20AshHonesty
Ash
Honesty
Ash took a final sip from his glass and looked at Forest. He felt guilty about not telling his brothers about Emma and Harper, but Forest was obviously not being truthful either.
“But if we’re being honest,” said Ash, “can we talk about exactly how much time you’re spending with Chloe?”
“All of it,” said Rowan, blowing out a stream of smoke from his cigar. “He’s sleeping with her.”
Surprised to have Rowan rat their brother out, Ash laughed, and Forest sank down in his chair with a groan.
“Honestly,” said Forest, “if I ever wonder how Olly will turn out, I just look at you. You laugh the exact same, and you’re an even bigger child than he is.”
Ash made a face. “Bad news for Olly.”
“What are you talking about? If Olly turns out like you, I’ll be handing out cigars. God, if he turns out to be half like me, we’ll all be in so much trouble.”
“We’ll be shelling out bail money, anyway,” said Rowan.
“That horse had it coming,” said Forest.
“I still don’t think you should punch horses,” said Ash.
“And that’s why we hope Olly turns out like you,” said Forest.
“I love how he managed to change the topic,” said Ash.
“Mm-hmm,” agreed Rowan around his cigar.
“Chloeeeeee,” said Ash stubbornly. “Spill the tea.”
“I... She... It wasn’t supposed to happen.” Forest scratched his head. “I just... she’s so...”
“I think it’s great,” said Rowan, and Ash looked at him in surprise. He hadn’t expected Rowan to be supportive. Couldn’t he see that a nearly homeless nanny hopping into Forest’s bed was a complete money grab?
“She’s goofy as hell,” continued Rowan. “Do you know what she told him today? He grabbed a rock off my path, and she said it was pretty but that it was a working rock and had to stay here.”
“A working rock?” repeated Ash.
“It was working at being a path,” said Rowan with a grin. “I said the rock had been honorably discharged from duty and that he could take it home with him. They were both so pleased.”
Forest groaned. “Just what I need—more rocks! Do you know how many rocks I end up carrying in my pockets?”
“My point is,” said Rowan, chuckling, “that it’s clear that he feels safe and loved with her. He’s himself around her.”
Ash had to admit that was true. And Chloe didn’t seem particularly materialistic, but Ash wasn’t sure what was perfect for Olly was perfect for Olly’s father.
“She makes him shine,” said Forest, looking through the glass again.
“She helped you set a casserole on fire,” said Rowan. “I’m all for it. Buy that girl some underwear and make it permanent.”
“She keeps talking about going back to Asia. She said she was thinking about it when she first moved in, but she keeps saying it like nothing has changed.”
“Yeah, well, maybe that’s because you haven’t told her that things have changed,” said Rowan.
“Uh... I think she’s noticed,” said Forest.
“But you haven’t told her what the new plan is,” said Rowan.
“I can’t tell her the plan because I don’t know the plan. This was never the plan to begin with! It’s too fast.”
Ash didn’t want to say that he agreed, but both of his brothers seemed to have decided that light speed was the relationship timeline to go with.
Ash didn’t think he could point blank suggest that Chloe was using Forest without getting the same punch as the police officer’s horse, but he might be able to push Forest into doing his own investigating.
“Didn’t you just say how much Chloe appreciated honesty?” asked Ash.
“Yeah?”
“So be honest. Tell her you don’t know the plan, but you don’t want her going anywhere.” And then maybe Chloe would realize she didn’t want to be tied down, and she’d Mary Poppins herself back to Asia or wherever.
“Yeah,” said Forest. “That is what I should do. Use my words. Stop being weird. Just tell her that.”
“You should definitely listen to one of you,” said Rowan, and Ash laughed.
“It’s just that I tend to overthink things,” said Forest.
“We know,” said Rowan and Ash together.
“Oh, shut up,” said Forest.
Ash grinned but flipped his phone around in his hand, trying to release nervous energy. Forest had been so happy to have everyone’s feelings out in the open. They had toasted to being honest.
Only Ash hadn’t been honest.
He hadn’t told them how he really felt about Chloe. He hadn’t told them about Emma. Or Harper. Although, he knew for a fact that both Forest and Rowan would shit a brick if they found out he was paying someone to be his girlfriend. Which made Ash’s opinion of Chloe feel even worse.
But even if Chloe wasn’t using Forest for his money, he honestly didn’t see how Chloe was going to help Forest’s life goals or business.
How were they a match? Olly obviously loved Chloe, so maybe that was what Forest was reacting to, but Ash didn’t see how a wild child like Chloe would be an asset to Mister Precision Forest. His brothers were total normies.
They didn’t understand Ash. They loved him, but they didn’t understand him. So how could Forest be into Chloe?
Baby, I’ve been thinking about Harper.
His mother’s text was as out of the blue as any of her messages, so he waited for the next part that would possibly explain where her brain had connected the dots.
You said that you thought she was nervous about going home. Did you pay her the money you were supposed to? You said you agreed to help her pay someone back in Denver for a ring. If she was going home, maybe she wanted to pay them off then.
“Oh, fuck,” said Ash, staring at his phone as he walked into the house.
“Everything OK?” asked Rowan, his hands full of dishes as he collected them off the dining room table.
“Um, no. I think I was an idiot to a friend of mine.”
“Just say sorry,” said Forest, grabbing dishes. His tone was off-handedly paternal.
“Yes, thanks, Dad,” said Ash sarcastically. “I’m not three.”
“What did I do now?” complained Forest.
“You sounded like you were talking to Olly,” said Rowan, chuckling.
“Well, sorry,” said Forest, “But I stand by my advice. Sorry is good for three or thirty.”
“What happened?” asked Rowan, ignoring Forest. “Is it totally fucked, or can you un-fuck it?”
“I was supposed to do something, and I blipped it. It didn’t seem like a big deal, and I forgot. I meant to do it, but there wasn’t a deadline, and I never got around to it.”
“Ah,” said Forest, nodding. “Yeah, everything has a deadline for me, or it doesn’t get it done.”
Ash was surprised to hear that Forest was using the same time-management system he was.
“Can you do it now?” asked Rowan.
“Yeah? Maybe? I don’t know. I’ll start with an apology.”
“Because sorry usually works,” muttered Forest on his way to the kitchen.
Hey, I just realized I never wrote you a check for the ten grand. I’m sorry. I can do it when you come home. Is that OK?
Yes, that would be great. Thank you!
The exclamation point told him that his mother had been right.
No wonder Harper had been weird and distant on text all last week.
He dashed off a thank you text to his mom and then grabbed the dishes.
With the three of them on KP , as Rowan called it, the disaster in the kitchen was quickly cleared, and then they went into the living room.
Vivian was wearing Rowan’s USMC sweats, which Ash had never seen before.
Rowan never let anyone touch his gear. Rowan leaned down to kiss her, and Vivian beamed up at him with an expression that Ash couldn’t help but envy.
Vivian might be younger, but the two were undeniably a match, both professionally and personally. They just made sense together.
“Hey,” said Forest to Chloe as he scooped up Olly, “Ash wants to take Olly to meet my Mom. Would you and Olly be up for a lunch date?”
Ash gritted his teeth. He and Olly didn’t need a chaperone. It felt like Forest was sending Chloe because he didn’t trust either Ash or their mother.
“Um...” Chloe’s head tilted to one side as if she couldn’t figure out why she was involved in the lunch. “Of course. I’d be happy to.”
Everyone was packing up to leave when Chloe came out of the kitchen and approached Ash with her phone out.
“Do you want my phone number so we can set up lunch with your mom?”
“Oh, uh, I guess,” said Ash. “I was going to call Forest.”
“Well, OK, but I’m in charge of Olly’s schedule. So if you call Forest, he’s just going to call me. We can save everyone the game of telephone and talk to each other directly.”
Ash didn’t like that. Forest was the one he talked to. Not some strange woman with blue hair.
“You feel uncomfortable talking to me,” Chloe said, and Ash froze. “That’s OK. Would you feel better if you texted?”
“I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”
“I don’t,” said Chloe. “You do. You’re crossing your arms, and you’ve turned away from me.”
Ash looked down at his arms. She was right. “I got in a fight with my brothers,” he blurted out.
“I know. That’s really hard. Did you say everything you wanted to? Do you feel understood?”
No. No, to all of that.
“Forest said he was burned out,” said Ash. “I should call you directly, shouldn’t I?”
“Yes,” said Chloe.
Ash understood that, and he still didn’t want to do it. He looked up at Chloe. She looked incredibly sympathetic. Somehow, that made it worse.
“You’re a nice person,” he said and then blushed. “I’m kind of spazzing out.”
“Are you? I thought you just needed some time to sit with your emotions.”
“Yeah, that’s...” He stopped, realizing he was about to restate what she said.
He hadn’t had anyone nail his emotions before he did since therapy.
Chloe might be an original weirdo with only five pairs of underwear to her name, but she was smarter than ninety percent of the people he associated with. He fumbled in his pocket for his phone.
“Just give me your phone number so I can stop being awkward in public.”
“Sure,” said Chloe, holding her phone face up and showing her number. It had big buttons like a cell phone designed for old people. He wondered why Forest hadn’t gotten her a new phone.
“I gave up feeling awkward in public,” said Chloe as he added her as a contact in his phone.
“You stopped being awkward?” asked Ash uncertainly.
“Oh, no. I’m definitely awkward. I just stopped feeling bad about it.”
“Must be nice.” Ash heard the sarcastic note in his voice and tried to tamp it down. It irked him that she got to be as weird as she wanted.
“It is. I recommend it to everyone.”
“OK, well, I haven’t,” he said bitterly, “so I’m going to go now.”
“OK,” said Chloe with a shrug.
Ash got in his car and resisted the urge to floor the gas pedal and peel out of the driveway.
Chloe seemed nice, but her relationship with Forest was doomed to disaster.
Why was he the only one who saw it? Except for taking care of Olly, Chloe wasn’t an asset.
He didn’t think that was being mean—it was just a fact.