. I found your number in her contacts and emailed it to myself. In fact, I’m still at your place. I asked if she could run to the neighborhood liquor store to get us another bottle of wine.” She laughed. “My baby sister is quite the gullible one, don’t you think?”
I gritted my teeth at her disrespectful words. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Katherine?”
“Nothing’s wrong with me, Ben. I just needed to get a hold of you so we can finish our conversation from earlier.”
“That conversation was over before it even began. We have nothing to talk about.”
“So are you saying I should tell Blair everything I know?”
“Are you threatening me, Katherine?” My blood boiled at her conniving ways.
She laughed. “No, silly. Why on Earth would I threaten you? I just mean that if you want me to break the bad news to Blair, I will. You were always the soft-hearted one between the two of us.”
I ignored her condescending comment. “I was about to tell her the truth, but you cut me off and told her we had just met tonight. I—”
“Oh, relax, Ben. No need to make up an excuse for me. I’m not going to tell Blair our little secret.”
“Don’t worry, Katherine. I will tell her when the time is right.”
“Uh huh.” She didn’t sound convinced.
Annoyed beyond belief, I just wanted to end this call with her. “What exactly do you want, Katherine?”
“You know exactly what I want. I told you right before Blair interrupted us tonight.”
“I’m not interested, Katherine.”
“That remains to be seen.”
Her over-confidence grated against my patience. “What the fuck is wrong with you? I’m with Blair. She’s your sister! I love your sister!” I screamed into the receiver.
To my surprise, there was a moment of silence on her end. It was then that I realized what I had just said. I had just told Katherine that I loved Blair. I felt a sense of triumph that Katherine heard this from me, but I was also annoyed that she now knew before I had a chance to tell Blair.
“Hey, I gotta go. I have another call on the other line. Let’s chat again soon,” she quickly said before immediately clicking off.
“Yeah, right,” I said back to the dead line. “Once a liar, always a liar.”
I stared at my phone, reeling in shock at how ruthless Katherine was. It was bad enough that she had cheated on me years ago with my close fraternity brother, but this was a new low. This was a new level of heartlessness that I didn’t think she had. Why had I loved someone like this? How was I so blind back then?
As I started my engine back up, I knew that I had to figure out a way to tell Blair the truth before Katherine ruined everything.
Chapter Three
Blair
“Blair? You got a minute?”
I looked up from my computer to see Trent at the door of my office. “Yeah, I suppose so.” I flashed him a small smile.
Trent walked in and closed the door behind him before walking over to the empty chair facing my desk.
My body tensed as I was still unsure about his intentions and how much I could trust him. “What is it?”
He drew in a deep breath before meeting my gaze. I immediately saw the change in his face. Dark circles and bags surrounded his blood-shot eyes. He looked tired and aged, and my heart broke at the sight.
“What’s wrong, Trent?”
“Me,” he responded.
“What do you mean?” I immediately slipped into the concerned sister role.
“I’m sorry, Blair.” He voice cracked as he looked away so I couldn’t see the pain in his eyes. “I know that I’ve lost your trust. I know that I don’t deserve any sort of forgiveness from you. But I wanted to apologize for how I’ve treated you since my mom passed away—since I found out…the truth about myself. I think I held on to a lot of anger and resentment for the cards life had dealt me, and I took it out on you. I always knew deep down that you were innocent in all this. I knew deep down that you were probably the one person that would stick by me through all this…”
“So why didn’t you tell me?” I cut him off. “Why did you treat me the way you did? Do you really think I’d treat you differently just because you weren’t my biological brother?” My words spilled out quickly, and I knew these were questions that I’d desperately wanted answers to for the last year.
He bowed his head in shame. “I needed someone to blame,” he whispered. “I couldn’t let go of the anger…”
I studied the man sitting in the chair before me and wondered if the older, protective brother who had always lo
ved and cared for me was still there. “Can I ask you something?”
“Yes, of course.” He looked eagerly up at me.
“Do you really hate me that much?”
Tears filled his eyes and he shook his head. “I never hated you. You’re one of the most important people in my life. But when my mom died, I found out I lost more than just her. When I found out that I’d lost myself and the life I’d worked so hard for, a part of me wanted to hate you. A part of me couldn’t accept the possibility that you’d become the future CEO of the company when I had sacrificed so much to prove myself to our father. But I never hated you…I hated only myself.”
He then pulled out a sealed envelope from inside the breast pocket of his suit and handed it to me.
“What is it?” I opened the envelope to reveal a letter.
Blair Parker
Acting Vice President
Parker, Inc.
857 Montgomery Street, Suite 600
San Francisco, CA 94133
May 10, 2014
Ms. Parker,
This letter is to inform you that I will be resigning from my current position as Acting Chief Executive Officer of Parker, Inc., effective immediately.
My time at Parker, Inc. has been an incredible learning experience, but I believe it is the best interest of the company that I step down at this time.
Best regards,
Trent Fox
“You’re the only person that has a right to be the CEO of Parker, Inc.,” he finally said as I stared at the letter in shock. “You’ve proved very early on that you’re more than capable of managing your father’s company.”
Surprised and touched by Trent’s words, I stared at the envelope in my hands. “Do you really want to leave Parker, Inc.?”
He didn’t respond.
“No.” Suddenly I ripped up the letter. “I can’t accept this.”
He stared at me with wide eyes. “What are you doing?”
I sighed. “Trent, I can’t let you do this. I’m not saying I’ve forgiven you for how you’ve treated me in the last year or two, but I know Parker, Inc. can’t lose you. I can’t lose you.”