The other girls stared at her, their befuddled gazes mirroring Piper new mode. She could hear the guys in one of the bedrooms flipping channels on the TV.
How long had she been standing there?
“What’s wrong? You’ve been out of it.” Miranda peered at her, gaze narrowed.
“Nothing,” Piper said. She didn’t think about the reply, she just spoke the word. Truth was, she wasn’t ready to deep dive into everything she’d discovered since coming home from the cruise.
“You sure? Because you’ve been weird.” Rashae sat on the sofa and took a long pull from her water bottle.
A rhythmic knock at the door distracted the other girls from Piper.
“That must be Ellie.” Tamara walked across to the suite door and opened it.
Piper retreated to the windows where she could stare at L.A. spread out around them.
“Thanks. I thought I’d never make it.” Ellie huffed and puffed.
“Good lord, are you moving in or something?” Tamara laughed.
“And I thought I packed a lot,” Rashae said.
“You didn’t see how much she crammed in that cabin with Piper.” Miranda snickered.
“What the hell happened yesterday?” Ellie asked.
Piper could see Ellie’s reflection in the glass, staring right at her. The other girls went quiet, and once more the focus was back on Piper.
She didn’t know how to answer that question. A lot happened, but where did she begin?
“Piper, I swear to God, if you don’t start talking...” Ellie jabbed her finger in Piper’s direction.
What did Ellie have to be angry about?
Piper turned, frowning at her friend. Ellie’s features were tight, her cheeks sunken and eyes blazing.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Piper said slowly.
“What the hell did you do to Gideon?” Ellie hung her purse on the clothing rack but never took her gaze off Piper.
“What did I do to Gideon?” She gaped at the other woman.
“Yes.” Ellie took a step toward Piper.
“Wow, wow, wow.” Tamara planted herself between Piper and Ellie. “I think we all want to know what’s going on, period. Why don’t we sit down? Clearly a lot has happened since we got off the boat.”
Ellie’s accusatory glare burned through the white noise until a thought bubbled to the top.
What had she done to Gideon? What about her? He was the one who wanted to pop in and out of her life, tell her he loved her and then disappear again. She was tired of the yo-yo relationship. If she kept seeing him, even as friends, she’d never be able to find someone for herself.
“Come over here and sit with me, Piper.” Miranda patted the cushion next to her.
Piper crossed the room and sat on the oversized arm chair with Miranda. The guys seemed to have picked up on the incoming tidal wave of girl stuff and had closed the bedroom door, giving them some privacy. The other three girls settled on the sofa, and four sets of eyes were aimed at Piper.
“Ellie, what the hell are you talking about?” Rashae leaned forward and peered at Ellie.
“I had that thing yesterday, remember?” Ellie’s gaze flicked to Rashae, then back to Piper. “I’m there, the party started slow, there weren’t a lot of people there besides the PR firm’s other clients, network people, the usual. And then who walks in? Gideon.”
“I thought he was a party kind of guy?” Tamara asked.
Ellie’s throat flexed and her unwavering gaze faltered. She stared out through the windows for a moment.
“I found out recently that my new clients—bosses, whatever—are using the same PR company as some of our favorite assholes. Adam...and Carl.” Ellie pursed her lips and Piper could hear her teeth grinding.
“Are you sure you want to keep working for these guys?” Tamara asked.
“I think after yesterday’s flop, they’re going to fire the company—but that’s not the point. I’ve worked for people who hired this company before and the drama there never changes. Carl has only gotten to be more of an asshole than he used to be. Knowing Gideon’s history with Piper, it’s not rocket science that mixing those two would be a bad idea.”
“Carl was there?” Piper folded her hands together. Carl hadn’t hidden his hatred of Gideon and had even tried to blame their breakup on him.
“Yes. As soon as I saw Gideon I told him he had to leave, then Carl shows up. He punched Gideon in the face. Well...it was kind of a punch. He made a fist. Gideon punched him back. Beer and glass was everywhere. It’s on YouTube and Facebook. Carl hasn’t pressed charges, and I bet the only reason he can’t is because it would mean admitting he broke parole.”
“Holy shit,” Tamara muttered.
“Is Gideon okay?” Piper asked.
“Okay? I think he’s pretty wrecked.” Ellie kept staring at Piper. “What the hell did you do to him?”
She took a deep breath, her thoughts humming louder as the timeline fit together.
Gideon had left her place and gone after Carl. Maybe not intentionally, but he’d wanted their paths to cross. Where was Gideon now?
“Piper? You okay?” Miranda rubbed her shoulders.
“No,” Piper replied.
“Did Gideon come see you yesterday?” Miranda asked.
“Yeah.” Piper swallowed. “I got home and Kobe came over to catch up. He was barely there a few minutes when Gideon showed up. I didn’t know he was coming, he was just there. He has a tricky job he’s trying to wrap up and things aren’t going well. They want him to—it doesn’t matter. These people want Gideon to do something, so they threatened to make all the old videos go viral again if he didn’t cooperate. He’s gotten lawyers involved, and it’s a mess. He wanted to warn me and help, I’m sure. But... Things got complicated.”
“They’re threatening you?” Tamara gaped at Piper.
“I’ve already been to the police to file a report. It’s all I can do about that for now. I’m betting people at the con will be talking about it, but whatever. That—it doesn’t matter anymore.” The crazy thing was, Piper meant it. Yes, the video’s existence was something she’d never be comfortable with, but she had come to terms with it.
“What? Am I hearing you right?” Rashae leaned forward.
“I watched all the videos yesterday after I told Gideon to leave.” Piper glanced up at the others. “The first time I saw most of them was during the trial. It was humiliating and violating and...it scarred me. Now? Who cares? They’re crappy, homemade videos that someone put out there to hurt me, and I keep letting them have that. I’m done. The videos are out there and I don’t care anymore. My problem, what I think that’s always hurt the most, is that someone I cared about violated that trust.”
“That’s deep,” Rashae said.
“You really think you’re over this?” Tamara asked.
“Over it? No, but I am dealing with it.” Piper had allowed those fears and her past to keep her alienated, from being happy. But not anymore.
“That doesn’t explain why Gideon was so wrecked yesterday,” Ellie said.
Piper swallowed and the tension in her shoulders increased.
“Gideon told me he loved me.” Piper grimaced. “For a long time that’s all I wanted to hear, then he finally says it and... It wasn’t about me, it was about him. It’s always been about him and what he wants.”
“What exactly did he say? Can you tell me how you remember it?” Ellie asked.
“We’ve been around this block with Gideon before,” Rashae said.
“What?” Ellie gaped at Rashae.
“He does pop in and out, and it’s not like he cares what that does to Piper,” Tamara said.
“That is so not what I got sitting in the car with him yesterday. You’re all crazy.” Ellie directed her stare at Piper. “Look, I’m telling you what he told me. He should probably tell you himself, but he’s not here. Gideon is madly in love with you. He didn’t say it in that many words, but it’s
so obvious being around him that he’s head over heels for you.”
Piper flinched at those words. She wished they were true, wanted them, but she couldn’t allow herself to buy into it.
“Bullshit,” Rashae said.
“Then why hasn’t he done something before now?” Tamara asked.
“What I got from the verbal vomit in the car is that—he’s always cared about you. Then things with Carl happened, your friends abandoned you and he was the only one left in your corner. You needed a friend, so that’s what he became, but his feelings never changed.”
“If that’s true, why not say something?” Miranda asked.
“He wanted to, but he didn’t think that was what Piper wanted.” Ellie kept staring at Piper, and in Piper’s head, she heard Gideon’s voice. “He said that the longer things went on, the more he felt like he was betraying Piper. I asked him why he didn’t stop all communication forever and he said he keeps telling himself this time is the last, but it never sticks.”
Piper swallowed and stared at the carpet.
Last night things had seemed obvious. Gideon would shift back to work and they’d be back to how things were. If that was the case why hadn’t it happened already? She knew he was in talks about another job and they were down to negotiating the contract. Usually that signaled when he stopped socializing and dove into work, and yet they’d continued to talk even while she was on the cruise. Every day, sometimes multiple times.
Was she wrong?
The idea of being without Gideon for the rest of her life caused a deep, sharp ache in her chest. She cared for him. He’d always been in her corner, whenever she really needed him, he’d been there for her.
Had she gotten it all mixed up? Was his confession of love real? He was prepared to go to court over his client’s threats about her. He didn’t have to do that. There wasn’t anyone else who would go to bat for her that way.
Piper pushed to her feet and began pacing the suite.
She knew she loved him. That wasn’t the problem. Her issues came back to trust. She hadn’t given him the chance to repair that trust since they’d begun. At every turn, she’d assumed he would be gone, that history would repeat itself, and each time he’d come back trying to show her this time was different.
The day they’d meant to spend together, but didn’t. It was a technical communication glitch, but still. She’d assumed he was flaking and made other plans.
He’d shown up at her door how many times over the last two weeks just to hang out? To bring her a mixed tape or flowers? She hadn’t seen the difference because she was too focused on the past and trying to prepare herself for the future.
“I made a mistake.” Piper glanced around, searching for her purse.
“What are you looking for?” Tamara got to her feet.
“My purse. I need to go see Gideon, I need to...” Tell him she loved him back.
“Well, you’re out of luck,” Ellie said.
“Why?” Piper stared at Ellie.
“I just came from the airport. I dropped him off,” she said.
“Where’d he go?” Piper needed him here.
“To unplug and see his brother.”
“Which one?”
“He has more than one?”
“Three.”
“Oh dear Jesus.” Ellie winced.
“He’s got eight siblings,” Tamara said.
If Gideon was unplugging, if he was getting away from her and everything else, her only choice was to wait for him to come back.
15.
GIDEON REFRESHED PIPER’S social media links one by one, but nothing new had been posted since the annual Wonder Woman group photo shoot. Gideon had considered working half days and going to the con. At least until he blurted out that he loved Piper and all she wanted was for him to get out of her apartment.
How had he screwed things up so thoroughly?
Lola had good news about his clients, but nothing they did would resolve the events already set in motion with the videos. He could have opted to not tell her, hide it all in an effort to protect her, but the woman she’d become wouldn’t want that. She could stand on her own two feet.
“Stop stalking her.” Thomas punched Gideon in the arm, jostling his phone.
“Fuck off.” Gideon glared at his brother.
“Seriously, you’ve been here the whole weekend doing nothing but moping and looking at your phone. Stop for five minutes.”
A ball bounced off the living room window.
“Christ.” Thomas sighed and pushed to his feet.
Gideon used the parental interlude to refresh once more. After the incident with Carl, Gideon knew he needed to get away, clear his head and get some perspective on his actions. His cop brother had the good fortune to marry a sociology professor. Neither pulled the punches when dispensing advice. Besides, it was nice to see his nieces and nephews. With how large the family was now that almost all his brothers and sisters had kids, holiday get togethers were harder.
“Okay, where were we?” Thomas dropped onto the sofa and leaned his head back.
“You’re about to pass out. I can watch the kids, you know?”
“If I take a nap, you aren’t getting to the airport. You’ll never be able to wake me up.” He folded his hands behind his head. “Have you talked to her yet?”
“No,” he said after a long pause.
“Why not? You know the best thing to do is just say you’re sorry.”
“What am I sorry for?”
“All of it. Just be sorry.”
“It’s not that easy.” Gideon slouched.
“I’m telling you, it can be.”
Gideon hadn’t gone into detail about his history with Piper or the events that had transpired to put him sleeping on his brother’s sofa instead of in his own bed a home.
He’d fucked up a lot of things with Piper right from the very beginning. Maybe he’d been wrong to ever hide his feelings for her. He’d thought it was the right thing to do at the time, but then things got more and more complicated. If he hadn’t been there for her, who would have?
No, if he could change anything, it wouldn’t be then. The change would have been at Christmas when he’d decided to leave. That was the moment he really fucked things up.
“You all packed and ready to go?” Thomas asked.
“Yeah.”
“Any big plans? Going to any of those big parties?”
“No. I’m going to land and a friend is bringing my Jeep to the airport. I’ll drop him off and then drive to San Diego for a few days.”
“Oh, that’s right. That band we were crazy about when we were kids is playing, aren’t they?”
“Yeah.”
“How old are those guys, anyway?”
“They’re getting up there.” Gideon chuckled. “I’ll likely be the only person in their thirties there.”
“And you aren’t going to repack? Do you have a hotel or anything?”
“No.”
“I don’t remember what it’s like to go and do without massive prep.” Thomas waved his hand. He’d become a father the day he committed to his now wife. She’d had a small child when they met, and that was it. Thomas was a dad. A really good one judging by the smiles around the dinner table.
Gideon had never been content on his own. Perhaps it was because he came from such a large family, with people constantly underfoot at all hours.
“What do you say we load the kids up early and grab some ice cream on the way to the airport?” Thomas’ smile took on a mischievous bent.
“Are you asking because you want ice cream, or because you want to give your wife a heart attack when she wakes up and realizes all the kids are gone?”
“Both?”
“Fine. Let’s go.” Gideon shook his head.
“Some unasked-for advice?” Thomas stood and stretched. “Whatever you’ve done, whatever you think you’ve done, she hasn’t gone to the stalker-calling you, cussing you out stage. That’s when y
ou know there isn’t hope. Tell her you’re sorry and fix this. You’ve known each other too long, and you’ve been hung up on her for years. Mom still talks about her, the one and only girl you ever brought home. Please, put the rest of us out of our misery.”
PIPER CLIMBED INTO the passenger seat of her dad’s van.
“Let me get that.” Dad reached over and grabbed his shaving kit off the seat. “Ready for the day?”
“Yeah. How is everything?” Piper shoved her duffle bag into the floor board and buckled. She’d lived ten years of her life traveling the country in this van. It was surreal every time she got into it.
“You know how these things go.” Dad shrugged and turned onto the road, headed toward the venue hosting the music festival. “I’d have been happy to put you up, you know?”
“You’ve upgraded the van. There’s not room for me—what’s your girlfriend’s name again?”
“I do not have a girlfriend.” Dad grinned.
He had a girlfriend. There was always a girlfriend even if that wasn’t what he called them.
“You think Gideon’s still coming?” Dad asked.
“I’m counting on it.” Piper blew out a breath and leaned her head back.
“I always liked that boy. I’m glad you found someone.”
Piper pressed her hands to her stomach. There were so many opportunities for things to go wrong today. She dearly wanted something to go right. Days spent thinking about things, weighing her options, talking to everyone about it had worn her down.
“You really think you’re ready to settle down?” Dad asked.
“Did you ever think you might meet someone that would make you consider settling down?” She turned to study his profile.
Dad grinned but didn’t answer. They both knew he might be a lover but he would never give up the open road. She’d been scared of signing her first apartment lease and being tied to one spot for a year, but over time she’d grown to like the regularity of it. As a child, the change in scenery was fun and exciting. Later, as a teen, she’d struggled, but this life was all she’d known.
The Fake Boyfriend and the Geek Page 14