The Secret Letters (The Falling Friends #3)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Brittany

I really hope Parker has ice cream and a box of tissues at his place…

I try to keep my breaths even as I head into the evening New York traffic, instantly wishing I had just walked to my big brother’s apartment instead of driving.

Ugh. I shouldn’t even be in this predicament.

“Stupid Cal,” I mutter, choking on my now-ex-fiancé’s name. The man had the nerve to break up with me a mere three weeks after proposing.

Why?

Because he “wasn’t feeling it” anymore.

And what’s worse?

I just broke my lease to move in with him.

“I guess it’s a good thing I never unpacked.” I wipe more tears with the back of my hand, certain I’m smearing my mascara across my face.

I make the thirty-minute drive to my brother’s place, which he was kind enough to offer up after I called him crying on the sidewalk.

I’m trying my best to focus on anything other than my broken heart, but my mind just keeps replaying the moment Cal came out—not to check on me, not to ask if I was okay, but to ask for the ring back.

“I’m so done with men,” I mutter before focusing my mind back on the road.

By the time I arrive at Parker’s, and find a parking spot in the garage attached to his apartment building, I’m at my wit’s end, second-guessing whether I should’ve just gotten a hotel.

I rarely talk to my brother, and now I’m literally showing up on his doorstep because I have nowhere else to stay.

Ugh. He’s probably thinking I’m going to be the biggest burden ever.

I glance up in the rearview mirror, instantly cringing at the puffiness under my eyes and the black smudges across my cheeks. I look pathetic.

As I cut the engine and climb out, all of Parker’s spiels about how useless love is plays in my head.

My big brother is … different. He’s basically the biggest grinch of all the grinches, and we’ve never seen eye to eye when it comes to things like relationships.

Or much of anything, really. But as I grab the few essentials I need tonight, I’m starting to see where he’s coming from, because…

Because this sucks.

“Need some help?” a voice calls out from behind me, sounding eerily like Parker, but maybe a little too nice.

I spin around, surprised that it is, indeed, him. “Um, maybe. There’s not a lot. I’ll have to go back at some point and get the rest. I just managed to gather what was important.”

He glances down at the overnight bag in my hand. “I’ll take care of it for you.”

I meet a pair of blue eyes that mirror my own … and our mother’s. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I know you can take care of it, but I can help you, so you don’t have to see Cal again.”

I nod, letting out a ragged sigh. “Thanks.” My eyes flicker back down to my left ring finger, which now feels naked under the orange glow of the parking garage. “Cal asked for the ring back.”

Parker shakes his head. “Does that surprise you? He might be rich, but I’m pretty sure he’s like all the rest of them. Cal’s as stingy as they come.”

“Fair enough.” I sniffle, shaking my head. “He didn’t even ask if I was okay. Just told me he’d need the ring back.”

I slam the car door and sling my overnight bag over my shoulder. It tugs at the sweatshirt I threw on over my leggings. I had already come home, showered, and changed when Cal broke the news that I had to move out…

Right then and there.

“I’m sorry, Brit.” Parker’s voice is strangely soft. And even more strangely, it’s actually comforting. “Come on, let’s go inside. It’s only going to get colder out here, and I’ve found that the longer you stay out with a broken heart, the icier it turns.”

I give him a funny look, unable to hold back a light laugh. “You act like you’re stone cold.”

“Because I am.” Parker smirks and then reaches for my suitcase, taking it from me. “Now come on, let’s go. You have the best room in the penthouse—well, second to mine, of course.”

I laugh a little, but it still feels painful as I follow behind my brother, letting him lead the way. Honestly, I’m glad he’s being so nice to me about all of this, but also…

I feel like such a loser.

I’m twenty-seven years old, barely starting my law career, and now I’m homeless, moving in with my brother to float the gap. I had a nice chic apartment before Cal talked me into moving in with him.

And I paid to break the lease.

My millionaire fiancé wouldn’t even cover the cost.

The realization of just how low that is feels like a well-needed slap in the face. Clearly, I was blinded by my love for him. I thought the guy hung the moon…

What a joke.

I look up at my brother as we enter his building. “So, how have you been, Parker?”

“Busy. Between working and spending time with Weston…”

Weston.

I think of his best friend—the one who’s an even nerdier version of my brother. Last time I saw him, I had to be no older than nineteen or twenty. I roll my lips together, trying to remember what he even looked like back then…

But I draw a blank.

I’m three years younger than my brother and his best friend, and back when I was around them more often, that three years felt monumental. “How is he?” I ask, following my brother to the elevator.

Parker glances back at me, shaking his head. “A mess, as usual. I don’t think much has changed.”

“Does he live with you?”

Parker bursts into dry laughter, tipping his head back as he smashes the button. “Heck no. I pay him way too well to let the guy live with me. That would just be an embarrassment.”

“For you or him?”

“Definitely me,” Parker retorts, shooting me a teasing look as I climb into the elevator beside him. “I love the guy, but we see each other enough as it is.”

“Ha, right.” I laugh, but it feels hollow in my chest. Then again, I guess it’s a good sign that I’m even able to laugh at all after the mess that just happened. “Thank you for letting me stay with you.” I give Parker a smile. “I know it’s been a while since we’ve hung out.”

Parker shrugs. “I don’t think Cal was a fan of me.” He reaches past me and taps the button for the top floor. “Never understood that guy. You’d think someone who makes his living off charming hedge fund owners would be able to at least fake decent social skills. Or even basic warmth.”

I snort, the sound tearing out of me before I can stop it.

“Cal wasn’t much of a fan of anyone, except maybe his own reflection.

” I lean against the wall and wrap my arms around myself, not sure if I’m cold or just hollow.

“Which is probably why, when he told me to get out, I realized there was literally no one else for me to call.”

Parker gives me a quick once-over, his gaze flicking from my smeared makeup to the way my hands grip my elbows. I glance away, embarrassed.

When the elevator doors open, he leads the way to the only door on the floor—his penthouse.

I have no idea exactly how much money my brother makes, but I do know that it’s a lot more than what we were raised on.

Growing up in the rougher parts of the city, with divorced parents, and a dad who barely got by, pushed us to both better ourselves.

And I’m proud of us for that.

“Welcome to your new, temporary, home.” Parker pushes the door open, and I step inside, seeing his place with fresh eyes. I scan the immaculate penthouse apartment, which I’m sure he pays someone to keep this spotless, and I pause as we step into the kitchen.

There, on the island, is a pizza box and a cookie cake. I smile as I read the words on the cake.

Cal Sucks

“I figured you could use a little something to make you feel better.” Parker’s hand lands on my shoulder. “And I must admit, it was pretty satisfying telling the baker to write that on the cake.”

I burst into a giggle and then turn to my brother, wrapping my arms around him. “You are seriously the best. I’m so sorry that we lost touch.”

He squeezes me. “Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you fall in love. You just get all weird and whatever else.”

“Yeah, well, maybe it wouldn’t be … um, weird if I was with the right person,” I reason, pulling away to look up at him.

Parker shrugs, looking indifferent. “Who knows. I’m not really the best person to speak on it. If you want to talk about dating and love, I’ll point you to Wes. He’s the one who wants to be a love guru, I think. He can’t get enough of the dating scene.”

“Hmm.” I purse my lips. “I think I’ll be avoiding the dating scene for a long time.”

“Yeah, that’s what I always say, too.” He sighs. “And then I get dragged into it over and over again. Weston’s desperate for love and has recently become obsessed with going to speed dating events. He always insists he needs a wingman.”

“Sounds exhausting. Have you met anyone?” I ask, reaching for the pizza box and flipping it open to see my favorite pepperoni pizza beneath. I pick up a slice and bite down as Parker follows suit.

“Yeah, no. I don’t know. I met this one chick named Amy who’s way more than I can handle, but I just keep running into her. I guess we’re like … friends now, or something.”

I narrow my eyes at my brother, not buying what he’s selling. “That was the most complicated response ever.”

“Yeah, well, just wait till you meet Amy. Then you’ll understand exactly what I mean.”

“Hmm, I look forward to it,” I say with a full mouth. “Maybe I’ll even tag along to some of these speed dating events with you and Weston…”

He cocks a brow. “Are you sure that’s the best idea?”

“It’d just be for fun, not to actually find anyone,” I clarify. “I’m staying far away from relationships until I heal. The last thing I need right now is to fall in love.”

Parker meets my gaze, mirroring the same sadness I feel inside. “Me, too.”