Chapter 5
Chapter Five
LARK
W hat an arrogant bastard.
After letting out a frustrated scream at the closed door, I stomp over to the bed and flop down dramatically. I have never in my life been so irritated and turned on all at once. I’ve heard Keelan talk about Liam over the years, but because I’ve been so wrapped up in my salons and then in Jake, I never bothered to try and meet him or learn more about him.
I’m seriously regretting that decision now, because the man is gorgeous . He’s also managed to rile me up more in one interaction than Jake did in the fourteen months we were together. Not that I would ever do anything about it.
For one, I just got dumped. And for two, he’s my brother’s best friend. So even though hearing Liam chastise me for being a brat in his deep voice turned me on more than anything else ever has, I’m going to keep my mouth shut and be the perfect roommate while I look for a place of my own.
Speaking of my brother, it’s probably time I tell him what’s going on before he hears it from the tattooed giant. Pulling my phone out of my back pocket, I FaceTime Keelan and pray he’s clothed and alone.
If I had a nickel for every time he’s answered the phone in a compromising position, it would pay for the therapy I need because of said calls.
His smiling face fills the screen, and tears immediately spring to my eyes. His eyes, just a few shades darker than mine, widen in panic. “Malarkey, what’s wrong!”
The stupid childhood nickname has me hiccuping a laugh between tears, which has my twin looking even more concerned. I wave him off and do what I can to pull myself together before he abandons his tour and charters a jet to get back here. “I’m okay, Keely. It’s just been a really long few days and I have a lot to tell you.”
He quirks an eyebrow and for a brief second it’s like looking in a gender-bend mirror. I’ll never forget I have a twin brother, but it’s easy to forget how eerily similar some of our features and expressions can be until we’re face to face. I turn on the bed to get comfortable and Keelan gasps, pointing at me accusatorially.
“Are you in Echo Cove?” He all but shouts the question. I can tell he’s in a hotel room, so hopefully his neighbors aren’t bothered by his volume. I love my twin more than life itself, but, like me, he’s not always the most considerate person in the world. “But more importantly, are you in Liam Blackwell’s house ?”
I can tell he’s about to go all protective sibling on me, so I hold up a hand to ward him off. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll probably answer all of your questions. Okay?”
He nods and mimes zipping his lips and throwing away the key. Rolling my eyes with a scoff, I ponder where to start the story before deciding to just rip off the band-aid. “First things first, I guess. Jake dumped me.”
Keelan’s jaw drops and I can tell he wants to say something, but he stays quiet like I asked.
I nod. “He came in for his biweekly highlights and essentially told me I was a backwater townie who couldn’t hack it with him in the upper echelons of society. After telling me he had been seeing someone else.”
“That little?—”
My glare cuts him off mid-sentence and he holds up one hand in surrender, but his eyes spell murder for my ex-boyfriend.
“Anyway, I packed up my stuff and boarded the first plane home, and oh my god, Keely . Every single thing that could go wrong, did. My luggage was delayed, my rental car was canceled, and I had to ride the freaking shuttle from SeaTac to the Cove. But I hit it off with the woman sitting next to me and she helped me get all my shit to the condo I had rented.”
His eyes narrow suspiciously, and I nod. “But then that was canceled! I swear to Poseidon, Keelan, I almost started crying right there in the Seaside Condos parking lot. But my new friend told me her son had a room for rent and lo and behold, that son was Liam freaking Blackwell. Who, by the way, is a total asshole.”
Keelan finally breaks his silence and busts out laughing. This time my glare does absolutely nothing to deter his mirth, so I prop my phone up on the nightstand and cross my arms. The fact that I’m pouting like the bratty child Liam accused me of being doesn’t escape my notice, and it makes me frown harder. I’m a successful, twenty-eight year old business owner, damn it.
But maybe you were being a little bit childish today.
Thinking back on my actions from earlier, I realize I probably owe Liam an apology. He was being so kind and literally offered to leave his own home and stay in a hotel so I would be comfortable.
I flop to my side with a groan and cover my face. Keelan goes quiet and I can feel his assessing gaze through the screen, even from almost two-thousand miles away. Finally he copies my groan and scrubs a hand down his face. “Lark…what did you do?”
Grimacing, I sheepishly meet his eyes and shrug innocently. “I might have made fun of him just a little and threatened to tell his mom he was being an ass?”
The words rush out as fast as I can say them, hoping to spare myself some embarrassment when I finally hear it out loud, but no such luck. Shame floods through me in waves at my atrocious behavior. God, I deserved every word he said. I was being a brat.
“Malarkey,” Keelan gasps again. “You didn’t.”
A pathetic whine escapes despite trying to keep quiet and the tears resurface along with the crushing guilt. “I know. I know! I’m mortified. He just…He got under my skin and I reacted. He was being so…so nice ! Honestly, Keely, who the fuck is that nice to a complete stranger? Especially one that shows up and sobs on their beautiful outdoor couch?”
He chuckles a bit, but the look on his face is chastising. “Lark, you know I love you, but you really need to work on how you react to men showing you kindness. Not everyone is a Daniel.”
My head whips sideways in shock as I glare daggers at my twin. We never talk about that man or utter his stupid name. But his gaze stays locked on mine, unwavering in his opinion. If there’s one thing I can count on my brother for, it’s to be stubborn to a fault when he’s calling me out.
“I’m sorry, but you needed to hear it. I know it’s been years and you’ve grown and changed and you’re not that same trusting twenty-one year old looking for investors to start your business, but I don’t think you ever fully dealt with the repercussions of Daniels betrayal. And to lash out at someone like Liam, who I can clearly see took you in when you needed a place to stay? It’s not cool, baby sis.”
The other thing I can always count on Keelan for? Tough love. Nodding to show I heard him, I sigh and twirl a lock of short red hair around my finger. “I know. And I know I owe Liam an apology for how I behaved. I’m tired and overwhelmed and it’s been a long seventy-two hours, but that’s no excuse. As soon as he gets home I’ll apologize.”
He nods in approval. “Good. Because you’re my sister, but he’s my best friend. I always knew you two would butt heads, but I don’t want it to be because you’re being bitchy, Lark. Show him the kind heart we all know and love beneath that prickly exterior.”
That makes me groan even as a smile cracks my serious expression. “Do you know your bestie has been calling me a prickly little cactus?”
Keelan howls in amusement, turning my smile into a glare once again. “It’s not funny, you ass.”
He smiles broadly. “It’s hilarious, actually. Liam is totally obsessed with plants, so if he ever gives you a plant nickname, you know he really likes you.”
“What’s your nickname then?”
I watch his gaze warm with affection for his friend, which cools some of my ire to a more manageable degree. “It’s Drac. There’s this plant that’s called the “Happy Plant” but the technical name is something ridiculously long that starts with Drac. Liam likes to tell me I’m too happy for my own good sometimes.”
Okay, so Liam definitely knows my brother. The idiot is too happy for his own good sometimes. I go to respond when all of a sudden the exhaustion from the last few days crashes over me and I let out a massive yawn. “Sorry, Keely. I haven’t slept in like two days and I’m dead on my feet.”
His blue eyes darken with concern. “Go take a nap so you’re rested for your apology later, and keep me updated, yeah?”
I nod, my eyelids fighting to close of their own volition. “Will do. And don’t think I forgot about your show in two weeks. I’ll be there.”
He grins widely. “So will Liam. Maybe you guys should carpool and save gas? Get in a little bonding time? Better yet, why don’t you finally get that tattoo you’ve always wanted! There’s nobody better than Liam Blackwell with a tattoo machine.”
I raise disbelieving brows at him, and his smile softens. “He’s my best friend, and you’re my sister. And honestly, I’d rather not deal with the two of you fighting every time I’m home. Can you please try to make friends, for my sake? He’s a really good guy. He just has some quirks that take a little getting used to.”
Keelan rarely asks me for anything, so I already know my answer before he finishes talking. I was already planning on apologizing to Liam, but if Keelan wants us to be friends? I’ll be the best damn friend he’s ever had.
It doesn’t matter that I’m wildly attracted to the man, or that I got all tingly when he called me out for acting like a brat. I can process my breakup, focus on my salon, and make my brother’s best friend my new best friend.
No big deal.