Balanced in Love (Written in the Stars Book 9)

by Jennifer Woodhull

  “I went for a walk on the beach.” I reply, buckling into the passenger seat beside her.

  “Oh? Feeling philosophical, are we?” She wriggles her eyebrows, and I know she’s onto me. She wouldn’t out me, though. She’s my ride or die girl. “So, where to first? King Street, or the Market?”

  “Let’s see the options.” Elle pulls out her phone and scrolls for a moment. “Looks like King Street has all the chains, a few boutiques, and ooh, a cute bar that’s open for lunch.”

  “Sold!” Felicia chimes in. “We can shop, refuel with lunch and mimosas, then head down to the Market for some souvenirs.”

  “Sounds perfect,” I reply with a smile.

  Gabi pulls out and we head toward the highway.

  “So,” Felicia leans forward so we can all hear her. “Who wants to hear some gossip?”

  “Ooh, spill!” Gabi replies, egging her on.

  “Well, this morning, when I was looking for you,” Felicia taps me on the shoulder, “I knocked on Ethan’s door to see if he might’ve heard you stirring around, and you’ll never believe it.”

  My heart pounds so hard I can feel it in my throat.

  “What happened?” Elle leans in anticipation of a juicy bit of gossip.

  “Well, are you going to tell us?” Gabi give Felicia a look before whipping her head back to put her eyes on the road.

  “He wasn’t a-lone,” she sing-songs the last word.

  “Really?” Elle’s really getting into it, now.

  “Oh, yeah? Guess he met someone, huh?” I offer, trying to sound nonchalant.

  She’s careful, but Gabi throws me a troubled look. That’s when it hits me. She thinks I have a thing for Ethan, and I’ll be upset. I feel a pang of guilt. Maybe I should clue my best friend in. I don’t like keeping secrets from her, let alone outright lies. Besides, if this goes bad, I’ll definitely need a shoulder—maybe even an ally.

  “Girl, I don’t know who was in that room with him, but that bed had fuck-fest written all over it. And let me tell you, I know we’ve all been at the beach all week, but that boy had a blanket wrapped low around his hips, hadn’t shaved, and had freshly fucked hair… I’m not gonna lie. Got me so hot and bothered, I had to go jump on Marcus for a quickie. That boy is f-i-n-e, fine!”

  Everyone laughs and I join in, trying to hide my tracks.

  “So, did he meet someone at the club last night? You guys all went together, right?” Elle looks from Gabi to me.

  “Oh,” I hesitate, wondering what story I can concoct that will make sense. “Maybe. I mean, we were separated for a little bit, I think, when the crowd really got going. Maybe he called someone to meet him, or went out after we got back?”

  I look at Gabi and she must be able to sense my panic.

  “Yeah, he was talking to this one girl when Tay and I got back from the bathroom. Maybe they hooked up later.” She gives me a wink from under her shades.

  “Well, whoever she was, lucky her.” Felicia chuckles. “Don’t get me wrong, Marcus has my heart. God help me, I do love that crazy man. But, I’m not dead, and it doesn’t hurt to look.”

  “Exactly. There’s nothing wrong with checking out the merchandise, as long as you leave your credit cards at home.” Elle nudges Felicia with her shoulder.

  We get to King Street and browse several of the shops. Everyone seems to find something they like, and we head over to the little bar Elle found online for some lunch. We all order lunch and a round of mimosas.

  “Taylor, I need to pee.” Gabi says suddenly after the waitress leaves.

  “O-kay,” I reply. “I think it’s over there.” I point to a sign above a staircase at the back.

  I feel her toe connect with my shin, and I jump back in my chair. “Ow!”

  “You okay over there, Taylor?” Elle asks, looking from Felicia back to me as if I’ve lost my mind.

  “Yeah, I think something bit me.” I lean down, rubbing my leg.

  Gabi stands and grabs me by the wrist. “You should look at that. Make sure you’re okay. Come on. We’ll go together.”

  Her sandals clack on the black and white tiles of the old bar as she practically drags me to the ladies’ room. When we’re inside, she checks under the stalls, as if we’re government agents about to trade state secrets.

  “What was that about?” I roll up my pants leg and check for bruises.

  “It was about you not telling me, of all people, that you’re seeing Ethan.” She crosses her arms, shifting her weight to one hip.

  “What?” I try laughing it off but she’s not having it.

  “Taylor, I can’t believe you. Why would you not tell me, of all people? That hurts, ya know?”

  The back of my throat gets hot and my eyes begin to well up with tears. “I’m sorry.” I pinch the bridge of my nose to try to stop the waterworks but it’s too late.

  She throws her arms around me. “It’s okay. But seriously, why wouldn’t you tell me something this huge?”

  I take a deep breath and let it out. “Well, it started the weekend before last. After Brody’s football party.”

  “Rea-lly? Wow. I didn’t realize.” She taps her chin with her index finger.

  “What do you mean, didn’t realize?” She knows more than she’s letting on, I can tell.

  “Okay, the whole truth and nothing but. Ethan told me.”

  “He, what? He told you?” I’m floored. I mean, I wouldn’t have thought he’d tell anyone, let alone my best friend.

  “Don’t be mad. It’s not like that. I mean, he didn’t really tell me, so much as I dragged it out of him the other night. I mean, I saw the way he was looking at you all week, and then last night at the club, he very obviously didn’t want you to dance with anyone else. I knew he was crushing on you pretty hard. He said something had happened between you too, and now things were feeling different.” She puts an arm around me. “Girl, I think he really cares about you.”

  “Well, I mean, of course he cares about me. We’ve known each other since we were kids.”

  “Oh, honey. That’s not at all what I’m talking about.” She shakes her head. “He caught feels, babe. I think this is more than just a good time for him. What is it for you?”

  “Well, I…” The bathroom door flies open and a cute brunette, about nineteen or so, starts to walk in.

  Gabi points to her. “Get out.”

  “But, I—,” she gestures to the toilet stall.

  “Go!” Gabi waves a perfectly manicured finger in her direction and the girl nervously backs out of the door. “You were saying?”

  “Oh, well, I mean, I care about Ethan, too. He’s been part of my whole life, practically.”

  “But?”

  “But… now I’m confused. I mean, we were just messing around, just horseplay, like always after the party, and it got weird. Then he walked me home, and we started talking about when we were younger…,” I blow out a sigh. “And I told him when I was a freshman in high school, I had wanted my first kiss to be from him.”

  She wriggles her brows. “And you two lived out some high-school make-out fantasy?”

  “Yes. I mean, no. I mean, sort of. He said he would have been honored if I’d asked, and I don’t know, I just wondered what it would be like. It was just a goof, really. So, I told him I was asking, and, he kissed me.”

  She takes my shoulders in her hands and looks me square in the eye. “How was it?”

  “So fucking unbelievably good.” I bury my face in my palms. “What am I going to do?”

  “Okay, hold on, so that was after the party. What happened after?”

  “He texted and left me a message, but I didn’t reply.” I shake my head. “I didn’t know what to say. I thought it would be weird.”

  “Right. So, he thought you were ditching him, obvs.”

  “Wait, what? You think so?”

  “Of course. Men think differently. They may leave us hanging for a day or two when we text them, but when we don’t respond to them right
away, caveman brain kicks in. No reply equals no like. It’s so frustrating. So how were things when you saw him on Saturday?”

  “It was fine. I thought he had, I don’t know, forgotten all about it. I mean, not forgotten, but maybe, just put it out of his mind?”

  She crosses her arms over her chest and nods. “I see.”

  The bathroom door flies open, and a taller redhead is with the teenage before. “My friend needs to—,” she’s full of bravado, but Gabi cuts her off.

  “I said no.” She points at the pair.

  “Look, you can’t…,” the redhead starts in again.

  Gabi turns to her. “Bitch, don’t make me cut you.” She waves her finger in the air and bobs her head, her hand on one hip.

  The girl looks her up and down, then shakes her head. “Come on, Abbie. Let’s get out of here.”

  I cross my arms and cock my head to the side. “You’re a trust fund baby. You’re not going to cut anyone.”

  “Girl, they don’t know that. For all they know, I’m from the streets.”

  “Yeah, the mean streets around the country club.” I roll my eyes.

  “Back to the point.” She waves a hand dismissively. “What’s happened this week that I don’t know about?”

  “Well, he helped me when we were kayaking the other day, and then last night, when we were dancing, we had so much fun. He kind of held my hand in the car on the way back.” I shrug. “I know it’s so juvenile, but it was just so sweet.”

  “And when you got upstairs?”

  “We went to our respective rooms, and I thought that was it. I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about everything, wondering what I should do. I was tossing and turning, and then I heard a knock at the bathroom door.”

  “Ethan?”

  “Yeah. So, I let him in, and we talked, and he said there was no reason we shouldn’t do whatever we wanted to do.”

  “But you argued the point.”

  “I’m just worried what will happen if Brody finds out, or my parents.”

  “Brody and that ridiculous fucking bro code he’s always spouting. She crosses her arms and paces back and forth. Always bail your buddy out, always help a friend move, don’t go after your friend’s sister, never date a buddy’s ex… it’s all so stupid.” She throws her hands up in exasperation.

  I don’t know that I’ve ever heard him talk about that last one, and for that matter, I didn’t know she’d ever heard him talk about it at all. I’m starting to wonder if she might have a little thing for my brother, too, that she hasn’t mentioned.

  “So, what happened after that?”

  “Oh, well.” I pick at the nail polish on my index finger. “We might’ve made out.”

  “Taylor! This is me you’re talking to. Just made out? Come on! Felicia heard you in his room this morning. Don’t tell me that wasn’t you.”

  “Okay, maybe more than made out. Repeatedly. And maybe again, this morning after Felicia left, too.”

  She smirks, shifting her weight to one hip. “Good for you, girl. So, now all we have to do is figure out how to break it to Brody that his sister and his best friend are a couple.”

  “What?! No, no. That’s not—we’re not a couple.”

  “Ha! You are so a couple. You should see the way you look at each other. I don’t know how everyone doesn’t see it. Then again,” she looks down at her manicure and puts her nose in the air, “I do possess a superior intellect, not to mention outstanding intuition.”

  I roll my eyes playfully. “We had better get back out there or Elle and Felicia are going to be scared to get back in the car with us for fear of having to smell or hear whatever we’re doing in here for so long.”

  “Good point. We’ll talk more later, but, seriously, babe,” she grabs me by the shoulders again. “I’m so happy for you, and I really do have your back on this. I’ll help you in any way I can, I promise.”

  I nod and we hug before exiting the bathroom.

  We head back to the table and Felicia and Elle are chatting away. “We were going to send a search party for you two.” Felicia jokes.

  “Yeah, we overheard a couple of girls telling the manager there were some weird ladies that wouldn’t let anyone in the bathroom.” Elle shakes her head.

  “Yeah, so weird, right?” Gabi chuckles. “We had to wait for them to leave before we could get in there.

  I pick up my glass, but it’s empty. Gabi’s is, too. I hold it up and look at Felicia. “Oh, sorry. We thought something was wrong with your mimosas, so we tested them, just in case.”

  She and Elle clink glasses and down the last of the glasses in their hands.

  After lunch, we head to the Market to look for souvenirs. Felicia picks up a couple of oil paintings to hang in her new house, and Elle gets a small sawgrass basket. Gabi gets a pair of sandals that are by a local shoe company, and just when I think I’m not going to find anything, I spot the perfect thing. It’s a huge, canvas tote bag with a giant blue crab on the front. Charleston, SC, is written under it in script writing.

  “Wow, that’s very, um, distinctive.” Elle offers.

  “Girl, you can say gawdy. Taylor lets everything roll off her back. She doesn’t care that what she considers artsy, a lot of people would just call weird.” Felicia nudges my shoulder.

  “Gee, thanks. Well, I love it, and I’m going to get it.” I take it up to the register while they others meander down to the next stall.

  As I’m checking out, I see a display of leather bracelets by the register. They’re larger than the average bracelet, and in dark colors and the style is masculine, so I assume they’re made for men. “What are these?”

  “They’re all handmade,” the clerk tells me. “A local artisan tans and braids the leather, then hammers different designs for the clasps, see?” He turns the display around, and I see there are designs with scrolls, like those on the gates of the fine old houses up on the Battery, and others with crabs. Then, I spot it, and I know it must be fate that I stopped here, of all places, to buy a souvenir. On one of the dark, leather braids, the clasp is in the shape of a dolphin. I remember the story Ethan told me about his dad and I feel emotion tug at my chest.

  I quickly look over my shoulder and see that the girls are several stalls up by now. “I’ll take this one, please. Could you wrap it as a gift? And I’ll drop it in my purse, instead of in the bag, please.”

  “Absolutely, miss. I’m sure your boyfriend will love it.” The kind, older man smiles.

  My boyfriend?

  Not by a longshot.

  Whatever it is we’re doing, though, one thing’s for certain. I don’t think I can stop now, even if I wanted to.

  Chapter Nine

  Ethan

  Brody’s looking over his sunglasses at me when I step out onto the porch. “Dude, you hooked up with someone from the club last night? Damn! I knew I should’ve gone with you guys.”

  “Where’d you hear that?” I ask, taking the glass of OJ Noah’s handing me.

  “Felicia told me someone was in your room this morning.” Marcus replies between bites of omelet. “Matter of fact, she thought a morning roll sounded like such a good idea, she came back to our room for a quickie before the girls all left this morning, so I guess I’ve got you to thank for that.” He puts up his hand and I begrudgingly accept the high-five.

  I grab a plate and sit down.

  “So, sounds like you had fun at the club after all, huh?” Noah asks.

  “Well, a gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.” I shrug.

  “Oh, good, so you’ll tell us everything, then, what with you being the farthest thing from a gentleman and all.” I can always count on Brody to give me shit.

  I toss my napkin at him. “So, any plans for today?” I ask, tucking into my omelet. Truth be told, I’m fucking starving, but I’m not surprised with how hard Taylor and I went at it all night, not to mention this morning. I look over at Brody, and a little stab of guilt hits me in the chest.

  You’
ve gotta tell him, asshole. If you talk to him, let him know she means something to you, he’ll come around. If he finds out on his own, you’re fucked.

  “If you have other ideas, I’m cool, but I found this club down the island that has openings this afternoon. We can do the steam room, get a rubdown… I might even get a haircut and one of those shaves with the hot towel,” Marcus rubs his palm along his jaw.

  “Why the beauty treatment?” Noah asks.

  “Yeah, Cinderfella, you going to the ball?” Brody quips and we all chuckle.

  “Well, you know, gotta look good when you do the deed.” Marcus gives a glance over each shoulder, digs into his pocket, and pulls out a box. He opens it, and turns it to face us. “Check it out, boys. That’s six months’ salary in that little box, and I think ya’ll know I make some pretty good scratch.”

  Noah takes the box from him and whistles. “Damn, brother, that’s a nice rock.”

  Brody gives it a once-over. So, another one bites the dust, eh? Congrats, man.”

  I take the box from his hand and look at the ring. It’s a beauty, all right. “Wow. That’s really pretty. Felicia’s gonna love it.” I hand it back to him.

  “Thank you, thank you. Yeah, since ya’ll are going on that tour tonight, I knew Felicia wouldn’t want any part of that shit. So, I made us reservations at a steakhouse downtown. Thought I’d take her to a nice dinner, then there’s this little cove down at the far end of the beach. I’m gonna suggest we go for a moonlight stroll. When we get down there, I’m gonna pop the question. I got a photographer lined up and everything. Gonna text him when we head that way, and he’ll take pictures of the whole thing from up on the boardwalk.”

  “That’s really thoughtful. She’ll love that,” Noah pats him on the shoulder. “Seriously, you two seem really good together. I’m happy for you.”

  Marcus suddenly looks less sure than she did moments ago. “I mean, like, if she says no, I’m gonna need you guys to take me out, help me drown my sorrows. But she won’t right? She’ll say yes, probably. I mean, she bought a house with me, so she must be in it for the long hall, too, huh?”