Two Truths & a Lime (The Love Game Book 3)

by Elizabeth Hayley

  Xander looked at me, his eyebrows raised.

  We should’ve worked on a backstory. I’d never told my parents about my stint pretending to be Brody, nor had I mentioned taking college classes.

  “We met at the…library,” Xander said, his lips twitching. Libraries and Xander had a special history, and I almost laughed at his choice.

  “The library? What were you doing at the library?” Courtney asked me, sounding almost disgusted that I would go to such a place.

  “Reading.”

  “Why?”

  “Jesus,” I muttered. “Where’s Ryan?” I asked Amber in an attempt to change the subject. Ryan was Hazel’s dad and the longest relationship my sister had ever been in, which wasn’t saying much, considering most of her previous ones began and ended in a truck-stop bathroom.

  “Outside with Dad and Cody.”

  “Okay, well, let’s go meet the man of the hour,” I said to Xander, who nodded.

  “Wait, take this with you,” my mom said. She handed me a plate of burgers and two packs of hot dogs, which I dutifully carried outside.

  “Hey, Dad,” I said as I approached the grill, Xander in tow. “This is my buddy, Xander.”

  My dad grunted and took the burgers and hot dogs from me.

  Xander cast me a questioning look, and I leaned toward him. “Dad’s not a big talker.”

  His mouth formed an O, and he nodded.

  “Xander, this is Ryan, and you already know Cody.”

  Cody shook Xander’s hand. “Good to see you again, man.”

  “You too.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Ryan said, also shaking Xander’s hand.

  “You too.”

  Awkward silence descended. I shoved my hands into my pockets and rocked on my heels. I should’ve warned Xander more about my family. It was unfair to subject anyone to this level of dysfunction out of the blue.

  “So, what’s new with you guys?” I asked no one in particular.

  Ryan shrugged. “Nothing much. Hazel’s mom gave me a raft of shit about taking her today since it’s technically her weekend, but it’s Father’s Day, so she can suck a nut.”

  Eloquent as always.

  I wanted to point out that, for someone who evidently fought to have his daughter for the day, he didn’t seem to be making an effort to spend much time with her. But that would’ve set off a drama bomb I didn’t want to subject Xander to. It also wasn’t any of my business. Instead, I nodded and turned to Cody, begging him with my eyes to say something.

  “You didn’t have to spend Father’s Day with your dad, Xander?”

  I internally groaned and cursed myself for wishing Cody would speak. I should’ve known he’d say the worst possible thing.

  “No, we don’t really…do that,” Xander said.

  “Mmm,” Cody said, looking like Xander had just described what winning the lottery was like.

  “Hand me the cheese,” my dad grunted.

  Cody grabbed it off the patio table and handed it over.

  We stayed out there and bullshitted with Cody and Ryan until my mom and sisters came barreling out of the house, carrying food. They set it all on the table, which had already been set with plates and utensils.

  “We ready?” my mom asked my dad.

  “I guess,” he said on a heavy exhale. He pulled the burgers and hot dogs off the grill, put them on a paper plate, and carried them over to the table.

  We all settled at the long picnic table my parents had found somewhere years prior. I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear they’d stolen it from a local park.

  “Where’s Hazel?” Ryan asked my sister as he sat down.

  “How should I know?” Amber retorted.

  Ryan gave her an annoyed glare. “Because when we got here, you told her to help you in the kitchen.”

  Amber scoffed. “Like she ever does anything I ask her.”

  Ryan took a calming breath, rose from the table, and headed inside. He reappeared a couple minutes later with a sulking Hazel in tow.

  “Do you want to sit next to me?” Amber asked sweetly, probably sensing Ryan was irritated with her.

  “I’d rather be trampled by elephants,” Hazel muttered as she squeezed in next to her dad.

  “Could ya be nice?” Ryan said to his daughter, though the way his lips quirked at the corners, it was clear he found the quip amusing.

  “I’m honestly not sure.”

  Ryan looked toward heaven before piling pasta salad onto his plate.

  Xander leaned into me. “I think I just found my kindred spirit.”

  I snorted a laugh as I grabbed some food.

  Once we’d all made our plates, I noticed my younger sister, Heather, staring at Xander.

  “You single?” she asked.

  “Uh…it’s, uh…it’s complicated,” he finally spit out, giving me a quick glance out of the corner of his eye.

  “Is it now?” I asked, unable to hide my amusement.

  “I knew I shouldn’t have come,” he muttered.

  I clapped him on the back as I laughed.

  Heather nodded. “I have a few of those going too. And I’m open to more, if you’re interested.”

  “Oh, I think I’m good for now, thanks.”

  “Well, Drew has my number if you change your mind.”

  “Can you keep it in your pants for one meal, Heather?” Cody asked.

  “Fuck off, Cody,” she spit.

  “Now, now, kids, please,” my mom said. “It’s Father’s Day, for Christ’s sake.”

  This barbeque would’ve been a lot more entertaining if I wasn’t an integral part of it. I wondered what Xander thought of it all.

  “So, Andrew, what’s new with you?” my mom asked, clearly trying to keep my other siblings from killing one another.

  “Yeah, how was the rest of your grand opening weekend?” Cody asked, his voice excited. “Sorry I couldn’t stop by Saturday too. I had to work.”

  I wanted to ask him if there was a big call for nude models on weekend evenings, but I was too busy cringing at his words.

  “What grand opening?” Mom asked.

  Shit.

  “I told you Sean added a deck onto Rafferty’s. We opened it this weekend.”

  “Yeah, you mentioned that, but what’s this about a grand opening?”

  “Well, uh…” I shifted uncomfortably. “Sean turned the running of the deck over to me, and Sophia, Brody, and I decided to launch it as if it were its own venue. The Yard. It’s cool. You should come by and see it.”

  “Oh. And you knew?” she asked Cody.

  He nodded slowly, his face wary.

  “Figures,” Courtney spit. “Not like you’d ever invite us anywhere.” Her tone was all snark, but her eyes flashed with a little hurt.

  I looked at the somber table, and guilt gripped me. It wasn’t that I’d intentionally kept them in the dark about the Yard. We just didn’t talk much, and when we did, the conversations didn’t usually have a lot of substance. It was more out of familial obligation to check in than to keep tabs on each other’s lives.

  But even though they were as much to blame for the gulf between us as I was, I still felt bad that I hadn’t shared the news with them.

  “Sorry I didn’t tell you about it. I’ve just been super busy with everything.”

  My mom smoothed her hands on her pants and offered me a small smile. “Well, tell us about it now.”

  So I did. I tried to downplay my excitement because I didn’t want to rub their faces in the fact that I hadn’t included them in something that was so monumental to me, but I was thorough in describing the steps we’d taken to make the place a success.

  “So you getting a piece of the business, then?” my dad asked.

  I was so shocked he’d spoken a full sentence, it took me a second for his words to sink in. “Well, no.”

  “Why not?”

  My confusion had to be clear on my face. “Because I don’t own it.”

  “Why did
n’t you make that part of your contract? If you’re running a piece of his business, you should be a partner in it.”

  “Why would I be a partner in something he’s footing the bill for?”

  My dad sighed like I was the dumbest creature he’d ever encountered. “You’re making him money. He’ll probably make way more back than he put into it. Kids these days, I swear. No sense.”

  “We’ll have to agree to disagree,” I replied, trying to keep my cool. “This is a good opportunity for me to gain some experience running a business without much risk. I appreciate Sean giving me the chance.”

  “That’s why you’ll always be broke. No hustle, no vision. Happy with the crumbs some guy tosses at ya.”

  I wanted to yell that he was one to talk. That he’d been broke or on the verge of it for most of my life. That he’d never held down the same job long enough to be entrusted with the kind of responsibility Sean had entrusted me with. I wanted to say a lot of hurtful things, because, dammit, why couldn’t this man ever just be proud of me? Why couldn’t he ever just say, Good job, son?

  And worse, why did I even expect it? Why did I let him get under my skin? It always came down to what he could get out of a situation, never what he could contribute to it. So why did his opinion even fucking matter?

  The table fell into awkward silence after my dad’s outburst. My mom tried to get us back on more positive ground by striking up a conversation with Hazel, but she would’ve probably had a more pleasant talk with a viper. Nothing escaped Hazel’s lips without an eye roll and clear disdain. I admired her lack of pretense.

  When the meal was over, I quickly stood and began clearing the table, wanting to get the hell out of here as quickly as possible. My mom followed me and set her plates beside mine in the sink.

  “I’m glad you’re happy at the bar, honey.”

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  She sighed. “You know how your dad is. He just wants more for you kids than he had for himself. That’s why he pushes so hard.”

  I wanted to laugh. My dad never pushed. He berated. His goal wasn’t to motivate us to succeed—it was to keep us a peg or two below him. But what would be the point? My mom would never admit that was the way it was, and I’d surpassed my dad in pretty much every way years ago. Saying so would only hurt everyone. Some truths were better left unsaid.

  “It’s fine,” I said, wiping my hands on my pants. “I’m gonna take off so I can get Xander home.”

  She nodded, her smile a little sad, and said, “Okay. Thanks for coming.”

  “Of course.”

  I went back outside, grabbed Xander, said goodbye to my family, and got us the hell out of there before I exploded.

  Xander didn’t say much until we were out of my parents’ neighborhood. “So, your family is…interesting.”

  I grimaced. “Yeah, sorry about them. I probably shouldn’t have suggested you come along.”

  He waved me off. “Don’t worry about it. My family dinners make that look like a celebration out of a Disney movie.”

  “That bad, huh?”

  “Oh yeah.” Xander turned to stare out the window, and when he didn’t continue right away, I thought that was all I was going to get out of him. But then he took a deep breath and kept going. “My mom died when I was three. I have only vague recollections of her, more like snapshots than fully formed memories. My dad is a…difficult man. I don’t know if he was always that way or became that way after she died, but I can count the nice things he’s said to me in my life on one hand and still have fingers left. He sent me away to boarding school as soon as I was old enough to go, and he practically offered to blow the dean to let me stay after I burned down the library at Lazarus, because otherwise I might’ve had to go home while he figured out where to send me next.”

  “At least he pays for your education,” I said, though it was a weak attempt at finding a bright side.

  Xander let out a harsh laugh. “He said he’d pay for my education because my mother would’ve insisted on it. I have until I’m twenty-five to figure out what I want to do with my life and figure out how to support myself. After that, he doesn’t expect to hear from me again.”

  “What an asshole,” I said, because what else did someone say to a story like that? “You’re a genius and a genuinely good guy. It’s his loss.”

  He shrugged. “I think we both lose.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that, so I didn’t say anything. When I pulled up in front of his building, he climbed out.

  “Thanks for letting me tag along,” he said.

  “Not sure you should be thanking me for what you just experienced.”

  He laughed and looked around for a moment before fixing his eyes back on me and growing serious again. “I know a lot about dickhead dads, Drew. The fact that your dad thinks you’re worth more is better than having one who doesn’t think you’re worth anything at all.”

  And with that, he closed the door, gave the roof two taps, and made his way into his building.

  I idled there and stared after him, wondering if sons ever fully recovered from damage inflicted by men who shouldn’t have ever become fathers.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  S O P H I A

  Logically, I knew that all weddings involved dress shopping. But I must’ve taken for granted that such an event was reserved for real weddings. Though I guess, to my mom, Brody and Vee were having a real wedding. Kind of. At least one that warranted a gown of some sort. Which was why I found myself sitting in a bridal boutique waiting for Vee to come out and wow us with the dresses my mom had sent her to try on.

  When my mom had called me last week asking for Vee’s phone number, I knew it likely wasn’t going to be for a reason Vee and my brother would enjoy. But not my circus, not my lying monkeys. So I gave her the number and promptly forgot all about it.

  Until I received an email confirmation for an appointment at the Maltese Bridal Boutique for a bridal and bridesmaid fitting. I immediately called my mom to find out what the hell was going on, and she informed me that she wanted Vee to have a real wedding dress.

  The offer would’ve sounded magnanimous if I hadn’t known my mother. If she was going to ship this as a first wedding for Brody and Vee, then they both needed to look the part. That included a dress and a bridesmaid. Which was where I entered the picture.

  My mom had been upset to hear that Vee wouldn’t have any family or friends attend the wedding. It seemed Brody had portrayed Vee as some sort of modern-day Pippi Longstocking: her dad and brothers were visiting family for the summer in South America, and all her friends were very busy with their own summer jobs and traveling.

  I wasn’t quite sure how my mom was going to spin an empty guest list on the bride’s side, but I put nothing past my mother, so I knew she’d figure something out. But the absence of friends meant that I had been commandeered to be the maid of honor. Drew would stand beside Brody, and that would complete the wedding party.

  When I’d gone over to Brody’s earlier to wait for my mom to pick up Vee, Taylor—thank God I’d managed to talk her into coming—and me, Brody had actually complained that he was going to look pathetic with only one person standing up there with him.

  I’d had to remind him that none of it was real, so who cared how it looked?

  Evidently he did, because he sulked about it until we left. Idiot.

  Thankfully my mom had been punctual as always and had swept us away to the Maltese Bridal Boutique.

  “I’m so glad you could come,” my mom said to Taylor as we waited for Vee to come out and model another dress for us. She’d already swiftly shot down the first few selections my mom had made. “We never get to see you anymore now that you’re both off to college.”

  “I know. Part of me wishes I’d stayed more local, but what can ya do? I only have one semester left, so I can suck it up.”

  “Oh, you’re graduating early?” my mom asked.

  “Yeah, I took summer classes online the
past two years. And last summer I received school credit for an internship I did for a kids’ summer program on campus.”

  “Thanks for that,” I grumbled. “We could’ve lived together the past two summers too.”

  “How’s that going? You girls sick of each other yet?” my mom asked, the smile on her face letting us know she was teasing.

  “Taylor’s even more obsessed with me than ever if you can believe it,” I joked.

  “Well, who can blame me? With the way you clutter the bathroom with all your products and leave hair ties all over the place, who wouldn’t be charmed?”

  I wrapped an arm around Taylor. “See, Mom? I have my very own stalker now.”

  My mom let a small laugh slip, but my joke fell completely flat with Taylor, who tensed before pulling away to stand.

  “Sorry,” she said. “I’m going to find a bathroom.”

  “You okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah, absolutely. I’ll be right back.” She gave us a smile before turning and striding toward a sales associate, looking as cool and calm as ever.

  For all intents and purposes, Taylor looked normal. But I knew Taylor almost as well as I knew myself, and something was definitely wrong.

  When Taylor wanted to seem composed when she wasn’t, she overcompensated. Her confident gait became more of a strut, she held her shoulders unnaturally high, and her chin rose at an awkward angle. But while I wanted to chase after her and ask what I’d said so I could apologize for it, I also knew this wasn’t the place. Taylor would never open up if she had to face an audience afterward.

  So I’d let it go until I could talk to her alone.

  “Oh, how lovely,” my mom gasped.

  I twisted my head quickly and saw Vee coming out from the fitting room wrapped in a beautiful white A-line dress. It was satin with an off-the-shoulder bodice. The dress was simple but elegant and fit Vee like a glove.

  My mom rose and circled Vee as she stood on the small podium in front of floor-to-ceiling mirrors.

  “I don’t remember pulling this one,” she said, “but it’s stunning.”

  “Oh, uh, you didn’t,” Vee said as she smoothed her hands down the soft fabric. “The ones you picked were gorgeous but a little…extravagant for me. So I asked for one a little…plainer.”