Chapter 30
Natalie
Tip #30: Once your extensive relationship lies have been discovered, apologize to those you lied to.
T he scent of cocoa from my steaming mug tickled my nose as I sat in Owen’s cozy living room, nestled into the plush cushions of his couch. I was supposed to be absorbed in the romance novel I had picked out, but my mind kept wandering back to Samuel.
I glanced at my cell phone on the coffee table and resisted the urge to check it again. He hadn’t called or texted since this morning. I decided I’d wait until Monday to reach out to him, when I was sure I could keep my emotions in check. Since it was Saturday midafternoon, that meant I had quite a while before I’d be facing him.
I groaned. “Why do relationships have to suck?”
The empty room offered no solace; Owen had left right after lunch.
The doorbell abruptly rang, jolting me from my thoughts. “Owen didn’t mention he was expecting anyone… but that doesn’t mean anything in nosy Fox Creek,” I muttered.
Setting my cocoa down, I got up and padded to the front door. I swung it open and almost screamed at the sight of Logan’s tall and imposing form standing on Owen’s front stoop. Isaac stood next to him, his profile turned away from me. (I knew it was Isaac even before seeing his glasses because of his poker-straight posture; Samuel’s stance was more relaxed.)
“Hello.” My voice wavered with the greeting.
Isaac blinked in surprise and turned toward me. “Hello, Natalie. I apologize for our sudden intrusion. We didn’t think you’d actually answer the door.”
I eyed Isaac, then Logan. “Why are you here?”
“We want to talk,” Isaac said.
I half shut the door, just in case. “Is Samuel with you?”
“No,” Isaac said.
I clutched the door handle. “What would you like to talk about?”
Isaac adjusted his glasses and looked awkward before peering up at Logan.
As usual, Logan said nothing.
“Well,” Isaac hesitantly started.
“I can’t take it anymore!” Jenna popped out from behind Logan and squirmed her way between the two men. “It seems this youngest generation of Warner men is terrible at communicating. Hello, Natalie.” Jenna smiled at me before wrapping me in a comforting hug.
“Hi, Jenna.” I patted her back and relaxed into the hug. “What’s going on?”
Jenna released me and backed up a step. “Owen told me you were holed up in his house, so we three came over here to ask if you’d be willing to talk to our family.”
I started to shake my head, but Isaac was quick to add, “We’d like to talk to you without Samuel present.”
I took a deep breath, my heart making a break for my throat as I tried to steady my voice. “What do you want to talk to me about?”
Isaac hesitated, his mouth opening and closing as if searching for the right words. Jenna, however, had no such issue. “We want to discuss your fake relationship with Samuel.”
My stomach dropped, and I exhaled deeply.
I supposed it was inevitable they’d found out considering Owen had asked for my permission to tell Jenna everything. And who knew what Samuel was saying to them?
I glanced at Logan, recalling his intimidating reputation as the Warner family attack dog, and wondered if I was in for a legal battle.
“Are you pressing charges against me for misleading you all or something?” I asked.
Jenna shook her head. “No, not at all.”
Isaac tugged on his leather driving gloves, his dark eyes meeting mine. “Quite the opposite, actually. Our mother wants to extend an invitation to come to her house, right now, to reassure you that we don’t blame you.”
A mixture of relief and confusion swirled inside me.
Part of me knew it wasn’t very smart to go hang with Samuel’s family when I was trying to avoid him, but another part reminded me they had been nothing but welcoming and kind.
What sold me, though, was the nagging thought that going with them would help me get some answers about whatever it was Samuel was working toward, and it might be easier to hear it from them instead of the guy I was in love with.
“Alright,” I reluctantly agreed, nodding at Isaac. “I’ll come.”
“Thank you, Natalie,” Isaac said, his usually reserved demeanor softening. “I can drive.”
“I’ll drive myself,” I said. (I wanted a getaway car in case things went south.)
“Certainly. I’ll ride with you,” Isaac said in a tone that offered no room for arguments. Maybe he was afraid I’d give them the slip?
Isaac tossed his car keys to Jenna.
“Wait by my car, please. I just need a second to grab my things.” I pointed to my hatchback parked on the curb. As Isaac headed for the car, I went back inside.
I took a deep breath and quickly sent a text to Owen, letting him know where I was going. Then I grabbed my coat and purse, locked the front door behind me, and joined Isaac by my car.
He seemed as tense as I felt. Yay. This car ride was going to be buckets of fun.
“Let’s go.” I unlocked the car and slid into the driver’s seat. Isaac got in, his tall frame folding into the passenger side with practiced ease.
The silence between us was heavy. I drove for several blocks before Isaac finally spoke up.
“I promised my mother I wouldn’t say anything without the rest of the family present,” he began, glancing at me. “But as Samuel’s twin, I feel like I need to tell you that whatever you overheard him saying… well…” He paused, his eyes glued on the road.
“Isaac, it’s fine. I understand that Samuel was using our fake relationship to his advantage, and that’s OK. That’s how I sold him on the idea, after all.”
He shook his head, his lips pressed together in irritation. “No, well, yes, but—” He stopped himself and sighed. “It’s not my place to explain what Samuel is after. I just want to assure you that he would never, ever want to hurt you. Ever.”
In a way, I knew he was right. Samuel wasn’t cruel. But remembering the conversation about a plan Samuel had had for years and years…
Perhaps it was more that I knew Samuel would never mean to hurt me. But he also probably never would have imagined I’d fall in love with him given our turbulent history, so I doubt he’d planned for such a circumstance.
We continued the drive in silence, the beauty of the snow-covered landscape soothing me as we made our way to Estelle’s house. But the closer we got, the more nervous I grew.
After driving for what felt like too long and simultaneously not long enough, we arrived, and I pulled into the driveway.
I parked, and we hopped out. Isaac walked with me to the front door, opening it for me and then stepping back so I could enter first.
“Thanks,” I said.
I slipped inside, and as I tugged my boots off, the sound of tippy-tappy paws greeted me. Looking down, I saw Chuck scurrying toward me. Today he wore a blue bandanna adorned with white snowflakes tied around his neck, which complemented his snaggletooth underbite.
“Hello, Chuck!” I bent down to pick him up.
The warmth of his little body in my arms melted my nerves, replacing them with a sense of comfort.
“Natalie, dear,” Estelle called out, her voice as inviting as ever. She swept into the foyer like royalty, wearing a long, black wool skirt and a blue sweater that accentuated her elegance. Walter followed close behind her, his usual mischievous twinkle noticeably absent from his eyes.
“Hi, Estelle,” I said.
I set Chuck down as Estelle closed in on me. The Warner matron pulled me into a sweeping hug that was as comforting as Chuck’s greeting. “Thank you for coming today. Isaac, be a dear and take Natalie’s coat.”
“Yes, Mother.” Isaac held out his hand for my coat. After I shrugged it off, I passed it over to him.
“Thanks, Isaac.”
“Of course.”
“Hello, Natalie,” Walter greeted me, his voice soothing and devoid of its usual sass.
“Hi, Walter.”
The front door opened again, causing my heart to clench at the chance it could be Samuel. Thankfully, only Jenna and Logan entered.
Jenna shut the door behind them. “It’s chilly out there!”
She and Logan kicked off their shoes and shed their coats.
Estelle clapped her hands together. “Good, we’re all here. Everyone, let’s move to the sunroom for a more comfortable place to talk and enjoy some hot drinks.”
Estelle scooped Chuck up into her arms and planted a loud kiss on the top of his head, leaving behind a red lipstick mark and making Chuck wag his stubby tail. She then swept off for the sunroom, leaving us to trail behind her.
The sunroom was, as I’d come to expect from the Warners, nothing short of breathtaking. It was a luxurious space filled with wicker furniture covered in plush cushions and pillows. Sunlight streamed through the glass walls, and vibrant plants were positioned in every corner.
We all settled into chairs, forming something of a circle.
Estelle took a moment to hand Chuck off to Walter, who performatively rolled his eyes but nonetheless scratched the dog behind his ears when Chuck settled on his lap. With that settled, Estelle turned her attention to the tea tray resting on the coffee table in the center of our circle.
“Tea, anyone?” Estelle gracefully tipped the porcelain teapot, pouring the steaming, amber liquid into delicate china cups adorned with intricate flower patterns.
“Yes, please,” I said.
Estelle handed me a steaming teacup and saucer. “Jamie and Charles wanted to be here, but I thought that might be a bit overwhelming for you, dear.”
“Thank you.” I put my saucer on the coffee table but cradled the warm cup in my hands. I took a deep breath, gathering the courage to ask the question that had been nagging at me ever since the Warners arrived on Owen’s doorstep. “So… why did you all want to talk to me? Isaac said you weren’t mad.”
Estelle hesitated, glancing around at her assembled family.
Isaac leaned forward in his seat. “We learned about your arrangement with Samuel yesterday. And I believe that my twin made some choices that led you to think one thing when the reality is quite different.”
“Isaac!” Estelle frowned. “You make it sound like Samuel was trying to swindle her!”
“I’d say that’s about right.” Despite Jenna’s flat tone, she daintily sipped from her teacup. “He certainly swindled the rest of us.”
“What I meant to say,” Isaac continued, ignoring the interruption, “is that our feelings have nothing to do with you. We should have known better than to fall for this farce. Samuel hadn’t made any forward progress before this point; it’s laughable to think he’d managed to do it in secret. His absolute arrogance would have given him away if he’d really achieved what he said he did.”
I tried not to cringe at Isaac’s words. I couldn’t totally follow what he was saying, but it made me suspect I was right and Samuel and I weren’t as close as I’d believed. There was obviously something else going on beneath the veneer of our fake relationship that he hadn’t told me about.
“Isaac, don’t make things worse,” Estelle said. “Natalie, dear…” She trailed off, a soft smile on her lips as she searched for the right words.
But they never came. Instead, we sat in tense silence, the weight of unspoken apologies and secrets pressing down on all of us.
The aroma of chocolate mint tea filled my senses as I took a careful sip, the warmth of the drink thawing out the icy feeling that had crawled up the back of my throat.
The silence was broken, unexpectedly, by Walter. “Look, Natalie, we wanted to talk to you because Samuel messed things up.”
Estelle nodded in agreement.
“Samuel stuck to the terms of our agreement,” I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. “I can’t fault him for that.”
All of the Warners—from Jenna to Walter—were suspiciously blank-faced at that statement, which didn’t exactly raise happy tingles in me.
I pushed on. “But I’m grateful you invited me here. I want to apologize for the lies Samuel and I concocted. I was dishonest with all of you when you were nothing but welcoming to me despite the fact that our families don’t get along at all. I regret that.”
Their blank looks oddly seemed to intensify, and even Estelle lost some of her elegant glamour as she patted the bun her hair was pulled back in. “Uh-huh,” she said.
Logan, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. “We know you suggested the idea to Samuel to try and get the Manns and Warners to stop fighting so Owen and Jenna could connect. We respect your reasoning and recognize you had honorable intentions.” His voice was deep and smooth like shadows on a quiet lake.
I set my teacup down on my saucer. “Thank you, but I still feel guilty. While I might have meant well, the ends don’t justify the means. The more our relationship lie grew, the worse I felt about misleading you all.”
“It’s not that we endorse lying,” Jenna said, backing her brother up. “But we recognize the Manns and Warners would have continued to fight if you hadn’t acted.”
Before I could protest, Walter—absentmindedly petting Chuck—cut me off. “Apology accepted,” he said with great firmness. “With that out of the way, we want to assure you that we, as a family unit, are grateful for your efforts to end the feud and have no hard feelings toward you.”
Estelle eagerly nodded in agreement, and Isaac gave me a rare smile.
“It’s on Samuel,” Walter continued, “to explain things to you and make things right with you as far as your relationship goes.”
I bit my lip, internally debating whether or not to reiterate that I wasn’t angry with Samuel. Judging by the earnest expression on each Warner’s face, doing so would only drag out the conversation. It didn’t sit quite right with me, as Walter’s acceptance of my apology seemed to be just to pacify me, but I guess I’d have to take it. “Thank you for your kindness. It means more to me than you know.”