Fall With Me

by Julie Particka

  “What?”

  The air seemed to have been sucked from the room with that one syllable. “They said they didn’t want to wait.”

  She shook her head frantically like it could make the words scatter. “It’s a lie. He’s never going to marry her. I don’t know what he wants—”

  This part was going to hurt more, but I didn’t have time for her not to believe. “If it’s a game, it’s a good one. The ring appraised for almost five thousand dollars, and he proposed on her birthday. He bails on her, she gets the ring.”

  The tremors that had been racking Jenna’s body stopped immediately, her muscles going rigid. “He bought her a ring?”

  I didn’t know why this mattered so much, but she wasn’t crying anymore. “Yeah.”

  She lifted her head, and the tense line of her jaw turned her into a strange caricature of the Jenna I knew. A kind of scary one. “I’m going to ask one more time, Sutton, and this time you’re going to answer me for real. Why are you telling me this? What’s your stake in it?”

  “Because right after brunch, we all went shopping.” Remembering that day made me want to hit something. Preferably Adam. “Mr. Fabulous hit on a salesclerk when Lacey was with our mom. And he called another girl when he thought I wasn’t paying attention. He’s a cheating bastard, and that was before I knew what he did to you.”

  Jenna shoved her way free from my arms and stood. “Color me surprised. I still don’t see the point. I want revenge, sure. What do you get out of it?”

  I grabbed her and tugged, spinning her toward me as I stood. We ended up inches apart, close enough to kiss. That wasn’t what I was here for, not right now. “Lacey wouldn’t believe me when I brought it up with her. I want to break them up before this sham of a wedding happens. I get to save my sister, and you get some well-deserved revenge on that piece of shit Adam.” And maybe you can salvage a friendship with my sister. Then us being together won’t be nearly as awkward. “And I want a real chance with you, Jem.”

  Her eyes narrow, Jenna searched my face and clenched her hands into fists—a battle clearly going on inside her. “And you have a plan?”

  She’d ignored mention of the two of us, and for the moment I decided to let it go. “I do. Lacey still cares about you. A lot. It’s why she’s been desperate to talk to you. What I’m proposing is we make nice with them—as a couple. Double dates, the whole deal. From what I’ve seen of Adam, there’s no way he’s going to sit by and let you be happy with someone else. Lacey might not have listened to me, but if we can arrange for her to see him making a play for you with her own eyes, she won’t have a choice. And barring that, if she hears it straight from you, maybe she’ll listen. I can’t do this without you, Jem.” Her earlier comment about my choosing Lacey over her raced through my brain, but I wasn’t doing that. I was choosing both of them. If Jenna said no to the plan though, I didn’t know what I was going to do. There wasn’t a plan B.

  “I really don’t want to ever be near him again—except you’re right. She was my best friend for too long to let her go into this without her head on straight. I’m in. Let’s destroy the fucker.” She said it with enough glee in her voice that for the first time, I wondered if Adam would be the only one destroyed in the process. Jenna, Lacey, me—who would the other casualties be?

  Maybe this idea wasn’t as foolproof as I’d hoped.

  Chapter Nine

  -Jenna-

  By the time Sutton left, it was already closing in on noon. Six hours until he returned to take me to dinner. The only good part about the time alone was the fact that Mom and Dad wouldn’t be home to see me unraveling. That was iffy as far as benefits went since the silence meant I had way too long to think.

  He’d bought her a ring. Not just any ring, either. Freaking five grand. I couldn’t wrap my brain around it. How long were they seeing each other behind my back? How had they done it at all, for that matter?

  I knew he’d seen her when he went for a job interview in Lansing at the end of March. Other than that, Adam and I were inseparable, and if I was home…Lacey was with me. We’d even gone on spring break together where we’d been the crazy girls lounging on the beach talking politics and religion instead of chasing guys. Had she been with him before then?

  How long did people spend together to justify a five-thousand-dollar engagement ring?

  I scrubbed last night’s dishes until my fingers were pruney and my nails soft enough to tear, and I still didn’t have an answer. I’d been with Adam for three years and gotten nothing. What did that mean? What did it say about Lacey? Hell, what did it say about me?

  The thoughts rolled in my head like pigs wallowing in mud, getting more disgusting with every twist until I couldn’t handle it anymore.

  That was when I realized how much those thoughts had kept me from dwelling on the other elephant in the room. I’d had sex with Sutton. Then I’d followed it up with panicked thoughts of kicking him out. The guy I’d always wanted, the one I’d put on a pedestal so far from reach I considered him untouchable, and I’d tried to pull a one and done.

  I had every reason in the world for it—chief among them Lacey. If he’d been her ex instead of her brother, maybe I could have jumped in with both feet weighted by revenge, but he wasn’t.

  And I don’t think I could have done that anyway. As angry as I was at her, we had years of history. It didn’t matter what she’d done to me, a part of me still cared. As much as she’d screwed our friendship, I wanted it back. I wanted her in my life.

  Which is what made Sutton’s idea ridiculously infuriating. I would love nothing more than to destroy Adam the way he had me. Hurting Lacey was a side effect I was alternately gleeful and torn up about.

  I shouldn’t have been.

  Considering she was the one who’d done the damage, I should have been free to delight in any imagined manner of torture. Instead, I was racked with guilt just for thinking about it.

  Or maybe that was still my twisted feelings about Sutton. I wanted him.

  I wanted to get my head on straight. I wanted being with him to be the thing to make that happen—separate from dealing with Adam. I was afraid this revenge scheme would end up biting us in the ass.

  Basically, I was a jumble of emotions, stress, and nerves.

  With the dishes done and the house cleaned up, there was nothing left for me to pour the energy into except getting ready for dinner. In the bathroom, I scrubbed at my face, trying to wash away the worry.

  This was Sutton. He might want Lacey punished for being stupid, but his plan—whatever it was—would be designed to keep her from getting hurt.

  The knowledge should have made me feel better, but I kept returning to the iffy part of the plan. While she might not deserve whatever we planned to unleash on Adam, Lacey deserved a little kick in the ass for what she’d done. Actually, she deserved a pretty big kick in the ass.

  Problem was, if I really wanted to make her regret hooking up with Adam, the easiest way would be to let her go through with everything. Marry the ass and then see how it felt when he turned this shit on her. Because he would.

  Sutton didn’t know Lacey hadn’t been Adam’s first indiscretion. Three years and at least three other women I knew about. It wasn’t an oops, it was a pattern. The Bells believed in marriage as a forever thing—every last one of them. How long would Lacey stay with Adam, desperate to make it work and turning more bitter by the hour?

  I blew out a breath and stared at myself in the mirror. Yes, Lacey deserved some sort of punishment, just not that kind of fate, not by a long shot.

  Okay, Sutton. You win. I’m in this thing and not to screw Lacey over. Just don’t expect me to be friendly about any of it.

  …

  “You look…nice.” Sutton’s brows pulled together as if I looked like crap most of the time.

  I rolled my eyes as I pulled the front door shut and started toward his car. “Unless we’re going to dinner at the paintball arena, I figured I deserved a chance
to get a little girlie.” It wasn’t like I was dressed up—I’d just skipped the denim and put on heels instead of sneakers.

  “Sorry,” he said, holding open the car door. “I wasn’t expecting… I figured it was a jeans and T-shirt night.”

  “And it is. For you. For me it’s a dressy shorts and silky T-shirt night.” I slid into the car and waited for him to settle behind the wheel. “Now take me for pizza before I go back inside and order takeout.”

  “Since when do we obey the whims of your stomach?” He was on 26 Mile Road before I managed a snappy comeback, which only proved how much I still needed food. Now that I thought of it, after he left, all I’d tried to choke down were more saltines. Lame.

  “Since the last forty-eight, during which I only managed to hold down a bowl of soup, a sleeve of crackers, and two Pepsis. I need food before I can plot the demise of Adam and Lacey’s engagement.”

  “In that case, breadsticks on the table are a must.” He cranked the wheel and pulled onto M-53. Shortly after, he parked in front of what could only be termed a hole in the wall.

  Literally.

  The entrance was designed to look like someone crashed a car through the side of the building. Sutton had my door open in seconds, holding it as I reluctantly climbed from the car. “Where are we?”

  “Still don’t trust me after paintball? I mean, if there was a Russian in sight that night, I’m pretty sure you shot him.” When I rolled my eyes, he just laughed. “I discovered this place on a visit home from college. It’s well worth the ambience. Plus, no one here will give a shit about Adam, Lacey, or their stupid engagement.”

  “Bonus.” While there was an actual door within the shadows of the hole, the inside matched the initial impression. Raw wood planks formed the floor, and the only reason they didn’t look like they’d give someone five-inch splinters if touched was because they’d been worn smooth by what must have been years of traffic.

  “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” came on as soon as we stepped up to the hostess sign and every set of eyes in the place looked toward the door. I fought the urge to cover my ass as I cast a side-eye at Sutton. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Nope. Best pizza around.” He leaned in close as he pointed to where a woman in a miniskirt and white blouse waved us over. “Not my fault they also know how to show appreciation for a great backside.”

  “Uh-huh.” Still, the way he said it made it sound like the song had come on just for me, which was totally cheesy and kind of made my heart pitter-patter a little. It was a weird combination, and I made sure to slide onto the opposite side of the booth from Sutton.

  If we were talking evil plans, I needed as few distractions from him as possible. Then his bright-blue eyes caught mine and he winked. Maybe if I asked nicely, they could turn off the lights, too.

  On the other hand, the breadsticks showed up immediately, exactly as he’d promised, along with four different kinds of dipping sauce. Sutton nudged the basket my way while he proceeded to order us a pitcher of beer and pizza. The waitress was walking away when he groaned. “Shit. Are you up to beer? I can order a ginger ale or something…”

  I licked garlic butter from my fingers. If the breadsticks were any sign, I’d died from food poisoning and been brought to pizza heaven. “Pretty sure I’m okay. I can always switch to pop if my stomach disagrees.”

  The music changed to “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” and I almost groaned. I liked country music fine, I only wished some of the songs weren’t hitting so close to the mark lately.

  Sutton laughed at what must have been a horribly twisted expression on my face as I flipped off the jukebox. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you came home.”

  Had I swallowed when he said it, the piece of breadstick would have lodged in my throat. As it was, heat rushed to my cheeks as I chewed. “Good to know,” I managed after finally choking down the bite. “Partner in crime procured. Now let’s work out the kinks in this plan of yours.”

  “No worries. I’m pretty sure this won’t require any kinky stuff.”

  “You are not nearly as funny as you think you are.” Then again, he did have the remarkable ability to get me thinking about things I shouldn’t.

  He paused as the waitress set down the pitcher and expertly poured our glasses. “As I mentioned earlier, our best bet is you trying to woo Adam back.”

  For a second I didn’t move—couldn’t have if I tried—and then I burst into laughter and didn’t stop until tears were running down my cheeks. “That is not what you said this morning. It is also the stupidest idea ever.”

  “Why? He was with you for three years, obviously there’s something there. You get him to fall for you again and then dump his ass. Lacey doesn’t exactly forgive people easily.”

  “First, because I can’t pretend I’m still in love with him. Second, he dumped me like yesterday’s trash. Maybe if I’d caught him and Lacey together and been the one doing the walking away it’d be different, but if he wanted me he would have stayed. Third, I thought you wanted me and Lace to be friends again—that whole non-forgiveness clause would mess things up.” I didn’t bother trying to explain further. I didn’t want Adam, which meant I didn’t want him thinking I did. The entire possibility made me nauseous again, and after yesterday, that was a total no-go.

  Sutton sighed and took a long drink of his beer. “Okay. He might have dumped you, but Adam doesn’t seem like the type to like others playing with his toys.”

  “Trying not to feel like a thing right now.”

  His hand covered mine and he grinned. “If you are, you’re the very best thing I know. My point was, you and I have something between us. You know it. I know it. If Adam sees it, he’s not going to be happy.”

  I tried to picture Adam watching Sutton and I getting lovey-dovey and walking away like it was no big deal. Never happen. The only problem was I didn’t know what would happen. “Okay, and what if he uses that as an excuse to lash out at you, or Lacey?”

  That last bit got his attention and he straightened in his seat. “You know him better than I do. Would he hurt her?”

  “No. Adam’s a lot of things, but he’d leave or cheat on her, not hit her.” The pizza showed, and we stopped talking as the waitress fussed around, dishing slices onto plates. After she left, I shoved mine to the side, leaning against the tabletop. “I can’t say the same about him hurting you, though. You’re a guy.”

  “That I am. Good thing, too, because I don’t see him being too upset if you were with another woman.” I rolled my eyes, but he kept on talking. “I can handle myself and unless he’d try to kill me, it’d be worth it for Lacey to see what he’s like firsthand. If I had to put money on it though, he’s going to go after you.”

  He was right, and now I really didn’t want the pizza. I huffed a breath. “Set it up.”

  I’d worry about regretting it later. At the moment I was more concerned about losing the breadsticks from their precarious position in my stomach. And about what this would ultimately mean for me and Sutton.

  Chapter Ten

  -Sutton-

  Lacey hadn’t answered when I tried to call her on the way home from my date with Jenna. She didn’t pick up in the morning, either. I hated trying to guess where she was on a Sunday morning. There were a few options, but somehow I doubted she was at church. A more logical guess was my first stop. If she wasn’t at Mom and Dad’s, I’d have to figure out how to track her at the mall.

  I walked right in the front door when I arrived at my parents’ house. The first time I’d come home from college, they made a point of informing me that it would always be my home and knocking was for other people. Today I don’t think they would have heard me either way.

  “I don’t understand why his parents aren’t coming in to meet us before the wedding. It’s proper etiquette, not to mention common courtesy.” Mom’s voice was shrill. I’d learned the tone well when I lived here. It was a sure sign of a rushed conversation while Dad was out of the ho
use. I eased the door shut behind me.

  Lacey gave one of the overexaggerated sighs she’d been famous for since childhood. “Because we told you first. We didn’t talk to them until right before they left on their trip. Dropping everything to hop back to the States from their vacation in Europe to meet the two of you isn’t going to happen. Especially not when they’ll be here in a few weeks anyway.”

  “The engagement party—”

  “Will happen whether or not they’re here.”

  Mom harrumphed. “I don’t understand why you needed to have the wedding this summer anyway. Fall is soon enough, and the weather would be much less sweltering.”

  “Because it’s not what we wanted. Isn’t that enough?”

  It should have been, but Lacey had always been one who’d go along to get along. The change must have thrown Mom more than she’d implied when they made the announcement.

  I strode into the kitchen, where she and Lacey were sitting at an already-set table. Set for four. I tipped my head toward the dishes, ready to break the ice forming between the two of them. “How’d you know I was coming?”

  “Sutton!” Mom pushed from the table and came over to hug me tight. “If I would have known, we’d have laid one more setting.” Her tone dropped lower. “Your sister’s fiancé is here.”

  Perfect. “I don’t have to stay—”

  “Nonsense. Lacey, text them and let them know to bring food for one more.” Mom brushed invisible dust from my shirtsleeves. “It’ll be nice to have the whole family here for a meal.”

  It was probably my imagination, but I would’ve sworn her eyes darted to Lacey when she said “family.” I wasn’t sure if Mom actively disliked Adam or was simply annoyed the happy couple wasn’t following protocol. There were reasons I hadn’t talked to my parents about breaking them up. As Lacey tapped on her phone, I forced a smile. “What’s on the menu, anyway?”